Shahin Najafi, Iranian rapper

Shahin Najafi, an influential Iranian rapper has released his first solo album “Illusion”. He is the most prominent Persian protesting rapper. His main lyrical topics are society, politics and religion. According to Wikipedia, he studied sociology in university but failed to obtain a degree, because he felt that he learns more from society than classrooms. Since four years ago he is resident in Germany. He expresses in his songs is not happy with this forced immigration.

Iran youth are familiar with his songs when he was in collaboration with “Tapesh 2012” band since more than one year ago. They released many influential singles together. He protested in his songs against religious governments, poverty, sexism, censorship, drug addiction and suppression of women rights.

“You’re asleep in your bed and are comfortable, your eating and sleeping have schedule.
You go to school and have a high chance in life, you can’t dismiss it, take it easy, uncle*.
You have a good father that protects you, a mother that her heart beats with yours.
You’ll grow and see how life burns a man out, take it easy, uncle.
Uncle, be proud of what you’ve got, life is like paint and pen, and you’re the painter.
The way you paint it, it becomes so, …

Uncle, learn to experience everything, but in some ways there’s no turning back.
Be careful of the hands that you shake hand with, beware of werewolves.
Give your naked body to whom presents you his naked soul.
Be careful of your soul virginity, this hymen can’t be sewed again.
If you don’t learn and know, would be deceived easily, take your head up and don’t be tamed.
Don’t say you have scarf and it limits you, this way you make yourself limited,
Life means prison which you define your freedom, is it possible to thread a mountain, uncle?

Sarina, Come and see your uncle, the flower that he’s grown now is a thorn,
Sarina, my story is always sad, Sarina, Sarina, Sarina.

Don’t scowl to the girl, who has a flower in hand and wants to sell you,
Don’t turn your head around, and don’t say you differ from her, absolutely you do,
She’s a worker’s child from downtown; poverty, fear and darkness are along with her.
Her father is a junkie, see her face, see the trace of her father’s cold hand.
She is just nine and is not at school, she’s tasted the bitterness of labor.
The flower which fades in the hand of customer, the flower that you buy with bitterness,
That is not a flower to her, it’s a morsel, and it’s a guarantor to not be beat and be punished at home.

Don’t ask whose fault is it, one day you would know, don’t ask since the story is too long,
Earth is full of people who work but some have money, the obsessives
Those who have built palaces of labor of the workers; and many died on these ways.
If you say these things to others, they would laugh at you, since obscenity becomes usual to man,
But you paint your story, painter; let others be themselves, you be yourself.

Sarina, Come and see your uncle, the flower that he’s grown now is a thorn,
Sarina, my story is always sad, Sarina, Sarina, Sarina.”

* In persian culture, an uncle or an aunt calls his/her nephew and niece, “uncle” or “aunt”. It shows the intimacy.

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