Rap Satire and Anti-Rap Propaganda: Iranian Rapper, Video Maker, Promoter React

by Julie Jigsawnovich

Rap music and style have been exploited in movies and TV shows approved by Ershad, Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, with depictions that distort and deviate from the spirit of real Iranian rap. I asked Fred, Shaya, and Adrenaline to express their opinions of this material. Farbod "Fred" Khoshtinat created the video for Hichkas’ “Ye Mosht Sarbaz” (Bunch of Soldiers) track [and has since won a 2010 Democracy Video Challenge award and also directed the "Dasa Bala" video for Arash] Shaya may be the only female rapper still trying to create and perform new songs inside Iran. Adrenaline is an underground rap promoter. They do not know each other, and they answered the following questions separately, without seeing each others’ answers.

JJ: How would you describe the “rap” in the trailer for this Iranian government-approved movie, Shame-e Aroosi (Wedding Dinner), which you can see here?

S: I don’t like this. This is a kind of joke.

FK: This is fast rhyming about moral things like weddings and stuff.

A: Honestly, I didn’t even watch it to the end. I can describe it in one word: “garbage”.

JJ: Are you surprised that Ershad allowed “rap” and “graffiti” to be shown in a movie in Iran, when Police there arrest real rappers and graffiti artists?

S: No, but we are sorry when we see these scenes in our movies. They show this just to give some fun to every person that bought a ticket.

FK: The thing that they are against are the lyrics that have been used in rap. And, by the way, you can never see such a thing in Iranian TV. This is Iranian cinema–whole different rules!

A: Sorry that I didn’t put it in a charming, polite way. I don’t care about the governments, because I have seen many crazy things from them that make “inviting Lil’ Wayne for a show in Iran national TV” like nothing. And you don’t need to worry about the POLICE! They can arrest you for ONLY WALKING IN THE STREETS! It’s up to them–they have the right to arrest anyone at anytime if they feel like it! So don’t worry about police arresting graffiti artists!

JJ: Do you think this movie helped or hurt rap in Iran?

S: Absolutely hurts.

FK: I don’t think it has any effect on rap in Iran. I don’t really consider that song a rap!

A: You don’t need to worry about third question either! Because there are only A FEW people–like 15, or maybe 20–in Iran who really know the real hip-hop! So Persian rap is already hurt! We need a miracle here.

JJ: Has rap been shown in any Iranian movies or on Iranian TV lately?

S: I saw some rap music in movies, but they portray rappers as sick people.

FK: No, there is no such a thing as rap in Iranian TV.

A: Sorry, because I don’t watch Iranian TV or movies–NEVER! And I mean it!

JJ: Fred, I heard there was an Iranian TV show called Shock that used HichKas songs. And this TV program was State propaganda–saying all rappers use drugs and are into devil worship. Did you see Shock? Is it true what I heard about that show?

FK: Yes, it’s all true about Shock. It also showed some parts of Hichkas’ “Bunch of Soldiers” music video.

JJ: I heard that rap music was considered “Western music” in Iran, and was therefore forbidden for most rappers to perform. No?

FK: My opinion is that their main concern is on the lyrics. We have legal rock and pop, but they have moral lyrics.

JJ: I think the lyrics to Hichkas’ “Bunch of Soldiers” do show a type of morality. He’s talking about loving God, friends and family–and being ready to defend his country against attack. He is saying he is street wise, but that he has made mistakes. He is not saying anything ****ual, and he is not criticizing the regime. What more could they ask for? Really!

FK: Hichkas is someone outside the system who is leading some people. This is some big political issue. Hichkas is influential, and the regime dislikes this.

JJ: How did you feel when you saw the “Bunch of Soldiers” video you made for Hichkas included in Shock?

FK: I was shocked and amazed. Iranian TV just showed five seconds of the video, where Hichkas is moving his hands fast–while a Shock narrator claimed that drugs made rappers and Satanists mad. It was propaganda to convince the society about arresting the rappers.

