Basis

Basis was a German hip-hop band active from 1997 to 2001. The band was founded at the end of 1996, and the initial lineup met in Eco Park, Poppenbüttel, to record their first demos. The permanent lineup consisted of Vera "Missyna" Holthaus, Kami Manns, Edson Sifre Garcia, and Ronny Gerulat. In 1997, they met producer Marcus Wolter, whose company Seegang signed them. The name "Basis" was given by Seegang's press officer and owner Kati Ahuis after amusing conversations with the group. Seegang funded their studio sessions, resulting in several songs mostly written by Holthaus. They also underwent dance training with Aydin Eser to enhance their stage and video performances.

Their first performance took place at the Kaifu fitness studio in Hamburg. Inspired by Miss D-Pheat's song Es geht nur noch einmal, Marcus Wolter asked Holthaus to write a similar-themed song for Basis, which became their debut single, Wenn ich nur noch einen Tag zu leben hätte. In the summer of 1997, Polydor signed the group, intending to position them as successors to Tic Tac Toe. A music video for their debut single was produced and received airplay on VIVA and MTV. The single, released in August 1997, reached number 17 on the German charts. Their following singles "Ich Liebe Mich" and "Ich Will Euer Leben Nicht", along with their album Hier kommt die Basis, were also successful. Managed by Alex Grob, Basis won the Volkswagen Sound Foundation's Young Talent Award at the 1998 VIVA Comet awards.