In an interview conducted at Bakırköy A La Mode Coffee with the band İstanbul Attack and their press consultant Emre DUYMAZ , along with Baran G, Obie , and Ahker, they discussed their new album, the band members, and the website.
We conducted a great interview consisting of questions that our members were curious about.

AHKER – First of all, welcome everyone. Congratulations on your new album. We're going to conduct an interview about both our own ideas and questions that our members have previously asked about you. First; Under what circumstances did these four rap artists come together? How did the formation process unfold?

FUCHS – This was a project that had been anticipated since 2000; we had already given this message beforehand. Our goal was to do this with friends we could truly trust and believe we could work with. Because, you know how everyone says that large groups of four people break up, that a group isn't a good thing, but we've been friends for 10 years, we don't have ulterior motives, we don't have ego problems. The important thing is that the Istanbul Attack group is at the top.
During the founding stage, we presented our ideas to some people, including Cem Özkan . He approved, and that's how we started.

RAMIZ – Something occurred to me the other day while I was thinking. I was in my first year of university, and back then, Fuchs and I talked about the Istanbul Attack, and since I was in Ankara, I remember Fuchs and his friends taking photos related to the Istanbul Attack. Let's mention that. Let's remember how old and established this project is. I remembered Fuchs calling me and saying, "Hey man, try out an instrumental track, I'm going to try one too," and...
My confidence increased tenfold. Then, for some reasons, Fuchs went to the army, Kasırga was working, etc., etc… The right conditions came together, the right time was right, the right place was right, and it happened exactly as it should have . We are all very happy and proud to be in this group. We have spent years together and are very close friends. We are a well-established group based on friendship. WE ARE FRIENDS . We never thought about how we would look each other in the face if we made such a mistake.
We are human beings, and God willing, we will all grow old together.

AHKER – Fuchs had already mentioned Istanbul Attack in his previous songs. This was a project he dreamed of. I've always been waiting for this. We've talked about this many times before. So, as band members, are you considering releasing solo albums?

FUCHS: We don't have such a plan right now. We have Istanbul Attack, and we're working to get this group somewhere. It would be wrong to comment on the future at this point.

RAMIZ: If it happens, it will still be under the umbrella of Istanbul Attack. It will be exactly like how Terror Squad or Wu-Tang do it, for example.

FUCHS: This album is very new right now. It's not a solo album, but after we finish promoting this one, we'll start working on the second Istanbul Attack album.

AHKER – Is Istanbul Attack a group or a project?

HURRICANE – Istanbul Attack is a big group, a family, definitely not a project.

FUCHS: You see four people right now, but actually there's a big team behind us. Our managers, press consultants, etc., etc... These people are also working for Turkish Rap .

AHKER – The group currently consists of 4 members, but as far as I know, you previously worked with veteran rappers like Cabbar and Cambaz for this group. Is there any possibility of them, or any new talented rappers in Istanbul, joining the group?

TIMUR – This is about the future. It wouldn't be right to say anything now. If you ask me, Istanbul is so crowded that there are certainly talented people, and if we find good people and can agree on ideas, "Why not?"

AHKER – Has your style changed? Is there a difference compared to the rap you did before?

FUCHS – I don't admit to changing my style, I changed the sound . The album is offensive from start to finish. They should watch out. I was rapping the same way, it was tough. My style is the same, I mean, if I wanted to change it, I couldn't be FUCHS . As for the change in sound...
We kept the rhythms a bit more irregular and lively, and added Turkish melodies, meaning Turkish accents.

HURRICANE – They've tried this before. They wanted to create that synthesis, but when you listen to our album, it's clear that we've found the perfect balance.

RAMIZ – Ahker, you're doing this interview now, but I have a question for you 🙂 I'll put the Istanbul Attack album on your phone with your eyes closed. When you listen to it, will you be able to say, "This is Ramiz, this is Fuchs"?

AHKER – I say so. Because I know.

RAMIZ – Believe me, everyone who listens to this album will notice. There's no change in our style. When I look at this album, there are so many sweet tracks.

AHKER – It's essentially internalizing the group's name.

RAMIZ – Absolutely. In this album, we captured the sound that's popular abroad. But we also added elements from Türkiye to this sound because someone abroad would say, "There's an English version, why would I listen to the Turkish version?" We've been making this mistake for years. But we also added something of ourselves.

