Published
1-1-2016
Type of Work
Book Chapter
Advisors and Contributors
Dr. Mahmood Shahabi (First Supervisor)
Abstract
This chapter explores the underground Persian rap culture in Iran. It aims to
understand what a rapping experience in Iran is like and how Iranian rappers
make sense of it. In this chapter, we will discuss six reasons why Iranian young
people tend to like rap culture. We also categorise Iranian rappers based on a
number of criteria and then introduce two different types of rappers in Iran,
namely “serious” and “light” rappers. Serious rappers are mostly preoccupied
with social, political, and cultural issues, whereas light rappers mainly strive for
fame, leisure, and wealth.
These two different kinds of rappers were identified during our ethnograph-
ic study in which the subjects’ own accounts of, and reasons for, their actions
and reactions to social, political and cultural issues were explored. The study is
based on engaged participation observation and also interviews with 29 male
and female rappers, both first generation (founders of Persian rap) and sec-
and generation rappers, including street rappers. This ethnographic research
was conducted in some of the main cities of Iran: Tehran, Mashhad, Babolsar,
and Karaj, during 2009–2011. The fieldwork was carried out in various studios,
home recording places, the rappers’ homes, family gatherings, and
, in some cases, parks and other public spaces. We used Skype to interview the Iranian rappers living outside the country.
Notes
This book chapter is a fraction of a previous master's thesis titled: "An Ethnographic Study of Iranian hip-hop subculture," completed in 2012 in Persian.
Citation
Shahabi, M., & Golpoush-Nezhad, E. (2016). "Rap Music and Youth Cultures in Iran: Serious or Light?". In Youth, Space and Time. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004324589_013