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 stereotypes 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.