With Iran’s Ban On Hip-Hop, This Rapper’s Dream Of Performing In His Family’s Homeland Is In Jeopardy
Iranian-American rapper Azad Right weighs in on Iran's new ban.

MTV: Following the Iranian revolution in 1979, the country’s fundamentalist Islamic regime has continued to implement strict laws that limit the influence of Western culture on their society, with the latest being a ban on hip-hop shows.

According to The Jerusalem Post in a online article posted last week, Hussein Noosh-Abbadi, a spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance says hip-hop concerts are now against the law, unless approved by the ministry through a lengthy process. This ban will continue indefinitely.

“This music encourages wild behavior that could have a detrimental effect on society,” Noosh-Abbadi said in a statement. “We don’t want to have it and we will prevent any unwanted incidents normally associated with such concerts and other events.”

For hip-hop artists of Iranian descent, like Azad Right, this is a devastating blow. Azad grew up in Los Angeles, after his parents fled from Iran in the 1980s — first landing in Turkey, then France and eventually Venice Beach — but he still has dreams of being able to perform in his native country one day >>>