Lately, there's been a lot of copying happening on websites. This is happening on both rap and sports sites. For example, there's even a copycat site for the assassination! http://www.beepworld.de/members/karakan/index.htm. Please stop this person. It's beyond a huge disgrace; it's illegal.

My third article is "TURKEY vs. EXILE"

We all know there's a great rivalry between Turkey and those living abroad. Who makes better rap, who started Turkish rap, and who's the most successful? This rivalry could be turned to our advantage. We could battle each other. We could challenge each other on albums. But, unfortunately, we Turks love to talk a lot, we don't like to put in much effort.

As you know, I live in Rotterdam, Netherlands. I could easily make a demo CD if I wanted to. All I need to do is rent a studio (it's not difficult) and the rest is up to the producer. While it's not as easy as buying bread from the store, it's something anyone can do if they have the money.

If a friend of mine in Turkey tried to do this, they would have a very hard time. Because 1) There are few studios, 2) The studios don't know what rap is, and 3) Producers who only listen to Turkish folk music (arabesque) would never want to release a rap album, and they never will.

In the Turkey vs. expatriate debate, we shouldn't forget the difficult working conditions of rappers residing in Turkey. We can do many things easily in Europe, but our friends in Turkey struggle immensely. Therefore, we should wholeheartedly congratulate groups like Silahsiz Kuvvet and Nefret. They work under difficult conditions and yet create more successful albums than our friends in Europe. What does this mean? Does it mean Turkish rappers are more successful? No! It means that our friends in Europe need to seize the opportunities around them and produce something meaningful.

Above all, we need to congratulate everyone involved in its creation. Thanks to these people, Turkish rap is growing steadily. Whether good or bad, we need to buy and listen to these albums. If we don't promote it, who will?

Always Turkcerap,