Yas: Iran's Hip-Hop Sensation

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Here is the second installment of World Music Corner.

By Marc Gabriel Amigone

Since its genesis in the South Bronx in the 1980's, hip-hop has become one of America's most prolific exports reaching places you might expect, like Africa and Latin America, and places you might not, like Iran. Yas, a 27-year-old rapper from Tehran, first heard hip-hop at the age of 16 when his father started bringing him Tupac albums from his business trips abroad. Since then, he has become the first and only rapper to legally release his music in Iran and tour
internationally playing dates in Dubai, London, New York and Los Angeles.

Yas doesn't speak English, but once he heard the rhythm, rhyme schemes, emotion and passion in Tupac's voice, he was extremely affected by the power of hip-hop. When his father died abruptly, Yas became the sole provider for his family at the age of 18, and hip-hop was the only outlet for his emotion and anguish. "When I started to listen to the music and I heard the strength of his voice I really started to feel the energy of the music coming through. I really enjoyed the way he flowed and rhymed on the beat."

While Yas could feel the power and emotion of hip-hop without understanding the lyrics, it was when he began to translate Tupac songs that he realized the real power of hip-hop's message.

"After a while I started to pay closer attention to the music [and] I realized there was a lot more there to it, he was talking about real issues. I started to translate the lyrics and realized he's singing about society and the culture, about his perspective. I realized then that any kind of music that was going to stick around and have any kind of lasting effect had to say something real. It had to have a message and a deeper significance to it, in any kind of genre."

Persian culture has produced some of the world's most esteemed poets. Yas was inspired by Tupac's style and message, but he was also inspired by his own life and culture. "Hip-hop began in America, but Iran has had one of the longest traditions of poetry of any in the world. Poetry is in our blood. If he could sing about his life and pain and his culture, why couldn't I do the same thing in my own language, and that's where it all began."

Any music, books, or film to be released publicly in Iran have to be approved by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. I asked Yas why he's been able to get past the censorship, "The more you limit something the more it becomes popular. Rap is a new style of music in
Iran. The people that censor things don't acknowledge rap as something to be taken seriously just yet. Even though it's extremely popular."

Yas was quick to point out American hip-hop artists like Tupac faced similar barriers and biases. In the early 90's, Dan Quayle was only willing to acknowledge hip-hop as being obscene and offensive, denying its legitimacy as an art form. "Nobody wanted to believe that hip-hop
would be a legitimate art form, just like nobody would believe there'd be a black president in America just like Tupac said in Changes. He said we'd never see it. It's very interesting to see that changes are happening and no one would've believed hip-hop would be popular in Iran,
but now you walk down the street, and there isn't a single car that isn't listening to hip-hop."

Yas is an ambassador for music's ability to bridge gaps and break barriers. He would like to see the United States and Iran as allies and would like to use music and culture to facilitate that friendship, "I can see from coming to the US and having seen both sides, the people of Iran want peace and want good relations with America, and people over here want the same thing, from what I've seen. I think right now is a good time to open up a friendship and change directions. It's important that we use music to show that the people have no issues with each other, that the people have no problems with each other.

"Our two cultures are a great match. One of my goals when I'm here is to work with a great American rapper to help me get my message out to a wider audience. I'd like to take a step forward with American hiphop." Yas is cognizant of the international appeal of his music
and tries to stay conscious of that when he writes in order to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, "One of my main goals is to put Persian rap on the map, but my biggest goal is to get my voice out to the world. Why should it matter that my language happens to be Farsi? My words are about my culture but also about the world as a whole."

Check out Yas on Myspace and YouTube here and here.

See last week's World Music Corner about Modiba.

Comments

[marymansour]

When Iran gets its own version of the Ying Yang Twins doing Salt Shaker, I'll listen up.

[persianadvocate]

It all starts somewhere. Before the Ying Yang Twins and their very awful anthem, there was SlickRick, the Beastie Boys, Run DMC, and so on. The Ying Yang Twins?? COME ON!

[persianadvocate]

I have to disagree with you, Marymansour. The Ying Yang Twins are not what I would, personally, call an example of good hip-hop.

It all starts somewhere. The beginning of Persian hip-hop may be Yas.

[rasit]

MORE power to you Yas, keep up the good work and have fun....

