Hands Speak: Deaf rappers take on the music industry with prominent Turkish rapper Fuat Ergin


Def Rap, a band of hearing impaired rap artists, started a project that was first of its kind in Turkey in collaboration with prominent Turkish rapper Fuat Ergin.

The masterminds behind the project are Ergin and Erdem Dilbaz, a producer based in Istanbul.

Their debut song "Eller Konuşur" (Hands Speak) features the band members using sign language with Fuat rapping in the background.

The aim of the project is to overcome prejudgments, let hearing impaired people know they can actually engage in music and create greater awareness.

In an interview to Habertürk daily, Ergin said that the main aim of the project is to create awareness about disabilities.

"You cannot create awareness merely by putting two sign interpreters on television. We believe that disabled people have great potential and we try to empower them," he said.

Fuat Ergin, one of the masters of Turkish rap, was born in Berlin in 1972.

He is one of the pioneers of Turkish rap.