HURRICANE – So, it became a sound of Istanbul.

FUCHS – For example, while making this album, we spent months working on the Traffic edit. What's missing from the album? What can we add? What can we play live? We worked on that. We didn't just say, "The album is finished, let's release it." Our goal was to capture this sound, and we did. From the very beginning, Istanbul Attack's aim was to make people say, "Rap is being made in Istanbul." To make Istanbul a rap city.

AHKER – People are wondering why such a promising group uses playback on television?

RAMIZ – Look, my friends and I have been in this business for years.
No one should doubt our live performance. When we went to those TV programs, we already followed and watched them beforehand, and we received criticism and feedback about the programs and made our analyses. The sound systems in those programs were not sufficient to handle our live performance with 4 people and 4 microphones. In the programs where we are promoting Turkish Rap, a small problem due to the sound system could be perceived differently by our listeners. If you like Turkish Rap, you will understand our efforts to promote Turkish Rap. We will have performances in programs suitable for live performances and concerts.
They should come and see what our live performance is like. I think these four people are great on stage. They should come and see for themselves.

HURRICANE – There are four of us. Four separate microphones would be providing four different voices, and they didn't have the equipment to handle that.

FUCHS – We've been following these programs for a long time. Big artists have emerged, but their voices all sounded low. Ultimately, they sing with more melody, chewing on the words, but it's not like that in rap. We talk and sing over the music. Besides, rap is unfamiliar to people in Türkiye, a little bit...
We did this to bring them closer. If anyone doubts our live performance, they should come and watch us live.

AHKER – What do you think about producers in Turkey?

TIMUR – There aren't any rap producers in Turkey. If there are, they're people from within our own ranks. The others have been producing pop, rock, and arabesque music for years, so they were unfamiliar with the rap sound, and that's why problems arose. We produced our own album. Cem Özkan helped us with the album's traffic editing and when we were thinking about what extra musical elements we could add to the album. We rappers create the infrastructure and structure up to a certain point, but after a certain point, it becomes possible to do this with the help of a professional and experienced person.

RAMIZ – Cem ÖZKAN lived in America for about 12 years and interacted with quite a few rappers, and he also tried his hand at rap in the past. He always told us, "If there's anything in this album that you don't like, just throw it out."

FUCHS – When we started this album, we talked to and met a lot of people, but the person we could trust the most was Cem ÖZKAN. But most importantly, he believed in us.

AHKER – One of our members asked if the group's shift to a more energetic style is a new beginning or just a temporary phase to make people like Turkish Rap?

HURRICANE – 1. The person asking this question definitely hasn't listened to this album. 2. Rap doesn't mean protest music. That's how rap started, but it developed later. We brought something that didn't exist in Turkey. We knew we would get a reaction, but we did it. This is an innovation, so it's normal for people to react to it.

FUCHS – The sound in the world is changing. It was different when it first came out, but it's evolving every day. We've captured this sound.

RAMIZ – Now look, we broadened the spectrum of rap, we took it out of monotony. We blended our own melodies into the album's sound. Because these were our feelings, our notes. Some people can take things as they are and present them to their listeners as if they were their own feelings. That's a method, and we have endless respect for that, BUT if such people try to tarnish our reputation, we will tarnish theirs in such a way that they will lose their minds!!!

HURRICANE – Lately, I've been hearing some rumors. For example, that we're making American rap. So, what kind of rap are you making? I'm very curious about that too.

AHKER – Do you plan to start a production company in the future and help the next generation of talent?

FUCHS – Absolutely. We plan to do great things under the Istanbul Attack logo. For example, Timur; some people don't know Timur yet, but we did. We are always in the market and always following what's happening. When new talents emerge, we will certainly provide all the support we can.

HURRICANE – While I'm at it, I want to say something. People see that Turkish rap is on the rise. As we rise, there are people who want to drag us down. Even beyond that, there are those in the outside market trying to ruin us. These people are trying to block our progress by influencing the media. But we will not give up.

FUCHS – This is one of the reasons why Istanbul Attack was founded. To revitalize rap, first in Istanbul and then throughout Turkey.

AHKER – What are your comments on the recent diss tracks incidents?

