He once flew from the curb to the skyline and back again. Now he flies to Dubai. Rapper Bushido and his family have turned their backs on Germany to settle in the desert emirate. And that doesn’t just have to do with the amount of sunshine there.

It was probably planned for a long time. Now Bushido, his wife Anna-Maria Ferchichi and their seven children have put it into practice. As the “Bild” newspaper reports, the rapper’s family emigrated to Dubai last weekend.

The rumor had already surfaced in June that the 43-year-old was planning to turn his back on Germany and take up residence in the emirate, which is part of the United Arab Emirates. The rap journalist Roozbeh Farhang, known under the pseudonym Rooz, had spread it, citing insider information.

Bushido and his family are said to have traveled to Dubai several times in the past and have friends there. “They first rented a house. The villa in Berlin was also rented. Your own house in Dubai will follow soon, either build it or buy it,” the newspaper “Bild” quotes an unnamed confidant of the singer.

Bushido and his entourage also enjoy the warm weather, the sea and the beaches. But that is probably not the main motivation for the drastic step. “The reasons for the move are, on the one hand, to save taxes and, on the other hand, the security of the family. They can live much more freely in Dubai than in Berlin,” said the newspaper’s alleged informant.

Rooz summed it up drastically in June: “You can’t go in Dubai and punch him in the face. Dubai is one of the safest places (…). They’re very tough there, very strict.”

In other words: It is suspected that the move can also be seen as an escape from Arafat Abou-Chaker’s orbit. Bushido has been in court as a key witness in the trial against his former friend and business partner for two years. Concerned about his safety, the rapper has been receiving police protection for some time.

Bushido and his followers had allegedly planned the move much earlier. However, when it became clear that Anna-Maria Ferchichi was expecting triplets and complications arose during the pregnancy, the plans were put on hold for the time being. Now, however, the family was in a hurry, according to the “Bild” newspaper. The reason: the new school year begins on August 28th at the German School in Dubai.

(This article was first published on Monday, August 22, 2022.)