Erci E
Encyclopedia
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 Hip-Hop
bands. Erci E, Karakan
and Cina-i Sebeke (Da Crime Posse
) formed a band
called Cartel
by releasing the famous album
Cartel. Cartel sold over half a million copies. Erci E was also the band's media representative.
In 1997, members of Cartel decided to continue on their own. Erci E's first album Sohbet featured rich upbeat hip hop songs which had less political context compared to Cartel. Although the album received positive critics, it was not a commercial success.
Erci E continued working on different Hip-Hop projects with artists from France and Germany.
In 1998 Erci E released the famous single "Weil ich ein Turke bin". However the timing was not very good as the album was coincidentally released at the same time with some German politicians making unpleasant comments about the Turkish population in Germany (which is around 2,5 million). The record company decided not to advertise the album.
He was commandeering racist stereotype
s for his own purposes, with Weil ich ein Türke bin (meaning 'Because I'm a Turk'), which became something of a cult favorite. He first sang the song freestyle
in a club where he was on the stage as a guest rapper.
In 1999 Erci E started DJing at Berlin Kiss FM.
In 2004, he released his second album Geri Geldim.
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...
/Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
rapper with a degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
. He was born as Ercüment Ergün in 1970, in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, 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 Hip-Hop
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...
bands. Erci E, 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...
and Cina-i Sebeke (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...
) formed a band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
called Cartel
Cartel (rap group)
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...
by releasing the famous album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Cartel. Cartel sold over half a million copies. Erci E was also the band's media representative.
In 1997, members of Cartel decided to continue on their own. Erci E's first album Sohbet featured rich upbeat hip hop songs which had less political context compared to Cartel. Although the album received positive critics, it was not a commercial success.
Erci E continued working on different Hip-Hop projects with artists from France and Germany.
In 1998 Erci E released the famous single "Weil ich ein Turke bin". However the timing was not very good as the album was coincidentally released at the same time with some German politicians making unpleasant comments about the Turkish population in Germany (which is around 2,5 million). The record company decided not to advertise the album.
He was commandeering racist stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s for his own purposes, with Weil ich ein Türke bin (meaning 'Because I'm a Turk'), which became something of a cult favorite. He first sang the song freestyle
Freestyle rap
Freestyle rap commonly refers to rap lyrics which are improvised through a acapella or with instrumental beats, i.e. performed with no previously composed lyrics, or "off the top of the head"...
in a club where he was on the stage as a guest rapper.
In 1999 Erci E started DJing at Berlin Kiss FM.
In 2004, he released his second album Geri Geldim.