German rapper Cro is easily identifiable by the disguise he wears in press shoots and performances: a panda mask. His first official single, "Easy," became a massive hit, making the Top Ten for eight weeks straight and accumulating a total of 30 million clicks on YouTube. Performing under the pseudonym Lyr1c, he released two mixtapes, 2009's Trash and 2011's Music, before changing his alias and persona.nnCoining his new musical style as a simple mix of rap and pop, he titled his 2012 outing Raop. That album reached the number one spot on the charts in Germany and Austria before going platinum. In late 2012, Cro released a mixtape of remixes called Maop, and in 2013 collaborated with H&M on a designer line of clothing for men and women.nn His official second album, Melodie, was mostly self-produced, albeit with help from Shuko and Freedo. Released in June of 2014 on the Chimperator label, it was nearly as popular as Raop; an immediate number one hit in Germany, it also sold well in Austria and Switzerland, and continued to chart for nearly a year. The single "Traum" also hit number one. Cro's MTV Unplugged appearance was released in 2015, and also topped the charts, as did its single "Bye Bye." Preceded by the gold-selling single "Unendlichkeit" as well as "Baum" and "Tru," Cro's third studio full-length, tru., appeared in September of 2017. ~ Jason Lymangrover