Ezhel

Sercan İpekçioğlu (born 1 July 1991), better known by his stage name Ezhel is a Turkish rapper singer whose music blends trap, hip hop and reggae. His song "AYA" has been streamed more than 80 million times on Spotify. He has been given the title "Freestyle King" by Hip Hop Life.[3]

Not to be confused with the Indian director Ezhil.
Ezhel
Ezhel in 2018
Born
Sercan İpekçioğlu

(1991-07-01) 1 July 1991[1]
[2]
Other names
  • CJ
  • Ais Ezhel
  • Ice Ezhel
CitizenshipTurkey
Germany
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active2008–present
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)Vocals
Labels
  • VooDoo
  • KOAL

Life and career

Ezhel came from a musical family. His mother was an Anatolian folk dancer and his uncle was a musician and sound and light engineer.[4] He received a scholarship to TED school, and began listening to American rappers like Eminem, 50 Cent and Tupac Shakur.[5] In addition to Turkish, Ezhel also speaks the basics of the northern Kurdish language Kurmanji.[6]

At 18, he began performing with a reggae band called Afra Tafra. After this group split, he formed his own reggae band, Kökler Filizleniyor, along with some of his friends from Ankara.[7] He performed under the name Ais Ezhel until 2017.[8]

Ezhel can also play the bağlama and guitar, and sings reggae with the band Kökler Filizleniyor. His debut album Müptezhel came out in 2017.[9]

Ezhel was arrested on 24 May 2018 and sent to pretrial detention accused of "inciting drug use" in his songs.[10][11] On 19 June, Ezhel was acquitted within 9 minutes of the opening of his first trial hearing. Ezhel's lawyer, Fuat Ekin, stated that, "We got an acquittal. We can say that justice has been done," according to the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA).[12][13]

In May 2019, The New York Times named Ezhel among the European pop acts that everyone should know.[14]

Due to ongoing lawsuits against him, Ezhel has been residing in Berlin, the capital of Germany, since 2019. When asked on a program why he hasn't returned to Turkey, he responded, "I believe that if I were to go, I would likely be arrested."

Ezhel sparked a major controversy following his participation in a Twitter chat program, during which he asserted, "I stand up for Kurdistan and the Kurdish people, but I hold the belief that the capital of Kurdistan is already Ankara, Istanbul. I hold the conviction that this issue will find a resolution in some way." His statement swiftly went viral across social media platforms, provoking intense reactions. Consequently, Ezhel was subjected to accusations of being a "terrorist" and a "supporter of the PKK." Ezhel took to Twitter to address the situation, stating, "To those who spread animosity, my fellow citizens. Where should the capital be, excuse me? Please don't misrepresent my words. The essence of my statement is as follows (though you may choose not to share this or wish to comprehend): The capital of our nation is Ankara, irrespective of any particular region."

