LIFE, WHERE WE FROM, TEACHES US TO BE PATIENT

August 11, 2026

Life, where we from, teaches you to be patient

Money get tight, doors close, hope is getting less

But we learn to keep our head steady, stay true to ourselves

Give without expecting something in return

Time reward those who don't fold

(Intro Masi2)

A melancholy lives not only in these lyrics but in the weathered voice of the man on record. When I ask the rapper Zackavelli aka Masi—Masi is his producer alias as well as his nickname among friends—about opening the EP with the spoken word of an older man, he explains that he recorded the voice of a close friend’s father. Though for Masi choosing a favorite song is like picking a favorite kid, he says that the Intro carries a special weight for him personally: the man with this deliberate and heavy voice came to serve as a father figure for him, too, during his childhood in Kreuzberg.

Released this Spring, the album MASI 2 unspools as a stream of consciousness about the rapper’s evolving relationship to his childhood friends and the SO 36—the necessity, as he depicts on the track "Halbe Stunde", of having to go up when you come from the very bottom. But the dose of nostalgia that accompanies this origin story doesn’t prevent him from letting loose with the catchy hooks of a sportive talent. As the call-and-response midway through the record goes, "What’s better than one blunt? Two blunts. What’s better than one bitch? Two bitches"—inarguable rapper math. Having performed on the renowned platform "On The Radar Freestyle", Zackavelli, even though rapping in German, has a growing audience in the States. Despite his international recognition, Masi sees his most significant milestone as his stage performance, when he has a crowd in front of him and "they know every word to the songs".

For the editorial, we went to Endyma, Michael Kamarkadis’ archive, a place for “obsessively specific vintage including the biggest Helmut Lang collection in the world”. Zack decided to go with the Astro Biker Jacket in Vintage Cotton Moleskin, a HL jeans from the AW1999/00 collection, as well as a Rick Owens layered sleeve from AW 2005/06. He also brought an outfit from his own closet to shoot: a washed out baby Tee, his favorite denims, and worn-out pumas. Directed by his friend and creative partner Abdallah El Zain, Zackavelli’s photo shoot took place in the back lots of Kreuzberg, where he has lived his entire life. From this familiar neighborhood, the pictures captured the unique mixture of humility and ostentation in the rapper. It reminded me of what he said about his mixture of joy and anxiety when performing on stage. "It’s a bit like skydiving", Zackavelli said of his concerts. "The seconds before are always the worst thing about it."

astro biker jacket HELMUT LANG archive (A/W 1999/00) via Endyma,

Sweater RICK OWENS archive (A/W 2005/06) via ENDYMA, chains TALENT'S OWN

sweater RICK OWENS archive (A/W2005/06) via Endyma, jeans HELMUT LANG ARCHIVE (A/W 2003/04) via Endyma, chains and belt TALENT'S OWN

Shirt, belt and jewellery TALENT'S OWN, jeans BALMAIN, shoes PUMA

shirt UNVAIN, pants 032c, jewellery TALENT'S OWN

sweater RICK OWENS archive (A/W2005/06) via Endyma, jeans HELMUT LANG ARCHIVE (A/W 2003/04) via Endyma, chains and belt TALENT'S OWN, shoes RICK OWENS