Cartel (rap group)
Encyclopedia
Cartel is a 1995 Turkish hip hop
group that received attention and popularity in both Turkey
and Germany
. They were famous for pioneering the use of traditional Turkish music
instruments in Hip Hop music
. Cartel was the first Turkish-language project to get off the ground and often credited as the group that ignited "Oriental hip hop." When the group exploded on the Berlin hip hop scene in 1995 it was 8 young men of mostly Turkish descent. According to Diessel, "Cartel was a capitalist venture, a media creation, and a catalyst for dialogue about nationalism in Germany and Turkey. Oznan Sinan along with two other Turkish partners opened a music studio in 1994 and organized the "Oriental hip hop project" after declaring the music in Germany was too 'white.'
. These were Erci E
, Karakan
(Alper Ağa and Kabus Kerim) and Da Crime Posse
(M.Ali, Babalu, İnceEfe and Olcay). Alper Ağa is known to be the first recognized Turkish rapper. In 1995, after recording their debut album Cartel and releasing it in Germany
under PolyGram
, they quickly gained attention from the German media. They had an interview with MTV Germany and explained that their mission was to introduce the world to Turkish music.
Cartel featured five songs by the group Karakan from Nuremberg
, three songs by Da Crime Posse from Kiel
, three songs by the West Berlin
artist Erci C., and the title song, which was a communal recording by all groups involved. The cover design of the CD, with a red ground color and ornamented C, represented the flag of Turkey
. In Turkey
, the 1995 album sold over 300,000 copies, but only sold 20,000 copies to the young Turkish community in Germany
, its target audience of approximately 1 million. Their manager, Oznan Sinan, said upon its release that “our target groups are the Turks, not the German society. Cartel is not defined to these three groups but intends to expand as a community…and…in time as an idea.” He used the German media to promote a cultural identity
, in an effort to identify these rappers as Turks and the group’s rhymes in the Turkish language aimed at developing an ethnically defined minority. The press release for the record stated, "As in France or England, here also ethnic minorities have started to rebel against discrimination through their own music. Hip hop as a language is here a logical choice. Cartel understands itself as a musical lobby for thousands of kids from the second generation [of immigrants], speaking up for what they think and how they feel." When Cartel released their debut album to address the first generation of Turkish immigrants in Berlin, it sparked an international controversy. Although some refrains were rapped in German, most of the lyrics as well as promotional materials and paraphernalia were in Turkish. Cartel even reclaimed the word ‘Kanak’ from its derogative roots by using it liberally in their album, “Don’t be ashamed, be proud to be a Kanak!” and branding it all over their T-shirts and stickers. This not only marked hip-hop culture as distinctly Turkish, but simultaneously created a separate public sphere for fans of Turkish hip hop because most Germans did not speak Turkish. The very fact that the language of the album was in Turkish shifted the balance of power from privileged Germans to oppressed Turks. In the liner notes of the cd, “the English words ‘What are they sayin?!’ appear in big bubble letters. Underneath, the caption teasingly reads in German: ‘Didn’t pay attention in Turkish class? Then ask for the translations fast with this card’”. Using their position as outsiders, Turkish youth are able to create a subculture only accessible to those on the ‘inside.’ By flaunting cultural ‘otherness’ Cartel is able to evoke a power and visibility normally not associated with the minority status of Turks in Germany. Giving it a particularly ‘local’ meaning, these particular distinctions transform distant German hip hop into a platform for Turks to assert their nationalistic pride. Cartel used elements of ethnic segregation as they were experienced in the history of German hip hop
to try to unite the excluded parts of the hip hop community under an artificially ethnic minority, which was supposedly Turkish. Despite not selling as many albums in Germany as had hoped, they are still regarded today as the legitimate founders of Turkish hip-hop and recognized for providing a foundation for Turkish migrants to emerge in the German music scene.
Musically, Cartel mixes several different styles to create a truly hybrid sound. Hip hop
, ragamuffin
, Turkish folk music
, and Pop Muzik
are all elements included in the album. Despite this mixture, Cartel especially attempts to target their lyrics and rhymes at an ethnically-defined Turkish minority. This is a reaction to a largely German-dominated hip-hop scene within Germany that did not incorporate the music of minority groups.
