Persian Hip-Hop Nation

The following article was penned by the editor of www.zirzamin.se. Zirzamin has become a hub for Iranian musicians to find reasons to continue with their work despite limitations that exist within the country for public performances. The word "zirzamin" means underground and it has come to signify the type of music practiced in homes. That it exudes a sense of rebellion is often misleading.
Today we can't view hip-hop and rap music as only an Afro-American phenomenon. It has become a global culture for affiliations and reworking local youth identity everywhere. The origins of rap and hip-hop are usually ascribed to the Bronx in New York and to DJs of the mid '70s, but its roots are as culturally, eclectically, and idiosyncratically wide ranging as they are deep. ......

In 2003 I wrote a review on an Iranian rapper called DEEV ("Monster"). I may have been too hard on him but what I was trying to point out ...

From Tehranavenue.com