JJ: Did the inclusion of the “Bunch of Soldiers” video in Shock help or hurt your career?

FK: It hurt. That inclusion meant that they had their eyes on us–and they really did.

JJ: When did Shock first show on TV?

FK: I think it was summer before last–I’m not sure. But two months after that they started to arrest underground artists, again.

***

From the archives of Oct. 2009

VOA interviews Iranian Democracy Video Challenge Winner

Farbod "Fred" Khoshtinat's video, ATTN: Mr. Democrat, is one of six winners of the 2010 Democracy Video Challenge.




Click through for wide screen.

ATTN: Mr. Democrat director receives award from Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

The sharp truths in Farbod "Fred" Khoshtinat's ATTN: Mr. Democrat video are almost shocking. It's wonderful to see these truths and the greatness of this video acknowledged--and by acknowledging them, the greatness of brave Iranian people who do fight and struggle against exterior and interior obstacles as they seek the way to their own kind of freedom and democracy.

Thanks again to everyone who voted and helped spread the word about this video.

Here is the video link to the Democracy Video Challenge award ceremony. Secretary Rodham Clinton mentions Iran's green movement around 4:00 and Farbod "Fred" Khoshtinat receives the award around 6:18. Here is more info about Democracy Video Challenge.

There are six winners of the 2010 Democracy Video Challenge: Anup Poudel of Nepal, Yared Shumete of Ethiopia, Farbod Khoshtinat of Iran, Joel Ben Marsden of Spain, Adhyatmika Euuy of Indonesia and Juan Pablo Patino Arevelo of Colombia.

Here is the transcript in case your computer/internet connection is too slow for video, or your country blocks YouTube.

2010 Democracy Video Challenge Award Presentation

Hillary Rodham Clinton 


Secretary of State


Judith A. McHale 
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs


Treaty Room


Washington, DC September 10, 2010

UNDER SECRETARY MCHALE: Come on in. These are the stars of the show, the real stars of the show. They probably feel a little uncomfortable because they’re normally on the other side of the camera. (Laughter.)

Good afternoon. I’m delighted to be here with all of you today. I’m Judith McHale and I have the great privilege of introducing you to some great filmmakers. These are the winners of our Democracy Video Challenge, which is in its second or third year that we have done this, where we reach out to young filmmakers around the world and ask them to submit videos which illustrate how they think about – the contest is called Democracy Is… and so they interpret in film, in a two-minute film, what democracy means. And it’s absolutely extraordinary. The sort of versions and interpretations of this are really incredibly well done, but also very moving. We have – obviously, all of us have an enormous commitment to democracy and to see how these young filmmakers interpret that world, I invite you all to see it.

We’re also delighted to have some of our partners here with us today, without whom we could not have done it. And I’d also especially like to thank Lori Brutten from IIP, who has organized this, the sort of State Department genius behind this, and Dawn McCall, our new head of IIP, who have joined me here today.

But most importantly, I’m delighted to have our Secretary of State, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, with us today to say a few words about these great filmmakers. Secretary Clinton.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you so much, Judith. And this is an especially exciting day for us here to celebrate these young activist filmmakers who are using technology to make their voices heard and, by doing so, giving voice to so many millions of others, and the State Department’s partners who have made the Democracy Video Challenge not only possible, but amazingly successful.

So far, over 3.5 million people around the world have been reached by our growing Democracy is… campaign. This is an effort led by Judith and her entire team to engage youth in a global dialogue on democracy. And we are about to kick off the 3rd annual Democracy Video Challenge at the United Nations next week. So I am very eager to see what ideas this continues to generate.

The prompt for this challenge, as you know, is “Democracy is…” It’s open ended. It is meant to provoke thought and to spur ideas. It truly is a challenge that builds on the freedom that democracy provides for individuals to pursue their own dreams. Each of these young winners has captured six different visions of democracy – some satirical and lighthearted, some poignant and haunting – but each shaped by their own experiences and expressed through their own unique artistic lens.

