Gentleman is the stage name of German reggae musician Tilmann Otto, born on April 19, 1974, in Osnabruck and raised in Cologne. He is one of the most successful European artists to establish a career in reggae while remaining closely connected to Jamaica's musical culture. His work combines roots reggae, dancehall, ragga, hip-hop and pop, and he is known for performing in English and Jamaican Patois as well as German.
Otto became interested in reggae through his family record collection and the Cologne hip-hop and reggae scene. He was also influenced by artists such as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Dennis Brown, Jacob Miller and later by dancehall performers including Shabba Ranks, Bounty Killer and Capleton. His first visit to Jamaica at the age of 18 proved decisive. He returned regularly, developed relationships with local musicians and producers, and gradually built an artistic identity that was rooted in Jamaican traditions without presenting itself as an imitation of Jamaican music.
During the 1990s, Gentleman became active in German reggae circles and worked with the Cologne-based Pow Pow Movement. Wider attention arrived in 1998, when he contributed vocals to "Tabula Rasa" by Freundeskreis and Mellowbag. The track introduced his voice to a broader German audience and helped him secure a recording contract with Four Music, the label associated with Die Fantastischen Vier.
His debut album, Trodin On, appeared in 1999. Although the record was shaped by dancehall and contemporary reggae, it already showed the balance between conscious lyrics, melodic songwriting and sound-system energy that would remain central to his career. Journey to Jah followed in 2002 and marked a major step forward. Recorded with prominent Jamaican musicians and producers, the album drew on roots reggae while presenting Gentleman as an internationally minded European artist. Songs such as "Dem Gone," "Leave Us Alone" and "Fire Ago Bun Dem" helped establish him beyond Germany, and the album earned gold status.
Gentleman's commercial breakthrough came with Confidence in 2004. The album reached number one in Germany and Austria and included the successful singles "Superior" and "Intoxication." Its guest appearances by artists including Barrington Levy, Cocoa Tea, Anthony B and Tony Rebel reflected his strong links to Jamaica. Another Intensity followed in 2007 and reached number two in Germany.
In 2010, Gentleman moved to Universal Music and released Diversity, another chart-topping album. Its success confirmed his position as a leading figure in European reggae. He continued to expand his sound on New Day Dawn in 2013 and became the first reggae artist to record an MTV Unplugged production in 2014. The acoustic project revisited his catalog with live arrangements and featured several guest performers.
Gentleman's collaborations have remained an important part of his career. He recorded Conversations with Ky-Mani Marley in 2016 and reached a new audience through "Ahnma," a 2016 collaboration with German hip-hop group Beginner and rapper Gzuz. Later releases included the compilation The Selection, the German-language album Blaue Stunde and Mad World in 2022, which returned to a predominantly Jamaican Patois-based approach.
On August 28, 2026, Gentleman released Gratitude, a 17-track album featuring collaborations with Capleton, Queen Omega, Collie Buddz, Richie Campbell and Michael Patrick Kelly. Across his career, he has maintained a distinctive position between Jamaican reggae and German popular music, using both traditions to create a style that is internationally accessible while remaining connected to reggae's cultural and spiritual foundations.