Not to be confused with the Indian director Ezhil.
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Sercan İpekçioğlu (born 1 July 1991), better known by his stage name Ezhel is a Turkish rapper and 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]
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 languageKurmanji.[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."
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