Now, not all democracies look or behave exactly the same way. As our winner from Nepal said about his video – I hope you don’t mind me quoting you – (laughter) – “Democracy can exist in all countries and it doesn’t have a fixed shape or size.” But the fundamental tenets are non-negotiable. The videos we are honoring today capture essential truths about democracy across the world and respond to the deepest yearning of human beings to have a right to their own lives and their own dreams. Democracy is about fair play. Democracy equalizes the voices of people. And democracy is a learning process.

And so I said earlier this week at a speech I gave that democracy needs defending. And I think we have a very good cross-section of defenders standing here. Another one of our winners, whose beautiful video was inspired by the Green Movement in Iran, said, “I believe if I want democracy, I should fight for it! And this is my way of fighting.” And it gives me great hope to see what these young people are saying.

Now, here at the State Department, we talk a lot about the need to use 21st century diplomacy to solve 21st century problems. Well, this is the heart of that 21st century diplomacy – connecting directly to people, particularly young people, who Judith constantly reminds me – (laughter) – represents what percentage of the world’s population? (Laughter.)

UNDER SECRETARY MCHALE: Sixty-five percent are under the age of 30.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Yeah. Boy, does that make me feel old, I gotta tell you. (Laughter.)

So this is about not only the next generation, it’s about this generation. I particularly want to welcome representatives of the countries of the winners who are here today, and thank you all for coming.

Now, Under Secretary McHale will come back to officially present the awards, which I think you will call the name and I will hand the award. Is that the way we will do it? So I will maybe come out around here, and as you call the name, if the winner will come up here, and then we can give the award. And I hope you all get pictures – that way? Is that okay? All right.

UNDER SECRETARY MCHALE: As Secretary Clinton has mentioned, these winners come from around the world, from each of the six different regions of the world, and they were voted on by people who were tuned into and watching constantly YouTube. So we also especially want to thank YouTube for helping us with this.

From Colombia, Juan Pablo Patiño. (Applause.)

From Ethiopia, Yared Shumete. (Applause.)

From Indonesia, Adhyatmika. (Applause.)

From Iran, Farbod Khoshtinat. (Applause.)

From Nepal, Anup Poudel. (Applause.)

And from Spain, Jual – I’m sorry, Joel Mardsen. (Applause.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we’re very proud of these winners and we are looking to follow them with great interest. We hope that this not only confirms their own ideas, but actually serves to generate more from them and encourage others to join their ranks. So let’s give our award winners another round of applause. (Applause.)

And Judith, why don’t we invite some of our partners and perhaps you could introduce them as well.

LORI BRUTTEN: (Inaudible), Steve Grove, the director of YouTube Student Politics; Rick Cotton, Chief Counsel of NBC Universal; Kate Raftery from the – Vice President for Learning and Citizenship at the International Youth Foundation; Patti Pearson, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Director of Special Projects.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Great. (Applause.) Great. Thank you all very much.

# # #

ARASH "DASA BALA" (OFFICIAL VIDEO) FEAT. TIMBUKTU, AYLAR & YAG

Young Iranian director and editor Fred Khoshtinat made this superb Arash video featuring starlet turned singer, Aylar Lie, and rappers Timbuktu and Yag. Fred also edited the music video sections of Bahman Ghobadi's Cannes award winning film, "Nobody Knows About the Persian Cats". Fans of Iran's Hip Hop culture may already be familiar with Fred's direction and editing via Hichkas' "Ye Mosht Sarbaz" video, and Taham's "Ghamnaameh" video. "Dasa Bala" is slang for "put your hands in the air" and "Googooli" is slang for "cute" in Persian/Farsi .--Julie Jigsawnovich


Click through for widescreen

International superstar Arash Labaf was born in Iran, and lives in Sweden. The platinum-selling singer and producer has had hits in Russia, Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Serbia, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, India, and the Arab Middle Eastern countries.

