The rapper Chefket, whose songs promote unity and love against racism and discrimination, kindly answered our questions. If you are unacquainted with Chefket, this interview closing our hip hop casefile will be a nice place to start of Şevket Dirican,
Interview by Sedef İlgiç and Nazlı Sağdıç Pilcz
Written by Sedef İlgiç
Edited by Nükhet Polat
Translated to English by Zeynep Beler
The words of protest, “You’re always labelled as the ‘Turk’. I’m sick of being reduced to my background, because I’ve got a lot of interesting things to say. I want to make art. Imagine an artist with German parents who is constantly asked about his Germanness. I can’t and I don’t want to represent a group of people, a country or a flag,” open the Renk Magazine interview stage name Chefket.1
Born in Heidenheim, the artist has been living in Berlin since 2005. Beginning with freestyle raps at the hip hop parties he attended there, his musical journey continued with the record “Einerseits Andererseits” he released in 2009. In the same interview, he describes confronting the issue of identity with his 2013 record “Identitäter” and moving on.
Chefket © Ismirdo Chegal
“I read the Qur’an, I read the Bible
I see more similarity than I see difference
Jews, Christians, Muslims, all say Amen
They are all about love / In God’s name shake hands”
From the track Listen & Pray off the album Einerseits Andererseits2
Chefket also demonstrates in life the anti-discrimination and anti-racist stance expressed in his lyrics. On this year’s anniversary of the racist attack in Hanau, he organized a campaign in which he personally delivered the Hanau song to donors for the victims of the attack.
As in his latest single, “Ne Var Ne Yok”, his tracks do tend to have Turkish lyrics. Without further ado, we leave you to read our interview.
You grew up with English rap and rapped in English in the beginning, and now in Turkish and German. What language do you feel most at home in?
Wherever there’s good music, I’m home. Rapping in German, I’m able to go into much more detail and dig deeper. Rapping in Turkish makes me feel like I’m 16. The world of words imbue my tracks with different colors with every language I rap in.
I feel more cheerful in Turkish. That might be because I don’t feel obligated to my Turkish audiences to depict the difficulties Turks face in Germany. They already know. Let’s have fun already!
Speaking in Turkish changes my heart’s climate. Turkish culture is in my lyrics even when I write in German but only the German Turks get it.
In an interview you point out that the Turkish words and phrases you use in your songs open up a channel for intercultural dialogue. Per that dialogue, what developments can you say took place from 2006 when you got your start up till now?
Though the problems for the most part remain the same, the quality of the dialogue has changed. No one listened to us back then. Whether the rap was in German or Turkish, we were looked down upon. That’s changed now. Thanks to the internet, it’s become normal.
All aside, Turkish rap was born in Germany. That is, Turkish rap is actually a “German Turk”. Since it’s gotten to the hip hop mainstream at the same time, Germans are also drawn to it and learn Turkish words.
Those who immigrated to Germany as workers in the 60’s and 70’s laid the cliches bare through their music. Your lyrics further expose prejudices. What does the phrase #gastarbeitergroove make you feel? Do you see your music as its continuation? Are there any songs you like?
No. I only remember “Fresh Familee”. The lyrics of this band were impactful to me. Ahmet Gündüz 1 and 2.3
Can your album “Identitäter” be seen as your confrontation of identity conflicts and politics? What kind of device do you consider music to be in regards to facing down identity issues? What kind of turning point was this record for you?
Once you ask, “who am I?” digging deep is unavoidable. As a person who writes, I wished to know myself better and discuss this quality or the qualities of those who, like me, live in Germany. Because everyone thought of Turks as gangsters. I also say, however, that this has nothing to do with my Turkish roots.
You criticize gangsta rap, but do you think it served a positive purpose in the ‘90s?
I don’t criticize gangsta rap. I criticize those who call themselves gangsta when they aren’t really. There’s a huge difference.
How important do you think Turkish rap and/or rap by those of Turkish ethnicity in Germany is to the German music market? To what does this genre owe its popularity in Germany and the wider world?
It’s very important, because a lot of money is involved. Turks are everywhere. Use Turkish words, and you’ll have a larger following. Look, I made one song, and now I’m interviewing in Turkish.
What is your next project? What can we expect?
You can expect a huge surprise. I hope I get to work with Turkish artists, do good things.
Footnotes
- “You’re always labelled as the “Turk”. I’m sick of being reduced to my background, because I’ve got a lot of interesting things to say. I want to make art. Imagine an artist with German parents who is constantly asked about his Germanness. I can’t and I don’t want to represent a group of people, a country or a flag.” Site: https://renk-magazin.de/en/chefket/, Date accessed: 29.11.21
- Ich les' im Koran, les' in der Bibel / Und ich seh' mehr Gemeinsamkeiten als Unterschiede / Juden, Christen, Muslime, alle sagen Amen / Bei allen geht's um Liebe / Shake hands in Gottes Namen” For the entirety of the Turkish and German lyrics: https://genius.com/Chefket-listen-and-pray-lyrics
- The songs opens with the following and continues with the discrimination he faces as well as his response to it: "My name is Ahmet Gündüz / Let me tell you about it! / You must listen carefully, my German is not so good! / I come from Turkey, I have been here for two years, I used to be so happy but life here is tough.” Original lyrics: “Mein Name ist Ahmet Gündüz./ Lass mich erzählen euch! / Du musst schon gut zuhören ich kann nicht sehr viel deutsch! / Ich komm von die Türkei, zwei Jahre her und ich viel gefreut, doch Leben hier ist schwer.” “Mein Name ist Ahmet Gündüz./ Lass mich erzählen euch! / Du musst schon gut zuhören ich kann nicht sehr viel deutsch! / Ich komm von die Türkei, zwei Jahre her und ich viel gefreut, doch Leben hier ist schwer.” (Çeviri: Sedef İlgiç)
