In Iran, political dissenters find expression through rap music

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

HICHKAS: (Rapping in non-English language).

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Rap music and rappers have been a vocal presence in the deadly protests taking place in Iran. The unrest, of course, began after a young woman named Jina Amini, also known as Mahsa, died while in custody of that country's morality police. The same morality police has the mandate to crack down on other behavior that's deemed objectionable by the Islamic Republic, including dancing, most public displays of affection, and some forms of music. But that has not stopped rappers from making politically charged music. And that's made them a target for arrest and even execution. We're joined now by Nahid Siamdoust, the assistant professor of Middle Eastern studies at University of Texas at Austin and author of "Soundtrack Of The Revolution: The Politics Of Music In Iran." Professor, thanks so much for being with us.

NAHID SIAMDOUST: Thank you so much for having me, Scott.

SIMON: We heard a bit from Hichkas, or No One, at the top there. And he's often, I gather, referred to as the father of Iranian rap. And he has left Iran - it was unsafe for him to remain there - a number of years ago. But he continues to release songs like this, doesn't he?

SIAMDOUST: That's right. And he left Iran after the green uprising because he published, back then, a track called "A Good Day Will Come," which really spoke for the protests. And, you know, listening to "A Good Day Will Come," which back then, was sort of the rap anthem for the protests, and comparing that to the kind of tracks that we hear today really tells you about the differences between these two protest movements.

SIMON: He's been among those rappers trying to draw attention to the arrests of other rap artists, including Toomaj. He was, I gather, arrested at his home in late October and posted a video essentially asking what it would take for people to evince moral outrage if the killing of teenage girls in the streets wasn't enough.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TOOMAJ SALEHI: (Non-English language spoken).

SIMON: Strong words. The authorities certainly heard it, didn't they?

SIAMDOUST: Yes, absolutely. He's saying, you know, a 16-year-old was killed. A 17-year-old was killed. Many of those were killed. What's it going to take for you to join the protest? Now's the time. Come join the protest. It's time to bring down this regime. And he had been very outspoken for already over a year. About a year ago, he published a track where, you know, he accused everybody who in any way supported the Islamic Republic, whether from inside the country or outside of the country, as collaborating with this repressive regime and telling them that they needed to find rat holes because soon enough, their day was going to be over.

SIMON: If we could, let's listen to a bit of his performance.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SALEHI: (Rapping in non-English language).

SIMON: I don't even speak the language, and I can tell those are blunt and unflinching words.

SIAMDOUST: Toomaj is being held up as a hero and a champion of this movement.

SIMON: Let me ask you about another rap artist who's been arrested, Saman Yasin, a Kurdish rapper and singer who has been outspoken about the plight of the Kurdish ethnic minority in Iran. Let's listen to a bit of his track called "Haji."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HAJI")

SAMAN YASIN: (Rapping in non-English language).

SIMON: Now, he, I gather, is 27 and has been sentenced to death.

SIAMDOUST: He has been sentenced for fighting the regime, and fighting the regime usually carries the death sentence. And yes, he's been a very strong rapper from Kermanshah, rapping in Kurdish. In the piece that you just broadcast, he says, our life is hell on earth. And he's really been very critical of the economic and social and cultural, you know, conditions in Iran, and especially also for the Kurdish minority.

SIMON: Let me ask you about the important role of women because, of course, this is a protest largely begun by women. And there are female rappers, including Salome MC and Justina. And they're out of the country, but I gather they've found a way to collaborate with those inside. And here's a track that I guess the translation - it's by Justina and Toomaj. It translates to "Whip."

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

JUSTINA: (Rapping in non-English language).

SIMON: What are they saying, Professor?

SIAMDOUST: She's really using so many cultural references. So at the beginning of the revolution, you know, women had been equally part of the 1979 revolution to bring down one of the most powerful regimes in the world, of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. And yet once the revolution happened, then Ayatollah Khomeini took over. He said women had to cover up. At the time, there was a term that was used that was (non-English language spoken) - either you cover your head, or you're going to be hit on the head. So she's using that reference to say, I don't want (non-English language spoken), I don't want the hijab, and I don't want (non-English language spoken), I don't want to be hit on the head, either. My hair is going to become the whip that's going to hit you on the head. So it's quite combative and very meaningful for any Iranian woman listening.

SIMON: These rap artists are enormously brave, aren't they?

SIAMDOUST: Absolutely. And rap music, as such - sort of nonconformitive, nonalternative, non-state-sanctioned rap - has never received a permit for an actual record in Iran. So this is really the language of protest, you know, Persian language and Persian culture. One of its most illustrious forms is Persian poetry. So the rap format is very, very native and very inimical to Persian culture, and they're using that format to the best of its potential.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST: (Rapping in non-English language).

SIMON: Nahid Siamdoust is author of "The Soundtrack Of The Revolution: The Politics Of Music In Iran." Thank you so much for being with us.

SIAMDOUST: Thank you so much for having me.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST: (Rapping in non-English language). Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.