Ceza
| Ceza | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Bilgin Özçalkan |
| Also known as | Ceza, Fatalrhymer |
| Born | December 31, 1976 |
| Origin | Üsküdar, Istanbul, Turkey |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Associated acts | Tech N9ne, Sansar Salvo, Yelawolf, Killa Hakan Sagopa Kajmer |
Bilgin Özçalkan (born 31 December 1976; Üsküdar, İstanbul), also known by his stage name Ceza (pronounced je-ZAH, Turkish for 'punishment'), is a Turkish rapper and songwriter.
Özçalkan's interest to rap music blossomed around his primary school years, where he borrowed rap cassettes from his school mates. His love for rap really started to roll after watching the movies Break Dance 1 and 2. His professional career in rap started in 1998 however, after starting the group Nefret (hatred in Turkish) with the rapper Dr. Fuchs. Özçalkan is an animal lover, he keeps various animals at his own house, and often cares for stray animals. In an effort to help young artists, Özçalkan started a label called Evin Delisi (crazy person of the house). He does not only release his own albums with this label, but also signs young artists with it, and helps them release their own music. Özçalkan is also a fan of Assassin's Creed, being in the top 100 players of the world. Özçalkan is married to fellow female rapper Roka. Özçalkan was an electric technician before diving into rap, but he had to quit in order to fully commit to his musical career, as he found it too difficult to combine together.
In 1995, Özçalkan started a group called U.C.S, and performed with this group until about 1998. His group Nefret got signed under Hammer Music in 2000, and the album Meclis Ala - Istanbul was released. In 2001, Özçalkan proceeded to release the album Anahtar. The title track on this album that holds the same name as the album itself was the first one that came with a music video. The album was a great success, and Özçalkan got to give many concerts with it.
Özçalkan's big breakthrough came in 2004, however. He was invited to one of the biggest rock festivals in Turkey, namely RockIstanbul, and was asked to perform on stage here. He was able to showcase his rap music in an environment that held the largest Turkish popular music acts.
Turkish singer Burcu Güneş was very interested in Ceza, and released the song Sahilden with a featuring of Özçalkan, and another Turkish singer, Candan Erçetin, gave him the chance to make a song with her. He featured on the song "Şehir" from the album Melek.
In 2005, Özçalkan played a role in two films of Turkish director Fatih Akın, namely İstanbul Hatırası: Köprüyü Geçmek and Kebab Connection, the latter being a film that Fatih Akın participated in by being a writer.
After these two projects, Özçalkan had a featuring with artist Mercan Dede, in his album Su (water). In his 2006 album Yerli Plaka, he had a featuring of Turkish singer Sezen Aksu, and he also participated in her song Şinanay.
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