In addition to combining Arabesk
melodies with Turkish rap, Cartel is most identifiable by their gangsta style hip-hop that juxtaposes their group against cultural displacement, racism, and capitalistic exploitation. Some themes in their music include cultural pride, the celebration of brotherhood amongst Turks and Kurds, and a call to mobilize the masses against arson attacks, racism, xenophobia, exclusion, drug abuse, materialism, and capitalism. This notion of Turkish youth struggling with national identity is perhaps most clearly addressed by Cartel’s lyrical content. In the explosive song “Go Go,” Cartel asks its audience to recognize the new generation of Turkish Germans, "We’re not Ali of Ahmet/Look at the chess board/Whoever disrespects us now is/ forced to make their play/You’ve made us sick long enough/ with your swindling." By referring to Turks as “Ali” and “Ahmet”, the quintessential image of the Turkish Gastarbeiter, Cartel calls its listeners to see beyond Turkish stereotypes while holding them accountable for all cultural assumptions. In drawing upon the image of a chess board, Cartel alludes to future relationships between ethnic Turks and Germans, warning that the power is shifting to Turks because of the upcoming generation Kaya sums up the implications of Cartel’s nationalistic rap by saying: Cartel rappers assert and construct a distant pan-Turkish diasporic cultural identity while acknowledging the African connections of rap art. Like many other Turkish rap groups, Cartel also acknowledges it’s ‘authentic’ Turkish folk music connections in the form of a lyrics structure which was used by the mythical Turkish minstrels (halk ozani) By doing so, the rappers also contextualize themselves both in their ‘own authentic’ culture and in the global youth culture. Cartel’s strong identification with Turkey, as seen in their lyrics, is further confirmed by a variety of album cover designs. In their debut album, “Cartel” the design of the CD resembles the Turkish flag, with a red background and the initial letter ‘C’ of ‘Cartel’ imitating it’s signature crescent. The word, ‘Cartel’ is also decorated with Turkish ornamental shapes
Although Cartel was presented as a strong Turkish culture force, their Turkish cultural identity was symbolic of all immigrants and foreigners. Cartel drew heavily on the socio-political messages being espoused in the United States. “The identification with the situation of the black minority in the United States went so far as the acceptance of a separatist economic model as promoted by the Nation of Islam, the suggestion being that it is not capitalism as such which is the source of social inequality, but the nationality of the capitalist.” Their lyrics used this sense of ethnic pride and rejected oppression in order to find empowerment. “By flaunting the cultural "otherness" of the constructs "Oriental" and "hip-hop" in a German context, they evoke a power and visibility normally not associated with the minority status of the Turks in the diaspora.”
Some members of Cartel were involved in Turkish anti-racist and anti-Nazi groups in Germany. They were organized to fight neo-Nazi assaults on Turks. Cartel member Abdurrahman joined the organization because he said that it was necessary to unite as "a single fist" against the Nazis who were attacking Turkish men and women. He said that instead of fighting in the streets, music should be the weapon used to organize against and attack the Nazis. Members Alper and Karim expressed that rap music allowed them to vent their anger at Germans who treat Turks as second-class citizens. "Cartel's version of diasporic identity came to be identified particularly with the song 'You are a Turk.'"
In 1996, the group had a fight, split up and went separate ways. Their debut album was banned in Turkey. Karakan and Erci E released solo albums. However, due to lack of success Karakan decided that they would quit. Erci E released one more album afterwards but had low sales and little attention. In 1998, Erci E collaborated in a single with German musician Peter Maffay
. Cartel's original debut album was re-released in 2004.
Turkish hip hop
-History:Before Turkish hip hop took hold in Turkey, specifically Istanbul and Ankara, it originally grew out of Turkish ethnic enclaves in Germany. Owing its large population to the Turkish migrants that came to Germany in the 1960s as Gastarbeiter , 2/3 of all Turks in Germany are under the age...
group that received attention and popularity in both Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. They were famous for pioneering the use of traditional Turkish music
Music of Turkey
The music of Turkey includes diverse elements ranging from Central Asian folk music and has many copies and references of Byzantine music, Greek music, Ottoman music, Persian music, Balkan music, as well as more modern European and American popular music influences...
instruments in Hip Hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
. Cartel was the first Turkish-language project to get off the ground and often credited as the group that ignited "Oriental hip hop." When the group exploded on the Berlin hip hop scene in 1995 it was 8 young men of mostly Turkish descent. According to Diessel, "Cartel was a capitalist venture, a media creation, and a catalyst for dialogue about nationalism in Germany and Turkey. Oznan Sinan along with two other Turkish partners opened a music studio in 1994 and organized the "Oriental hip hop project" after declaring the music in Germany was too 'white.'
Career
Cartel contained three separate groups of Turkish rappersTurkish hip hop
-History:Before Turkish hip hop took hold in Turkey, specifically Istanbul and Ankara, it originally grew out of Turkish ethnic enclaves in Germany. Owing its large population to the Turkish migrants that came to Germany in the 1960s as Gastarbeiter , 2/3 of all Turks in Germany are under the age...
. These were Erci E
Erci E
Erci E. is a German/Turkish rapper with a degree in political science. He was born as Ercüment Ergün in 1970, in Berlin, Germany. His parents were Turkish immigrant workers. Erci E started writing and making music at a very early age. In 1995 he made his name by collaborating with other Turkish...
