Erci E

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Erci E. is a German/Turkish rapper with a degree in political science. He was born as Erci Ergun 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 Cinai Sebeke (Da Crime Posse) formed a band called Cartel by releasing the famous album Cartel. Cartel was the most successful Turkish Hip-Hop album^{[citation needed]}; Cartel sold over half a million copies. It was the first Turkish music hit to be shown on MTV.^{[citation needed]} Erci E was also the bands media representative. "Cartel 1 numara-en büyük- cehennemden çıkan çılgın türk"

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 wasn't 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 stereotypes for his own purposes, with 'Weil ich ein Türke bin'(meaning 'Because I'm A Turk'). Erci E. has earned his place in the book of political songs and the song however become somewhat of a cult favorite. Erci E first sang the song 'Weil ich ein Türke bin' 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.