Political Graffiti Installation by Coup Regime

Art review by Julie Jigsawnovich

Pro-Coup Regime graffiti in Iran lacks artistic merit. This should come as no surprise, since artists there tend to be arrested and jailed for criticizing them. Following are two videos from security cameras outside the Tehran home of former Iranian presidential candidate, Mehdi Karroubi, documenting an event on March 15th

Although the red paint adds drama, it's applied without regard to overall composition. Clearly, it was applied by rank amateurs whose only goal was to shock and dismay. This is even more obvious when the installation on Karroubi's home is compared to paintings by New York artist, Richard Hambleton, who first made a name for himself with his street art. http://illume.me/blog/photos/43.JPEG and http://casadeoroantiques.homestead.com/files/shadowman_painting.jpg

Phrases scribbled onto the building include, "Death to Karroubi!" Perhaps this is the regime's reaction to Karroubi's reportage of rapes by prison guards and security forces.

Persian calligraphy can be beautiful, even when applied with spraypaint on a wall, but what we see here is simply bad handwriting without even the excuse of hurrying to avoid arrest--the police were there guarding the vandals! In my town of New York, although graffiti has reached the level of a serious art form, with collectors from around the world, painting graffiti in public areas is a felony crime. So, to me it is quite shocking that the vandalism of Karroubi's home was supported by Iranian police and persons wearing Islamic Republic of Iran uniforms.

The IRI regime frequently disparages Western media for allowing criticism of the regime. But the use of the color yellow for the anti-BBC and anti-Voice of America signs used in this performance seems an odd choice. Yellow signs and banners are usually associated with the People's Mojahedin Organization, a leftist group vehemently opposed to the IRI regime. Was this simply an oversight on the event planner's part, or an attempt at appropriation?

"TEHRAN (AFP) – The wife of Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi claimed on Monday that a group of 'thugs' paid by 'corrupt' government officials had vandalised the apartment block where the family lives in Tehran. 'About 50 people, including four or five women gathered in front of our building with the support of intelligence and police forces and shouted slogans,' opposition leader Karroubi's website, Sahamnews,quoted his wife Fatemeh Karroubi as saying. 'They vandalised the building. These are thugs who are on a payroll,' she added."

For the sake of contrast, here is a Taham video by Fred Khoshtinat, with high artistic value and excellent use of Persian script and music by the Iranian composer, Mahdyar Aghajani, who fled Iran due to persecution. Although the song itself is not political as far as I know, shooting a rap video inside Iran was. At one point, the video shoot was endangerd by a police raid, and the crew, actors and musicians barely escaped arrest by hiding the camera in a flower pot and running away, according to Aghajani.

Bahman Ghobadi Eludes the Censors

by Julie Ashcraft (A.K.A. Jigsawnovich)

Visiting Iran as a tourist two weeks before the election, I wanted to meet up with some Tehrani Hip Hop musicians in Laleh Park. Sadly, it was too risky. They were being monitored by their government. But later, other members of the Iranian artistic underground that I met online enabled me to interview filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi in person, in New York. This was his first interview with American press after leaving Iran. Ghobadi chose to speak in English, without a translator present. Although, Ghobadi did call Roxana Saberi, his girlfriend and co-screenplay writer, for the translation of a Persian word he repeated with glee. "Tajrobi" means "experimental."

What was it like shooting your film about the underground Iranian music scene, Nobody Knows About The Persian Cats? (This film opens in New York City on April 16th.)

Ghobadi: This was small and fast shooting. This film was shot in 17 days with a small camera and a very small crew. We did not have permission to make this film, so we felt distress. We were so nervous--maybe the police were coming and we would get caught. You can feel this from the way the camera looks around.