[Meelod]

It's the good thing about music, making new friends, learning new cultures.

[IDIOTA]

Yas is a great performer, and you can tell that he was influenced by the great Tupac Shakur, whose artistry Yas describes beautifully. Tupac was a storyteller endowed with a singular, distinctive style. He was the male version of a diva whose art is immediately recognizable. Had he been able to sing, Tupac would have been even more awesome. Those stories Tupac told were not about him; they were about people on the fringes whose lives merited his examination. Yas is a refreshing voice whose talent is steeped in a tradition that resists its critics by ignoring them. I am going to keep my ears open for more Yas.

[MadeInAmerica]

The bio on Yas' myspace page is very interesting. Music is absolutely awsome and you don't have to understand Farsi to relate as long as you understand what inspired artists like Tupac. Too bad that some people who have made comments don't understand the power of Hi-Hop. It will change the world one artist at a time.

http://www.myspace.com/yaspersian2

[Meelod]

He is great, I mean he has a great personality, we are friends since I was 14 and he is like a bigger brother to me, I know him so good and thats why I'm saying this, I know many things about my country's culture and I know so many things about american culture because I'm an american citizen so I go to Iran and come back to US 2 times in a year and I see many in commons in these two cultures, Yaser (yas) is a great rapper, one of his songs was downloaded 2-3 million times from internet in six months wich is an awesome record, I'm not talking how many people have listened to it I'm just talking about how many times it was downloaded. His performances are not like his songs I accept that but his new music video is going to be a great one because It's director is Tupac's video director and his name is gobi (he is also Iranian.) and he isn't related to Iran's goverment at all.

waiting for ur questions

[sheitan]

Does becoming a U.S. citizen make you an expert on Ameican culture? Please tell us what that culture is like.

[hotstuff]

What we have been saying all along! Negotiations with Iran could take them off the table as a threat to us! Open the music, art,trade and everything with this to help BOTH !

[SezU]

Becoming a U.S. citizen makes you an American. It takes many years to gain citizenship, so I'm sure Meelod has had ample time to learn about our culture. Which is his culture as well.

[Meelod]

you know what? of course we are both Iranian, but you have problem with hip hop not diffrences between cultures, I'm not an expert in american culture but my father used to live in US for 25 years he has told me these things, going to american schools for years, being with american boys and girls taught me these cultures. and I dont live in LA where you can find 1 million iranians, I live in miami and you can't find 4000 iranians at all.

[persianadvocate]

Sheitan,

It's a mistake to look down upon Americans as if they have no culture. The tenets of America's culture are different than those of Iranians, steeped in several centuries of tradition, but definitely not non-existent.

American culture has resonated around the world. Americans have brought us blues, jazz, rock and roll, coca cola, television, music recording, light, and commercialism in a brand new way. We celebrate Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July. Here, there is a culture of voicing your opinion and organizing for political movement. If organization means raising funds, then so be it.

It's hard to summarize 200 years of history in just one posting, as it would be to summarize 7000 years of culture in one for Iran. As an Iranian-American, I respect both cultures, and even if you are not American at all, as an Iranian, you should be respectful of all. That is the Iranian way.

[kellygrrrl]

he's HAWT!

[Renatta]

I've always found Iran fascinating, and this is a compelling story. But, it leaves out some crucial information, namely that Yas isn't very good.

Believe me I wish he were. I went and listened to a bunch of his work on YouTube. He's no better than you would find at any American junior-high talent show. At least there you would find some earnest experimentation and zany energy. Instead , Yas' dreary imitation of dated hip-hop is entirely derivative, from the inflection, to the "gang sign" moves. Sorry to be snarky, that's my honest opinion. See for yourself, it's pretty obvious.

Anyone know an actually good Iranian rapper?

[sheitan]

Renatta. I have neve listened to this type of "music" and don't know anything about it but from your comments, apparently coming from someone who knows it, this report seems to be a politically motivated one. They are celebrating and aggrandizing an Iranian who imitates America and says positive things about Ameican "culture", hoping to make inroads in Iranian culture. I sincerely hope they fail. Iran has a 7000 year culture where American 250 year mish-mash of different cultures can never be worth copying.
His statement that "our two cultures have a great deal in common" is absolutely wrong and he is trying to please his American audiences in the hope of making his music acceptable.
I wish him success despite his naivite about American culture.

