Comments on: Can anyone translate Turkish rap?

Question: Can anyone translate Turkish rap?

sindark — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 15:53:19 -0800

The documentary Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul introduced me to the Turkish rap music of Ceza (Bilgin Özçalkan). While I like the sound of it, I have no idea what is being said, and some of the song titles make me a bit nervous that I might be enjoying something dodgy (and exposing friends to it). Can anyone who speaks Turkish translate this?

"Holocaust" from the album Rapstar

Koyduðum nokta belki son ben bunu bilemem ayný bomb gibi gelir sana belkide ayný ton dibi delik gelebilir ama ayný fon kendini bilemez montofon ve monoton yaþar hep alt ayný don anlatýrým ben derdimi yalnýz eyy bimini microphone þimdi bana bir bakýnýz hadi muamelesi kesebilir haas** ve de muhammed ali gibi gelir asi bana bak beni gör ve de öl vasi sesim hep duyulur tepeden bariton mekaným olabilir her en ozon yanýma gelenin canýna girecektir eyy bimini microphone...

O oo bunu ben bunu sen þunu ben onu sen gülü ben günü sen fenomen olacak dolacak her yer

Menemen kývamý balçýk gelemem elemem dostumu göremezsem düþmanýn postunu yere seremezsem rüzgar gibi esemezsem veremezsem kalbimi geri gelemezsem sen beni bilemedin yüreðimi göremedin kendini bilemedin yamacýna gelemedin amacýna varamadýn her yeri karaladýn barýþý da yaraladýn acýmadan aldýn rüyalara daldýn bal arýsý gök karasý istanbul kalem harp okulundan çýktý en baba rap iþte baþýna darýsý
Ma mama... microphone unu getirsene bana baksana laklak etme sakýn ha sen beni dinle kelimelerimi kilometrelerce milimetrik hesaplarla yazdým ha ihtiyacýnýz var mý yardýma hatalý rhymelar fatalrhyme la çatal olur ha yatacaktýr yere bala banacaktýr kanacaktýr akacaktýr rüzgar gibi esecektir geri gelecektir ceza etnik bir sentezdir bela teknik bir arýzadýr üç fazdýr kanadý kýrýktýr taktik kuþkunun oluþumudur þu yaptýðým rapteki uçurumdur...

Bak beni gör hadi kamil ol tepeden týrnaða sen hami ol rap e göz kulak oldum sen de ol vede holocaust u gören insan ol arý gibi uç kartal gibi kon vede den köle ol yada ben patron ryhmlarým can yaka bilir ha pardon eyy bimini microphone þimdi bana bir bakýnýz hadi muamelesi kesebilir haas** ve de muhammed ali gibi gelir asi bana bak beni gör vede öl vasi sesim hep duyulur tepeden bariton mekaným olabilir her an ozon yanýma gelenin canýna girecektir eyy bimini microphone...

Bana bak yo kalbini aç son atak yo muamele pak katarakt yo görünen köy bu dayak sözlerle gelen kendini nostradamus sanana namus gerekir ceza gibi bir kabus gerekir fanus gibi g*t deliðinize çikita bir muz sokulur bana bir bakýnýz akýnýz underground u kafanýza takýnýz yakýnýz aleve veriniz her yeri holocaust u görünüz gösteriniz iþte bu hiphop gösterimiz yo allah rap in cezasýný verdi...

If someone has time, I would also be interested in a translation of the song "Rapstar."

By: languagehat

languagehat — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 17:15:09 -0800

The version you're using is hard to read because it's all run together (hard to read, I mean, even if you know Turkish, which I don't), and some of the Turkish letters have gotten mangled (ğ—g with an accent mark—becomes ð in the first word, for instance); this page has the lyrics laid out more readably and substitutes regular Latin letters instead of gibberish, so it may be easier for a Turkish speaker to read. (The spelling is slightly different—the first word is given as Koydum instead of Koyduğum—but that shouldn't be a problem.)

By: sindark

sindark — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 18:43:46 -0800

languagehat,

Thanks a lot. I didn't even know enough Turkish to know that those lyrics were problematic.

By: qwip

qwip — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 21:44:26 -0800

Just wanted to note that languagehat was being awesome again.

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 15:48:02 -0800

[pushes reset button. carry on.]

By: sindark

sindark — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 13:54:59 -0800

Holocaust
Ceza

Partial translation:

The point I gotta make will be the last take.
It's not leaking, it's clogging.
The farmer who doesn't know himself
is monotonous,
always wearing the same underwear.

Screw your stuff, my stuff's like a right from Muhammad Ali.
One look at me and you'll be an invalid.
My tenor will always tone, everything full of ozone...

I'm there for my friends, finish off my enemies,
Arrive like a hurricane, have my heart where it belongs...

I fly like the wind,
I'm Ceza, the ethnic synthesis.
Bad technique is deadly.
Look at me and mature a bit.
My thing is rap, try it and join me.
But watch the Holocaust first.

Maybe my rhymes will hurt you, sorry, man.

Guys who think they're Nostradamus
Need a nightmare like me, or a second asshole.
Show me the Holocaust.
That's hip-hop, God punished hip-hop with me.