Discography
Studio albums
Singles
  • Pelesenk (ft. Aga B) (2012)
  • Antrenman (ft. Kamufle, Aga B & Harun Adil) (2012)
  • Psikokramp (ft. Red) (2012)
  • SBAG (ft. Aga B, Funk'd Up & Dj Suppa)
  • 3 Gün (2013)
  • Façamızı Kes (2015)
  • Ateşi Yak (ft. Aga B) (2016)
  • Gerçek Sandım (ft. Sansar Salvo) (2016)
  • Kayip Nesil (ft. Kamufle & Aga B) (2016)
  • İmkansızım (2017)
  • Kazıdık Tırnaklarla (2018)
  • KAFA10 (ft. Anıl Piyancı) (2018)
  • Felaket (2019)
  • 3500 (ft. Aga B) (2019)
  • Summer of My Life (ft. Gringo, Yung Kafa ve Kücük Efendi) (2019)
  • ne deve ne kush (ft. Büyük Ev Ablukada) (2019)
  • Boynumdaki Chain (ft. Murda) (2019)
  • Olay (2019)
  • Lolo (2019)
  • Aya (ft. Murda) (2019)
  • Pırlanta (ft. Murda) (2019)
  • Mon Ami (ft. Eno) (2019)
  • Bi Sonraki Hayatımda Gel (ft. Murda) (2020)
  • Limit Yok (ft. Patron, Anıl Piyancı, Sansar Salvo, Allâme, Kamufle, Beta, Pit10) (2020)
  • İz Bırak (ft. Vio) (2020)
  • Jealous & Greedy (ft. OMG) (2020)
  • Made in Turkey (ft. Murda) (2020)
  • Devam (ft. Luciano & Gentleman) (2020)
  • Allah'ından Bul (2020)
  • LINK UP (ft. Kelvyn Colt) (2020)
  • Melodien (ft. Newman) (2020)
  • Not a day (ft. Patrice) (2021)
  • Sakatat (2021)
  • 4 Kanaken (ft. Haftbefehl, Capo, Veysel) (2021)
  • Lifeline (ft. Gentleman) (2021)
  • Astronaut In The Ocean - Ezhel Remix (ft. Masked Wolf) (2021)
  • Bul Beni (2021)
  • BENIM HAYALLER (ft. Luciano) (2021)
  • End of Time (ft. Kelvyn Colt) (2021)
  • Mayrig (2021)
  • VIP (ft. Olexesh, Hell Yes) (2021)
  • Hayrola (2021)
  • Ağlattın (2022)
  • Daima (2022)
  • Nerdesin (2022)
  • Kuğulu Park (2023)
  • Paspartu (2023)
  • Kontak (ft. Summer Cem) (2023)
  • Oynar (2023)
  • Taştan (ft. Summer Cem) (2023)
  • Hot Baklava (ft. Summer Cem, Murda) (2023)

Awards
Year Award Category Nominee Result
2011 Hiphoplife Freestyle King II King II Ais Ezhel Won
2018 15th Radio Boğaziçi Music Awards Best Rap / Hip Hop Music Artist Ezhel Won
Golden Butterfly Awards Best Debut by an Artist Ezhel Won[15]
Song of the Year "Geceler" Nominated
2020 17th Radio Boğaziçi Music Awards Best Duet "AYA" Won
Best Album Lights Out Won
Best Rap / Hip Hop Music Artist Ezhel Won

References
  1. "Ezhel". Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  2. "Ezhel". Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  3. Ulaş. "Freestyle King 2 Şampiyonu Ais Ezhel!". Hiphoplife.com.tr |. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  4. sitesi, milliyet.com.tr Türkiye'nin lider haber. "'Rap hep aşktı'". MİLLİYET HABER – TÜRKİYE'NİN HABER SİTESİ. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  5. Dostgül, Busen. ""Bir rap iyi başlamazsa, iyi rap değildir": Ezhel ve Büyük Ev Ablukada". bantmag.com. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  6. "Ezhel Kimdir? Ezhel Kürt Mü? Ezhel Neden Tutuklandı? | Kundir" (in Turkish). 7 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  7. "Salon İKSV | Ezhel". Salon İKSV. Archived from the original on 31 May 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  8. "The Story of Turkish Hip Hop". We Love Istanbul. 22 May 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  9. "Ay Güneşten Daha Güzel! | Based Istanbul". Based Istanbul. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  10. "Fenomen rapçi Ezhel tutuklandı |". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 24 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  11. O'Connor, Roisin (25 May 2018). "Popular Turkish rapper Ezhel arrested over lyrics 'promoting drug use'". The Independent. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  12. agencies, The New Arab &. "Turkish rapper and government critic Ezhel acquitted of drug charges". alaraby. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  13. "Turkish rap artist Ezhel acquitted in drug case". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  14. "15 European Pop Acts You Might Not Know, but Should". The New York Times. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  15. "45. Pantene Altın Kelebek Ödülleri sahiplerini buldu". Hürriyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 13 September 2020.
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