[skunky93]

That's where you are wrong. Our 'mish mash' of cultures is what makes this country great. A country is not just represented by the faces in the white house. Countries are also represented by it's people. When you make a comment like that, you discount that in this country there is a greater acceptance of all nations and a community feel among those who are used to having friends from different nations. You discount people's lives and their acceptance of other cultures into their own family as if it isn't a great thing. I have lived in NYC my whole life and I have friends from over 40 countries in this world. I think that is beautiful. I wouldn't change that for the world. You speak of a 7000 culture as if it didn't once have 250 years on its belt. I would rather have my 250 year old culture than your 7000 culture because through the 'mish mash' of my friends, I have come to love and appreciate everyone. That is something that you apparently will never be big enough to do. I pity you for your small mindedness.

[like a ginsu]

It doesn't touch on his aptitude because it's not a music review. Where are these gang signs you're talking about? If you think anyone at a junior high talent show can do that, I'm willing to bet your interest in hip hop starts and nearly stops with Eminem (your affinity for "zany energy" gives you away). Not saying he's the greatest I've ever heard, but he's not terrible and he's writing about real things going on. At the end of the day hip hop is about individuality and expression of self and of culture, and that's what dude seems to be doing.

[IDIOTA]

I disagree with your assessment of Yas' talent. He sounds really good to me, and Tupac was the reason that I first took rap seriously. Yas' comments on Tupac are astute enough to convince me that he knows what he is doing, and my ears confirm that. But, to each his own, right?

[xxnounxx]

i agree with you
but they make a big thing out of it,cuz he is probably the only rapper out in public

[persianadvocate]

Renatta,

I am a lawyer, but also a musician by hobby. I write English songs mainly but also dabble with Iranian music. Yas is a very good beginning. He is laying down the foundation.

Take a look at the years past at how American hip-hop came to be. Would you say it has come a long way? You cannot expect Persian hip-hop to go from 0 to 60 with just one artist. Yas will bring other hip-hop artists, and each in turn will become better.

Now if we can introduce some profound meanings into the songs like Ebi, Moien, or Dariush, then it will truly exemplify the Iranian music style within the hip-hop genre.

[Peridolius]

His ode to Rumi is fantastic and moving. Very cool. Very brave.

[sheitan]

Peridolius,

Rumi is his Western-given name. His name is Mowlana, the great Persian mystic-poet.

[PazPraSempre]

Agreed, TSBraz. I am eager to hear what an ordinary Iranian citizen has to say, vs translations of Ahmadinejad's speeches.

[sheitan]

What the heck does Ahmadinejad speeches have to do with this?

[evagorman]

"Our two cultures are a great match." -- Yes they are, Yas. Keep rapping.

[sheitan]

evagorman,

Explain yourself please.

[skunky93]

very simple. He's encouraging a commonality for the sake of good relationships. Is that so hard to understand?

[TSBraz]

The understanding of Iran has been so muddled and inaccuacies reenforced for political gain in this country that it is really nice to see this piece that highlights a respect for culture and how that might be a bridge to opening up conversation between our two countries instead of both sides sticking to the demonized images that serve the power structures own purposes. I'll have to start listening to Iranian rap.

[sheitan]

TSBraz,

Agreed. But, but, but, this report is also a part of that political demonization of Iranian culture and giving the impresion that just because an Iranian is copying an Ameican cultural product, it is good. Iranian indigenous culture is soooooo far superior in its severn thousand year existence that western implantations and copies do not improve it.
It seems that this young man is trying to make good money, I wish his best for that.

[skunky93]

This article DID NOT give the impression that an Iranian is "copying" us. YOU have issues. YOU are acting hypersensitive. Music is meant to be shared. When cultures share music, it is a beautiful thing.

[peterla]

Good post TSBraz. I love my Iranian friends in Los Angeles.

I remember in the 70's /80's when we were taught as Americans to fear Russians and I went there with friends only to discover that they liked us and didn't know why we feared them. They were cool too.

It's the same with Iranians I am sure... they have a very interesting and cool culture, (I love their diet), they certainly are good looking people, and the ones i know are very nice and fun to be with. I guess its good that they like some of our culture, but a real milestone would be if we discovered and appreciated some of their culture.