License Issued for a Rapper in Iran

The online publication "Haft Rah" reported on December 7 that after much debate regarding the legalization of rappers' activities, a rapper named Armin Zarei (known as 2afm) has successfully obtained a license from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. According to this publication, this is the "first time" in the Islamic Republic that a Persian rap album has received a license. This comes at a time when official cultural and artistic authorities in the Islamic Republic use the term "Gofteh-Avaz" instead of "rap". The discussion of issuing licenses for underground artists, especially rappers, has been raised for several months. Previously, Pirouz Arjmand, the head of the Music Office at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, stated in an interview with the newspaper Shargh in September that rap pieces and albums that align with the norms and regulations of the Ministry of Culture would be granted licenses in Iran. He mentioned that the official approved title for rap music is "Gofteh-Avaz". According to Mr. Arjmand, Gofteh-Avaz or rap singing "has roots in Iranian culture. We have in our culture the recitation of the Quran, recitation of heroic poetry, and the recitation of long verses; even Iranian epic poets who recited heroic poetry or Shahnameh recitations used a form of quasi-rap music". However, on the other hand, Hossein Nooshabadi, the spokesman for the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, stated on Tuesday, December 18, regarding the holding of rap music concerts in Iran that "we did not have rap music and we will not have it" and that no licenses have been issued for what he described as a symbol of Western music and contrary to Iranian Islamic culture. He also mentioned that "the issue of pop music is separate, and we have localized this type of music according to our culture, and concerts are held for it, but rap music promotes disorder and lawlessness". In recent years, many music groups in Iran have operated underground in various styles, including rap and rock, due to the lack of licenses from the Ministry of Culture.