Lukas Staier

Lukas Nils Staier, known professionally as Cossu, is a German comedian, rapper, actor and content creator born on 2 June 1989 in Zell am Harmersbach. He grew up in Haslach im Kinzigtal in the Black Forest region of Baden, the son of a German mother and a Congolese father he never knew. After finishing school, Staier studied sport, German and geography for teacher training at the University of Heidelberg and worked for several years as a schoolteacher in Stuttgart. He began performing as a rapper under the name Cossu, and in 2014 won the title "Germany's Most Political Rapper" on the online casting show Raputation, judged by rappers Eko Fresh and MoTrip. He later built a wide following through short TikTok and Instagram sketches about life in the Black Forest and Baden and Swabian dialect, with a video posted in January 2021 marking a turning point in his popularity. His comedy frequently touches on regional identity, stereotypes, and social themes such as racism and integration. Since 2025 he has played the character Andi in the ZDF comedy series Tschappel, and in 2024 he published the book We Are the Germans: My Almost True Misadventure Through the Republic.