Afrob (born Robert Zemichiel in 1977 in Italy) is an Afro-German rapper of Eritrean descent. He is easily recognizable due to his trademark afro, from which his pseudonym is derived. Afrob was born in Venice, Italy to Eritrean parents but moved to Germany at a young age. His musical career began in 1994 with performances at a number of hip hop jams. He became known through collaborations with rappers from Stuttgart's hip hop collective, the Kolchose, but it wasn't until 1999 that he released his first solo album, Rolle mit Hip Hop.