The popstar Ikkimel: provocative feminist

A performance by the rapper Ikkimel as part of the morning show of the German TV channel ZDF has caused a real hype. Her song “Fußballmänner” (football guys) is much discussed, even abroad. This is not so much because of the music itself.

Who is Ikkimel?

Ikkimel is the stage name of 29-year-old Melina Strauß from Berlin. She originally studied linguistics, before being offered a scholarship for a master’s programme in neuroscience in Norway. However, she did not accept this: seeing her father die of leukaemia made her reconsider what she wanted from her life. In 2021 she decided to become a professional musician. Looking back, she said in an interview: “Being confronted with death changes everything. I asked myself: what are the things in the world that I truly care about? I had to say it out loud, that I wanted to make music.”

Why are people discussing her performance on TV so much?

Ikkimel has been an established member of the German rap scene for a while, however, in the ZDF morning show she reached a broader as well as older audience. Viewers were surprised to hear the song “Fußballmänner” in a show that is known for being informative and offering light entertainment.

Here’s an excerpt from the lyrics:

Fußballmänner, alles Penner (football guys, they’re all pricks)
Bierbauch, Bratwurst, leckerschmecker (beer belly, bratwurst, yummy treat)
Lattenkracher, Mertesacker (crossbar banger, Mertesacker)
Tiki-Taka in 'nem Tanga (tiki-taka in a thong)
Fußballmänner, alles Penner (football guys, they’re all pricks)

The song contains deliberately used sexual innuendoes, as well as mentioning the former professional player and current commentator Per Mertesacker. Ikkimel also plays with the cliche of beer drinking German men who love football as a “masculine sport”. People in Germany have been wondering: what was this performance all about?

Why is Ikkimel currently attracting so much attention?

Ikkimel has always been a controversial figure. Her outfits tend to be very revealing, and her lyrics are highly sexualised. Her debut album that was released in 2025 is titled “Fotze” (Cunt). Ikkimel uses the word to refer to herself, and the way she presents herself has been drawing much criticism. However, what some think of as tasteless and primitive is celebrated by others as being an example of courageous feminist empowerment. Haven’t male rappers enjoyed worldwide success for decades with their vulgar and misogynistic lyrics, after all? Ikkimel herself decides how she wants to appear and in her lyrics she is punching up against men, thus raising the question of why the world of popular culture still reacts so differently to provocative women than it does to escalating men.

Why is Ikkimel popular in the USA?

The Grammy winning female US rapper Doechii shared Ikkimel’s performance on her TikTok channel, reaching millions of people. The video quickly attracted countless enthusiastic comments. One person wrote “Girl come over here we love u” and the US influencer Danisha Carter added, referring to the bewildered TV audience: “i get the vision they just don't get it”. You don’t have to love Ikkimel’s style, but she does seem to be hitting a nerve for many.