FUCHS – These minor disagreements always happen, it's not a big deal. In fact, there have been times when I was involved in things I didn't even know about. I think that stems from respect for me. In our market, there are those who want to bring down the rising trends, and those who think they can get publicity that way. And there are those who want to take shots at us too.
That's how it will be. When you look at the rap scene, how many people are there from the very beginning? I don't think these kinds of things benefit anyone. If I have a problem with someone, I'll go and tell them to their face. Everyone knows that very well.

HURRICANE – Now, some new upstarts and wack MCs have emerged in the market. They misunderstand the concept of dissing because they've seen it from other sources. Many people think they'll gain recognition by dissing the top artist.

RAMIZ – And there are some people who can't say anything to us directly, but they fill the ranks with their cronies and supporters. But WE ARE NOT STUPID, WE ARE AWARE OF EVERYTHING . We've been in this market for years already. They shouldn't push our buttons. Nobody should try to play the clever one. If it's peace, let it be peace like real men. Let them make peace, not just talk about it .

TIMUR – As my friends have said, these are childish things.
They should stop now. They shouldn't use puppets.

AHKER – So, are Hate Ondaon URA and Dawg Family finished, or are there any new projects?

FUCHS – Right now there's a group called Istanbul Attack. Everyone else has put their other projects aside. We're thinking about Istanbul Attack 2. We were able to get this far with our previous groups, and we formed this group to spread rap music.

RAMIZ – Some people are talking behind my back. I want to clarify something here. They're saying things like, "I broke up Ondaon," and "I'm on bad terms with Tuzak," and so on. Tuzak is my only friend, my dear brother, someone I see every day, and he gets along well with everyone in this group.
That's great . Tuzak got married, may God bless him, he has a beautiful child. I hope they always live in peace. Some people have formed a bad opinion, saying things like, "The group Ramiz is in is like this, Ramiz is grumpy," and so on. If they knew me in real life, they wouldn't say such nonsense.

HURRICANE – I did some things in URA. Timur was in Dawg Family, and when we were about to start preparations to make an album together, we joined the Istanbul Attack group. We achieved a first in Turkey; rap is being played on all radio stations in Turkey. Istanbul Attack is being played.

AHKER – I'd like to talk a little bit about the album. There are no rap features on the album. Is that because there are four of you?

TIMUR – Actually, the whole album consists of collaborations. We did duets on Fuchs Ramiz's songs, or Ramiz Fuchs' songs, or we did duets on theirs, or they did ours. We did a collaboration on every single track. The only person from outside who deserved it was Cem ÖZKAN, and we did a collaboration with him.

FUCHS – We listen to our old albums and songs, and then we listen to this new album, and there's an incredible difference. This album is like a cannonball. I keep thinking to myself, of course, we couldn't have reached Turkey by now, and we wonder why we didn't realize this sooner.

RAMIZ – Look, who doesn't love Busta Rhymes? He made "Woohaa" in '95, and everyone was saying "What is this?" back then. But now Busta is called "Leader of the New Rap Sound." There are many other names. Look at Terror Squad. Look at their past tracks, and then look at the sound they've achieved now. You have to think of these guys as flexible, because "art is limitless." Those who did the same things haven't lasted this far.

HURRICANE – We went through very difficult times trying to capture this sound. Before, rap was monotonous. We could get people to listen to rap from their adolescence until their military service, but those who wanted to have fun after the military couldn't find that in rap. We succeeded in doing that.

RAMIZ – Our album already has every style. We made songs that reflect what we were feeling that day. We were sad, we were happy, we were able to reflect all our feelings in this album. This album is our mirror .

HURRICANE – I was Sagopa's backing vocalist for a while, but we were always laughing and having fun together. After all, we weren't always sad. (Greetings to Sagopa)

RAMIZ – In Turkey, there's a huge group of rappers who support us. There are people who love us, but of course, there will also be those who don't.

AHKER – Could you tell us about your song "Turn the Ignition"? I know you've been involved with modified cars and tuning before. You even performed at some tuning events.

TIMUR – The name says it all :))

FUCHS – As Timur said, just turn the ignition, it's all there is to it, my friend 😛… We've been working with these guys for years already. Almost all of us have thought at some point, "Look at the rappers in America, look at the cars they drive." Now there are rappers like that in Turkey too. Everyone will see it in time. Hopefully everyone will see it by summer.