, Karakan
Karakan
Karakan is a Turkish rap group.In 1991, Alpertunga Köksal aka Alper Aga established the Turkish group Karakan in Germany.In 1993, Porno Ahmet and Kerim Yüzer aka Kabus Kerim joined Karakan...
(Alper Ağa and Kabus Kerim) and Da Crime Posse
Da Crime Posse
Da Crime Posse was one well-known group in the genre of Oriental Hip Hop in Germany. The group was composed of two Turkish people , one German person , and one Cuban person . In his essay addressing the development of hip-hop in Germany, author Timothy S...
(M.Ali, Babalu, İnceEfe and Olcay). Alper Ağa is known to be the first recognized Turkish rapper. In 1995, after recording their debut album Cartel and releasing it in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
under PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
, they quickly gained attention from the German media. They had an interview with MTV Germany and explained that their mission was to introduce the world to Turkish music.
Cartel featured five songs by the group Karakan from Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
, three songs by Da Crime Posse from Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, three songs by the West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
artist Erci C., and the title song, which was a communal recording by all groups involved. The cover design of the CD, with a red ground color and ornamented C, represented the flag of Turkey
Flag of Turkey
The flag of Turkey is a red flag with a white crescent moon and a star in its centre. The flag is called Ayyıldız or Albayrak . The Turkish flag is referred to as Alsancak in the Turkish National Anthem....
. In Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, the 1995 album sold over 300,000 copies, but only sold 20,000 copies to the young Turkish community in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, its target audience of approximately 1 million. Their manager, Oznan Sinan, said upon its release that “our target groups are the Turks, not the German society. Cartel is not defined to these three groups but intends to expand as a community…and…in time as an idea.” He used the German media to promote a cultural identity
Cultural identity
Cultural identity is the identity of a group or culture, or of an individual as far as one is influenced by one's belonging to a group or culture. Cultural identity is similar to and has overlaps with, but is not synonymous with, identity politics....
, in an effort to identify these rappers as Turks and the group’s rhymes in the Turkish language aimed at developing an ethnically defined minority. The press release for the record stated, "As in France or England, here also ethnic minorities have started to rebel against discrimination through their own music. Hip hop as a language is here a logical choice. Cartel understands itself as a musical lobby for thousands of kids from the second generation [of immigrants], speaking up for what they think and how they feel." When Cartel released their debut album to address the first generation of Turkish immigrants in Berlin, it sparked an international controversy. Although some refrains were rapped in German, most of the lyrics as well as promotional materials and paraphernalia were in Turkish. Cartel even reclaimed the word ‘Kanak’ from its derogative roots by using it liberally in their album, “Don’t be ashamed, be proud to be a Kanak!” and branding it all over their T-shirts and stickers. This not only marked hip-hop culture as distinctly Turkish, but simultaneously created a separate public sphere for fans of Turkish hip hop because most Germans did not speak Turkish. The very fact that the language of the album was in Turkish shifted the balance of power from privileged Germans to oppressed Turks. In the liner notes of the cd, “the English words ‘What are they sayin?!’ appear in big bubble letters. Underneath, the caption teasingly reads in German: ‘Didn’t pay attention in Turkish class? Then ask for the translations fast with this card’”. Using their position as outsiders, Turkish youth are able to create a subculture only accessible to those on the ‘inside.’ By flaunting cultural ‘otherness’ Cartel is able to evoke a power and visibility normally not associated with the minority status of Turks in Germany. Giving it a particularly ‘local’ meaning, these particular distinctions transform distant German hip hop into a platform for Turks to assert their nationalistic pride. Cartel used elements of ethnic segregation as they were experienced in the history of German hip hop
German hip hop
German Hip Hop refers to hip hop music produced in Germany. Elements of American hip hop culture, such as graffiti art and breakdancing, diffused into Western Europe in the early 1980s.-1980–1990:...
to try to unite the excluded parts of the hip hop community under an artificially ethnic minority, which was supposedly Turkish. Despite not selling as many albums in Germany as had hoped, they are still regarded today as the legitimate founders of Turkish hip-hop and recognized for providing a foundation for Turkish migrants to emerge in the German music scene.
Musically, Cartel mixes several different styles to create a truly hybrid sound. Hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, ragamuffin
Ragamuffin
The Ragamuffin is a breed of domestic cat that first made its appearance in 1994. Ragamuffins are notable for their friendly personalities and thick, rabbitlike fur.-General description:...
, Turkish folk music
Turkish folk music
Turkish folk music combines the distinct cultural values of all civilisations that have lived in Anatolia and the Ottoman territories in Europe and Asia...