You include tracks by the rapper, Hichkas, in this film. Fred Khoshtinat made Hichkas' "Ye Mosht Sarbaz (Bunch of Soldiers)" video.

Ghobadi: Fred helped me a lot with his good ideas and with his editing. He's so fresh. I told my editor we needed Fred's video clips in the film. Fred edited all of the music video clips.

Mahdyar Aghajani, the musician who produced Hichkas' album, Asphalt Jungle, told me he's also working with you.

Ghobadi: I am so happy I met Fred and Mahdyar. They've influenced my film with their music. They have given me a new window. They've given me a gift.

Maydyar is producing your album?

Ghobadi: Yes, and he makes big changes to my music. Mahdyar breaks everything and puts it back together in an experimental way. I went to the studio to record my words. I tried to make music with the best composer in Iran. But Mahdyar is so tajrobi--between amateur and professional, experimental. My music is like that--experimental. Just go and sing. Roxana, my girlfriend, encourages me. She told me, "Just play the music. Don't be sad." I am also finding a new window with painting.

Some of the best filmmakers have shown an interest in paintings. Antonioni also did.

Ghobadi: In school in Kurdistan, I made figurative paintings. I went to the mountains and painted. My paintings are not professional. They are so tajrobi.

Your films have great compositions within the frame of the screen. I love the scene in Half Moon where you show only the legs and feet of a man and woman who are dancing together behind a school bus, and then they kiss. The gestures--the position of their legs and the way her extended leg begins to shake--communicate the kiss. It's much more subtle than a Hollywood kiss, and in a way, far more intense--although, filming it that way may have been the result of repressive censorship.

Ghobadi: Since I was 18 years old, I've been making films. I was nervous 90% of the time about censorship. When I was writing a script, my mind was not free. Every day I had to go to the Ministry of Culture. For 10 hours, I was waiting at the Ministry of Culture. I was not thinking about the storyboard of the film. All of my time, I was like a soldier in the Ministry of Culture. I'm sick, I'm angry about that. All of my films, I was angry. I'm so sad. I didn't know a happy time in my life.

Musicians in Iran are also monitored by Ershad, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. How did you find the musicians for Nobody Knows About The Persian Cats?

Ghobadi: I met Babak Mirzakhani. He has a band, Mirza. He found Ashkan Khushanejad and Negar Shaghaghi, who co-founded the indie rock band, Take It Easy Hospital. Bobak was like a flashlight, finding musicians for me. If you go to Tehran, most of them stay underground and play their music. They don't send their music over the internet.
Not only may musicians be arrested and imprisoned in Iran for performing forbidden genres of music, it is illegal for women to sing solo publicly before a mixed audience of men and women. That would make things difficult for Take It Easy Hospital, since they are performing "Western music" and the lead singer, Negar, is female.

Ghobadi: Ashkan and Negar left for the UK. A thousand bands live in Tehran. Many of them want to leave. They have a dream to go to the street and play the music--to have that freedom. That would be better for them.

Your girlfriend, journalist Roxana Saberi, was imprisoned in Iran earlier this year on accusations of espionage. She was released from Evin prison after she went on hunger strike, you sent a letter pleading for her release, there was an international outcry, and concern was voiced by President Obama and by Secretary of State Clinton and the U.S. State Department. Is it true that the Iranian government put you in prison after they released Saberi?

Ghobadi: At Cannes, people said, "Don't go back to Iran." And my next film project is in Germany. I had to find locations in Germany, casting in Germany. Why would I go back to Iran? I wanted to learn English--go to London, go to New York. Two years ago, the American government gave me a green card, making it legal for me to work in the United States.
Before, Iranian government officials told me in the airport, "Come to my office." Another day, Ettela'at, Iranian Intelligence agents, confronted me and said, "Why do you give interviews to foreign press!?" I told them, "This is normal. When you make films, you give interviews." They told me, "Leave this country forever." I told them, "No, this is my country. Why do I have to take my suitcase and go?"