RAMIZ – Until now, everyone who's driven tuned cars has been rapping about foreign rap music.
He used to listen to it. But now we're very happy when we hear "Turn the Ignition" playing in modified cars passing by on the road.

AHKER – You have a song with the strange name "Itomamatambiyen". Is there a story behind it? Fuchs, I think that's your idea...

FUCHS – These were things said in our circle of friends, like "Sokorro = Help," and so on. We also have a game we play as a group. Slips of the tongue happen in normal life. We tried to reflect that in this piece. Let's not say the meaning of "Itomamatambiyen,"
Let our listeners research and find out.
{ Hint = A Spanish word ;)) }

HURRICANE – In my part of this song, I'm describing the real-life experiences of a single man, and I call it a "horny tirade."

RAMIZ – Harun talked about his "itomamatambiyen" trips. I look back at rap, and there were songs against drugs and smoking, but I'm a guy who has never smoked or drunk alcohol in my life, I don't even drink coffee . But I've seen that those who make such songs...
People used that [referring to a specific genre], but what did we do with this album? We told the story of who we are in our own lives. That's what sets us apart. We completely told our own story.

HURRICANE – People won't be able to talk to us about contradictions in the future. We are who we are in the album, in real life too.

TIMUR – As my friends say. We are who we are.

AHKER – Yes, for example, a person can't always be depressed or always cheerful. Of course, every person has certain phases in their life, and we all go through these phases. Sometimes I might be in a "I'm so happy" kind of mood, sometimes something else...

FUCHS – There's no fantasy in this album. We didn't sit down and say, "What should we imagine to make a song out of?" I once listened to a rap artist in Turkey who was talking about "skinheads chasing me" and things like that. First of all, what skinheads has he seen in Turkey? That's ridiculous. A rapper needs to be aware of his own flaws. Don't make things up, man, if there's a skinhead chasing you .
The room is mine .

TIMUR – Nobody should dream and reflect those dreams in their raps, because dreams are temporary. They only become real if you can achieve them; if you can't, you forget about them. We already express our true feelings in the album; we emphasize what we felt at that moment. As Fuchs said, the secret to our success is...
The secret to our success as Istanbul Attack is this: "ALL OF US BEING OURSELVES." In everything we say we're going to do, we're talking about things that are actually achievable .

AHKER – I'd also like to touch on the topic of drugs. Unfortunately, drug use has become very widespread in our country in recent years. There isn't a single song on your album where you mention drugs. What are your thoughts on this?

FUCHS – Take break dancers, for example. They're doing sports, their whole bodies are muscular. How could such a person use drugs? Families should encourage their children to engage in activities during their free time so that these children can stay away from drugs. Let them do rap, let them do breakdancing, let them find a hobby, and in this way they can get rid of drugs. They can channel their energy somewhere.

HURRICANE – We're already very clean in our normal lives. Some ignorant people go on TV and say, "You need to take drugs to be able to rap." Let them come, let's take their blood samples and see whose blood shows alcohol and drugs . It's that simple.

RAMIZ – My lips are virgin. I have never touched alcohol or even cigarettes. If they ask for blood, we will give it.

HURRICANE – We don't use it and we don't advertise it. To me, even being against it in the songs feels like reminding people of it, or advertising it.

RAMIZ – Fuchs said something very good. Families are always complaining about their children becoming delinquents. If you don't want your child to become a delinquent, you should show them things they can be interested in. Rap, breakdancing, whatever it is. Hip-hop is a huge culture; there's breakdancing, graffiti, rap, beatboxing, DJing. That's the biggest thing that sets hip-hop apart. It's not just a musical genre , it's a LIFESTYLE . In adolescence, hormones release so much energy that sometimes it can even cause you to lose consciousness.
It's possible. And these activities, which start as a hobby in youth, can later become a profession. They can achieve this.

AHKER – 1st music video was shot for the song "Istanbul Nights" and they produced it themselves.
This is a music video you made with the resources you had. So, what are your plans for a second music video?
Really?

FUCHS – We are working on it, of course. The track title isn't decided yet.
Because we have so many great tracks, we honestly can't choose just one. We shot the "Istanbul Nights" music video ourselves, as the Soundcheck family. Now, the second music video , "ON AIR ," will be shot by our company, and everyone should say, "This is really a great job," when they see it. We will do everything necessary. Hopefully, it will be broadcast on all channels.
For now, we have no problems, thank God.

