Rebels of rap reign in Iran
Anuj Chopra, Chronicle Foreign Service
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
(04-16) 04:00 PDT Tehran - --
In a cozy soundproof recording studio housed in a decrepit downtown building, the rap musician known as Felakat lounged on a chair, surrounded by sound mixers and other sleek recording equipment. Sporting a tousled black shirt, a slick fur-lined jacket and spiky hairstyle. the Iranian rapper might well pass for an Western punk singer.
"I devoted my life to rap when I was just 15," said the 27-year-old Felakat, which means "miserable" in Farsi. "Rap is my god."
Felakat is well aware that such remarks are considered blasphemy by the nation's religious leaders. Rap music is forbidden in Iran.
Nevertheless, Felakat and numerous other rap musicians are part of a thriving underground music scene. Like their American counterparts, they use obscene lyrics and often use female lead or background voices - all jarring symbols of Western decadence to the ears of Iranian authorities, who blame such music for luring the nation's youth away from Islamic culture.
In Iran, all music - except that with religious lyrics - was outlawed by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the political and spiritual leader of the Islamic Revolution of 1979, which toppled the Shah of Iran. The cleric said music was "intoxicating," and he promised to end the "invasion" of Western culture under the shah and promote Islamic values. But as years passed, radio and television stations began playing classical Persian music - mostly with religious themes.
Felakat, who has a considerable following in a nation where 70 percent of the population is under 30, is part of an underground scene where songs are recorded in clandestine studios, burned onto CDs and distributed via a flourishing black market to stores selling religious music and vetted videos. If caught by authorities, stores can be closed, and their owners imprisoned and fined.
Last year, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government blocked a number of musical Web sites carrying Iranian rappers in Farsi, while cracking down on Western fashions. Some clandestine recording studios were closed and several musicians arrested, including Felakat.
Most singers were freed once they promised not to produce any more underground music. Felakat was released on bail after his father posted his house as collateral.
"That is why many of us try to migrate abroad," said Felakat, who wants to live in Los Angeles, where the first Iranian rap album was recorded by a group called Sandy in the early 1990s.
Meanwhile, Felakat and other rappers are not only reaching listeners through clandestine CDs but also are performing at private parties where men and women meet in violation of the law to dance and listen to Western music.
Felakat is aware of his appeal. He coyly admits having a fanatical female fan base since the release of his song Nazgol - the name of his former girlfriend - about love and fidelity last year. "I've had to change my cellular phone number twice," he said, while dangling a cigarette between his lips.
With the introduction of satellite television in Iran in the early 1990s - also illegal - and the popularity of American rappers like 2pac and Eminem, hip-hop music found an explosive following among Iranian youth, local rappers say. Local rap composers and producers appeared soon afterward.
The most famous rapper, Soroush Lashkari, known as Hich Kas, or Nobody, is considered the father of Persian rap for making the genre popular.
Zedbazi introduced gangsta rap to Iran with his song "Mehmooni," or "In the Club." And astonishingly, in a country where women are banned from singing publicly when men are present, female rappers also dot the musical landscape. Salome, who lives in Tehran, focuses on social issues such as prostitution and the sufferings of Iranian soldiers during the 1980-88 war with Iraq. Mana is famous for "Rebellion," a song about poverty and runaway girls.
Many of these rappers post their music on such Web sites as http://www.rap98.com/ and http://www.parshiphop.com/. Some also have posted their songs on YouTube.
Mohammad Dashtgoli, an official from the Culture Ministry, which is responsible for vetting music "in accordance with Islam," recently said he wanted to find a solution to counter the proliferation of Iranian rap music on the Internet.
"There is nothing wrong with this type of music in itself," he recently told the Iranian media. "But due to the use of obscene words, rap has been categorized as illegal."
But the authorities are well aware that the genre has become a form of protest music, as rappers defy authorities and thrive on their appeal among young Iranians.
"There is hardly any motivation to seek (government) clearance," said the rapper known as .S. "If we adhere to their red lines, rap will be ruined. So most of us just say, 'forget it.' "
E-mail Anuj Chopra at foreign@sfchronicle.com.