, and Pop Muzik
Pop Muzik
"Pop Muzik" is a 1979 hit song by M, a project by Robin Scott.-Concept and chart performance:Robin Scott describes the genesis of "Pop Muzik" this way:...
are all elements included in the album. Despite this mixture, Cartel especially attempts to target their lyrics and rhymes at an ethnically-defined Turkish minority. This is a reaction to a largely German-dominated hip-hop scene within Germany that did not incorporate the music of minority groups.
In addition to combining Arabesk
Arabesk
Arabesk may refer to:*Arabesque , a Turkish musical genre having Arabic influences*Arabesk Airline Alliance*Arabesk trilogy, a sequence of alternate history novels by the British author Jon Courtenay Grimwood...
melodies with Turkish rap, Cartel is most identifiable by their gangsta style hip-hop that juxtaposes their group against cultural displacement, racism, and capitalistic exploitation. Some themes in their music include cultural pride, the celebration of brotherhood amongst Turks and Kurds, and a call to mobilize the masses against arson attacks, racism, xenophobia, exclusion, drug abuse, materialism, and capitalism. This notion of Turkish youth struggling with national identity is perhaps most clearly addressed by Cartel’s lyrical content. In the explosive song “Go Go,” Cartel asks its audience to recognize the new generation of Turkish Germans, "We’re not Ali of Ahmet/Look at the chess board/Whoever disrespects us now is/ forced to make their play/You’ve made us sick long enough/ with your swindling." By referring to Turks as “Ali” and “Ahmet”, the quintessential image of the Turkish Gastarbeiter, Cartel calls its listeners to see beyond Turkish stereotypes while holding them accountable for all cultural assumptions. In drawing upon the image of a chess board, Cartel alludes to future relationships between ethnic Turks and Germans, warning that the power is shifting to Turks because of the upcoming generation Kaya sums up the implications of Cartel’s nationalistic rap by saying: Cartel rappers assert and construct a distant pan-Turkish diasporic cultural identity while acknowledging the African connections of rap art. Like many other Turkish rap groups, Cartel also acknowledges it’s ‘authentic’ Turkish folk music connections in the form of a lyrics structure which was used by the mythical Turkish minstrels (halk ozani) By doing so, the rappers also contextualize themselves both in their ‘own authentic’ culture and in the global youth culture. Cartel’s strong identification with Turkey, as seen in their lyrics, is further confirmed by a variety of album cover designs. In their debut album, “Cartel” the design of the CD resembles the Turkish flag, with a red background and the initial letter ‘C’ of ‘Cartel’ imitating it’s signature crescent. The word, ‘Cartel’ is also decorated with Turkish ornamental shapes
Although Cartel was presented as a strong Turkish culture force, their Turkish cultural identity was symbolic of all immigrants and foreigners. Cartel drew heavily on the socio-political messages being espoused in the United States. “The identification with the situation of the black minority in the United States went so far as the acceptance of a separatist economic model as promoted by the Nation of Islam, the suggestion being that it is not capitalism as such which is the source of social inequality, but the nationality of the capitalist.” Their lyrics used this sense of ethnic pride and rejected oppression in order to find empowerment. “By flaunting the cultural "otherness" of the constructs "Oriental" and "hip-hop" in a German context, they evoke a power and visibility normally not associated with the minority status of the Turks in the diaspora.”
Some members of Cartel were involved in Turkish anti-racist and anti-Nazi groups in Germany. They were organized to fight neo-Nazi assaults on Turks. Cartel member Abdurrahman joined the organization because he said that it was necessary to unite as "a single fist" against the Nazis who were attacking Turkish men and women. He said that instead of fighting in the streets, music should be the weapon used to organize against and attack the Nazis. Members Alper and Karim expressed that rap music allowed them to vent their anger at Germans who treat Turks as second-class citizens. "Cartel's version of diasporic identity came to be identified particularly with the song 'You are a Turk.'"
In 1996, the group had a fight, split up and went separate ways. Their debut album was banned in Turkey. Karakan and Erci E released solo albums. However, due to lack of success Karakan decided that they would quit. Erci E released one more album afterwards but had low sales and little attention. In 1998, Erci E collaborated in a single with German musician Peter Maffay
Peter Maffay
Peter Alexander Makkay better known as Peter Maffay is a German musician.- Biography :Born in Brasov, Romania, the son of a German , he was 14 when his family relocated to his parents' Germany in 1963. In the same year, he started his first band, The Dukes...
. Cartel's original debut album was re-released in 2004.
Discography
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 1996 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact... |
Cartel |
PolyGram PolyGram PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:... |
| 2004 2004 in music See also:* 2004 in music Record labels established in 2004-January:*January 1**The Vienna New Year's Concert is conducted by Riccardo Muti.**Kurt Nilsen wins World Idol.... |
Cartel 2004 Yeni Basım (Cartel 2004 New Printing) |
PolyGram PolyGram PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:... |
| 2011 | Bugünkü Neşen Cartel'den |
GRDGN |