On June 2nd, my friends said, "Don't go through the airport." I wanted to visit my mother, and friends. I went into Iran from Kurdish Iraq. I got 200 kilometers into Iran, but near Kurdistan the Ettela'at got me. They covered my eyes and put me inside a truck. I think I was in Hamadan, then Tehran. I believe they wanted to keep me hidden because they were afraid that if the Kurdish people knew I was there, it might cause problems with some plans for the presidential election.

So you were detained for more than a week, but not officially imprisoned?

Ghobadi: They can't send me to jail.

Why not? They've sent a lot of people to jail.

Ghobadi: (Ghobadi smiles, and his eyes sparkle, but he does not answer.)

Julie Ashcraft (A.K.A. Jigsawnovich) is an artist, writer and musician living in New York. Contact her at jigsawnovich1@gmail.com

This article was originally published on Dec. 21, 2009 http://www.iranian.com/main/blog/jigsawnovich/interview-bahman-ghobadi-eludes-censors

Playa Philosopher: Fred Khoshtinat

by Julie Jigsawnovich

FRED Khoshtinat is renowned for Hichkas, Xaniar and Taham videos he directed and edited. Now FRED's first official track, "If You Want Me" (Age Mano Mikhay), has debuted at www.audiocrimes.com. He also wrote the lyrics, arranged and produced the song.

Measuredly impatient, words roll off his tongue in Parsi, "Don't act like a good girl for me. You know that we don't have much time till the end of the night...so if you want me, please hurry because my cognac is losing its effect on me, girl....I don't feel like dancing tonight. We're gonna dance enough in my room." Khoshtinat walks the tightrope of frankness with devastating Persian aplomb!

This song is crunchy, subtly nettling--but pleasure overrides pain with net results that exposure to this song is physically thermodynamic. You will want to get with someone. And you'll want it now!

One of the sound layers in the mix imparts a classic video game feeling, triggering my memories of visiting an arcade in Times Square when people were getting shot there on a regular basis. Deceptively simple in content, this song has the confidence and casual appeal of psychological game marksmanship. And something about one of the repeating percussive sounds recalls expertly, gently applied whips.

I asked FRED what effect he would like this song to have on women. He said, "I want them to feel weak in the vastness of their need to a male, and they will feel like a slave to a great power of gravity that is coming from the man--and the fact that sometimes they will do anything to conquer it." Deeply impressed by his cosmic sensual metaphors, I was none the less confused by the last phrase. "The man conquering the woman or the woman conquering the man?" I asked.

"Woman conquering man," he replied.

"Bale? To Conquer implies gaining mastery over someone. It's tricky because, I think, you are going beyond a simple slave/master symbol. You are transcending. What is 'it' that the woman will do anything to conquer?" I asked.

"Gravity that is coming from the man--the attention," he replied.

I asked him to repeat his metaphors in Persian. Khoshtinat said, "mikham ehsas zaaf kone joloye shahvat niaze shadidesh be yek marde khass, ehsas kone ke bardeyi shode nesbat be in niaz va ghodrati ke az tarafe mard sater mishe va dokhtar ro mikeshoone va jazb mikone, yaade oon mavagheyi biofte ke vaseye fathe in tavajjoh va raaf kardane in niaz hazere har kari bokone hatta khodesho payin bire va koochik kone, humiliate herself."

Although I have no illusions regarding the many power dynamics of sexual attraction, I found his desire for the woman to humiliate herself troubling--partly because I believe there is more to Khoshtinat than this statement allows. A clue, perhaps, is the photo accompanying "If You Want Me" (Age Mano Mikhay.) FRED's head rests in the lap of a woman with strong-looking legs. He lies on his back, peering out at the viewer, smiling.

originally published at:
http://www.persianesquemagazine.com/2009/09/01/music-playa-philosopher/#more-919