AHKER – You have another song on your album called "Bullet Warehouse." I really liked it. Of course, there must be a story behind it. Could you explain it?

FUCHS – It has a really bad story. Rappers will love it. Normally, there's a music market in Turkey. Who's mostly there? Pop artists, and when we say alternative, we're left with rap and rock listeners. We said; What is a bullet depot? It's the heart of an army, its lifeline . Let's make a song that will raid the bullet depot of the music market, that is, the pop market. Let's say, "Let's go raid the bullet depot."

RAMIZ – In my part of this song, I say, "If I think I'm in a bullet depot, know that I'm hungry, I've slung my gun over my shoulder, I've loaded the magazine into my gun." We're all going together here, and they gave us a studio. Thanks to Cem ÖZKAN, it was the studio of our dreams. It's our bullet depot. You know how they say, "A hungry chicken thinks it's in a grain silo"? We were in a state of lethargy there.
We were captivated; it was such a beautiful studio, and we were craving something like that. Then we said, let's make a track like this in a place like this, and then let's go raid the ammunition depot, and hopefully, that ammunition depot will be ours .

AHKER – Do you have a fan site where your listeners can reach you?

RAMIZ – We currently have an official website. People can access our personal information there. This site is somewhat more official. But we also have a comprehensive website that will include forums and all our information. It's almost finished, very close to completion. Many thanks to our friends for their support. The website address is: www.34attack.com

AHKER – And unfortunately, we've come to the end of our interview. May I have your final words?

TIMUR – Everyone should put aside their prejudices and buy and listen to the album. It's very important for us that they buy the album. We see that some forums have given away downloads of the songs from the album, and that's a huge disrespect. We've been working on this for years, turning night into day, sometimes staying up all night in the studio even knowing we might not be able to come home. We did this so we could continue working the next day. First and foremost, if you call yourself a rapper, you need to go and buy that album like a boss. Whether you like it or not doesn't matter, but go and buy the album.

RAMIZ – First of all, we would like to thank the SOUNCHECK family for believing in us and trusting us. Then, we would like to thank our boss, brother, and friend, Mr. BURAK DEMİRSARAN, who believed in us and trusted us in the second stage. He is the owner of On Air. We would also like to thank our dear Press Advisor , Emre DUYMAZ, for his work for Istanbul Attack and Turkish Rap to date. Thanks to him...
Turkish Rap has reached places it never reached before and continues to do so. We extend our sincere thanks to our management team, Ms. Yeşim Doran and Ms. Buket Doran. There are many important names in the market: Rebel Moves, Athena, Çilekeş, Gece Yolcuları, Direc-T, Şebnem Ferah, Beyza, Göksel, Manga, etc., etc.
We have a lot of people behind us. They all support us. And of course, the most important thing is...
Most importantly, we send our heartfelt love to our core audience, the TURKISH RAP LISTENERS…

FUCHS – We say this is the last word, but hopefully it won't be. Back then, we were making beats on a computer, and then Ceza and I were racking our brains wondering if we could ever make an album. But now everyone has their own projects, their own albums. There are so many rappers around us. We shouldn't forget the core group that started this; Ceza, Sagopa, and me.

AHKER – There's also Tunç (Turbo)...

FUCHS – Tunç, of course, has provided immense support. Our first appearance in the press was thanks to him. He's a point where everyone unites. Nobody should forget that. I think these people deserve respect. Now Fuat has also come from Germany; he's our guest here. Everyone is working for Turkish Rap, and we're trying to support them as much as we can. That's what's important .
It was about rap standing up and walking, about it reaching somewhere . Back then, during the Hate period, we were always talking about opening doors, about the breaking point, but we could never quite open them. But now we...
I think we broke down that door with the Istanbul Attack. But most importantly, let no one forget respect . Now everyone can walk the path we have opened, but most importantly, let them NOT FORGET RESPECT. To everyone and...
We especially thank the Assassination team .

AHKER – We, the Suikast.de team, present to you all Turkish Rap.
Thank you for all the initiatives you have taken in its development, and for moving forward.
We hope you will add new successes to your achievements in the future, and
We are eagerly awaiting the latest developments…