Toumaj Salehi in Prison; 'Typhus', New Song by Protest Rapper, Released

Toumaj Salehi's account on the social media platform 'X', managed by his close associates, announced the release of a new song by this imprisoned protest rapper in Iran. According to this account, the song 'Typhus' was recorded in 2022 and its audience is 'the ideology aligned with the government, both hidden and overt in the behavior of sellout rappers.' It was stated that 'Typhus' was supposed to be released on Friday, March 9, on Toumaj Salehi's official platforms, but some pages released it 'unilaterally' earlier, prompting the song to be published immediately on his official pages as well. Toumaj Salehi's account urged his fans to listen to 'Typhus' only through his official platforms in respect for him and to support this imprisoned protest rapper. The release of 'Typhus' received significant attention on social media and was met with numerous reactions from Iranian users. Many users praised his 'courage', 'bravery', and 'audacity', noting that 'Typhus' was released while Toumaj Salehi is imprisoned. Others, recalling Toumaj Salehi's 'steadfastness' and 'truth-telling' in support of the people, called for 'unity' and 'solidarity' among the people for his freedom. Another group criticized the Islamic Republic for imprisoning Toumaj Salehi, stating that this protest rapper cannot be silenced and is 'the voice of the people' even in the toughest conditions. Some words and phrases from the song also drew attention, with many referring to Toumaj Salehi as a 'radical rapper', 'knight', or 'enemy of the regime', who demolishes government-affiliated artists. In 'Typhus', Toumaj Salehi describes these artists as 'loudmouths', 'blood merchants', 'sycophants', 'slaves of the regime', and 'prostitutes'. Toumaj Salehi, who is imprisoned in 'Dastgerd' prison in Isfahan, had described the elections on March 11 in Iran as a 'show' and called for a 'boycott' of it. After the elections, which reportedly had a very low public participation rate, he wrote on social media X: 'I congratulate ourselves on our 9 to 1 victory. Sometimes a collective boycott can be even more effective than street protests. On March 11, we recorded our widespread solidarity against the front of darkness in history; now the world is aware of the potential for freedom-seeking in our beloved Iran.' Toumaj Salehi, who was released on November 18 after serving more than a year in prison, was arrested again 12 days later on December 9 and sentenced to one year in prison. Another trial is set for March 16 to prosecute this protest rapper again. Nasir Mashkouri, a writer and music critic, commented on the song 'Typhus' to Voice of America, stating: 'The artists of the hip-hop movement in Iran come from diverse backgrounds and naturally have various ideological inclinations and goals. What Toumaj expresses under the title of sellout rappers in this rap song naturally includes some rappers who either come from within the regime and are affiliated with it, or others who align themselves with regime-affiliated factions to achieve their goals of fame and income, or even to obtain permits. In any case, these regime-affiliated rappers have always existed and are not few.' This music critic noted that Toumaj Salehi is, before being a hip-hop artist, a civil activist and a revolutionary, and was active even before the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement took shape. Mr. Mashkouri added: 'Toumaj expressed in his works one or two years before the widespread protests, criticisms that we did not yet see publicly in society, meaning that he presented protest critiques in an revolutionary form, boldly and without any censorship in his works. Toumaj's audacity was such that even some hip-hop artists laughed at him, saying he was affiliated with the regime or wanted to become prominent.' This music critic stated: 'Toumaj Salehi later showed that he is well aware of his role in this path, knows what he is doing, and has aligned with the people.' According to Nasir Mashkouri, 'This young rapper initially showed through his works what is happening beneath the surface of society, and when protests and discontent erupted, he accompanied the Women, Life, Freedom movement and became, in a way, the voice of this movement.' Nasir Mashkouri emphasized that Toumaj Salehi's revolutionary actions have made him significant, not the artistic part of his works within the framework of rap music, and for this reason, many people listened to his songs and he became very prominent. This music critic stated: 'Given that Toumaj did not back down at all, participated in protests, and courageously spoke out against the regime inside the country, calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, he became a significant threat to the regime, and for this reason, he was arrested.'