In a cozy soundproof recording studio housed in a decrepit downtown building, the rap musician known as Felakat lounged on a chair, surrounded by sound mixers and other sleek recording equipment. Sporting a tousled black shirt, a slick fur-lined jacket and spiky hairstyle. the Iranian rapper might well pass for an Western punk singer.
"I devoted my life to rap when I was just 15," said the 27-year-old Felakat, which means "miserable" in Farsi. "Rap is my god."
Felakat is well aware that such remarks are considered blasphemy by the nation's religious leaders. Rap music is forbidden in Iran.
Nevertheless, Felakat and numerous other rap musicians are part of a thriving underground music scene. Like their American counterparts, they use obscene lyrics and often use female lead or background voices - all jarring symbols of Western decadence to the ears of Iranian authorities, who blame such music for luring the nation's youth away from Islamic culture.
In Iran, all music - except that with religious lyrics - was outlawed by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the political and spiritual leader of the Islamic Revolution of 1979, which toppled the Shah of Iran. The cleric said music was "intoxicating," and he promised to end the "invasion" of Western culture under the shah and promote Islamic values. But as years passed, radio and television stations began playing classical Persian music - mostly with religious themes.
Felakat, who has a considerable following in a nation where 70 percent of the population is under 30, is part of an underground scene where songs are recorded in clandestine studios, burned onto CDs and distributed via a flourishing black market to stores selling religious music and vetted videos. If caught by authorities, stores can be closed, and their owners imprisoned and fined.
Last year, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government blocked a number of musical Web sites carrying Iranian rappers in Farsi, while cracking down on Western fashions. Some clandestine recording studios were closed and several musicians arrested, including Felakat.
Most singers were freed once they promised not to produce any more underground music. Felakat was released on bail after his father posted his house as collateral.
"That is why many of us try to migrate abroad," said Felakat, who wants to live in Los Angeles, where the first Iranian rap album was recorded by a group called Sandy in the early 1990s.
Meanwhile, Felakat and other rappers are not only reaching listeners through clandestine CDs but also are performing at private parties where men and women meet in violation of the law to dance and listen to Western music.
Felakat is aware of his appeal. He coyly admits having a fanatical female fan base since the release of his song Nazgol - the name of his former girlfriend - about love and fidelity last year. "I've had to change my cellular phone number twice," he said, while dangling a cigarette between his lips.
With the introduction of satellite television in Iran in the early 1990s - also illegal - and the popularity of American rappers like 2pac and Eminem, hip-hop music found an explosive following among Iranian youth, local rappers say. Local rap composers and producers appeared soon afterward.
The most famous rapper, Soroush Lashkari, known as Hich Kas, or Nobody, is considered the father of Persian rap for making the genre popular.
Zedbazi introduced gangsta rap to Iran with his song "Mehmooni," or "In the Club." And astonishingly, in a country where women are banned from singing publicly when men are present, female rappers also dot the musical landscape. Salome, who lives in Tehran, focuses on social issues such as prostitution and the sufferings of Iranian soldiers during the 1980-88 war with Iraq. Mana is famous for "Rebellion," a song about poverty and runaway girls.
Many of these rappers post their music on such Web sites as http://www.rap98.com/ and http://www.parshiphop.com/. Some also have posted their songs on YouTube.
Mohammad Dashtgoli, an official from the Culture Ministry, which is responsible for vetting music "in accordance with Islam," recently said he wanted to find a solution to counter the proliferation of Iranian rap music on the Internet.
"There is nothing wrong with this type of music in itself," he recently told the Iranian media. "But due to the use of obscene words, rap has been categorized as illegal."
But the authorities are well aware that the genre has become a form of protest music, as rappers defy authorities and thrive on their appeal among young Iranians.
"There is hardly any motivation to seek (government) clearance," said the rapper known as .S. "If we adhere to their red lines, rap will be ruined. So most of us just say, 'forget it.' "
E-mail Anuj Chopra at foreign@sfchronicle.com.
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