KS Interview with Salome ,Persian rapper
“My path ,My Fight”
Shirali Ft. Salome ( German Rap and Persian Rap)
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Kolahstudio: Would you please Introduce Saloumeh for us ? About the Title ,the idea ,the music ,the goal… it would be great if you let us get announced to The Basics of Saloumeh exactly from herself.
Salome :first off, this is SALOME, nat soloomeh or saloumeh, etc. I’d like to mention it since I’ve seen others make that mistake too. Saloumeh sounds a bit gaudy to me, no offence to saloumeh’s out there. the nickname Salome is inspired from a charachter in bible, and also from Lou Salome, who’s thoughts had influenced me once. this “Saloumeh” spelling really gets on my nerves, I am starting to think of another name 🙂 the music I get to do with my friends is basically rap, they put it under some categories like poetry hip hop or whaterver, but I prefer it to be nameless and beyonf categories. the goal is to express myself, sometimes as an elder sister who had some experiences and shares it, sometimes as an angry teenager spitting her rage. sometimes romantic, once in a while rude. as I mentioned in once of my songs, I just walk fight and experience. experience hardship, beauty and obscenity of my path. and the more i understand my weak points, the stronger i get. my goal in my music is just to express myself, express my pain, this “pain” is not something gloomy and dark, but something that gives strength. I am not trying to get somewhere, or be a preacher. It is really satisfing when I meet even one person who understands..
KS: How you get involved in music production ,and What sort of Music you power?
S: it was very accidental, or, maybe I shouldnt have said that. I believe in balance in nature, not accidents. a a rapper friend of mine who knew I had a talent in writing rap rhymes, asked me to rap a verse on his song, and it was how the love of rap bloomed in me :)) in fact, it was a very casual start, and still I am keeping it casual, amateour, and underground as far as I can. another thing is, I am not considering what i do as a music, I am good listeners, but I never had talent in music, I started to learn lots of music instruments and gave up. In fact, I wish I could be a poet, but there is something missing in me for that. so I ended up being a lyricist who trys to say the words with rhythm! some call it rap, but when I think about my idol rappers, I am ashamed when they put that name on me. the musics are all done by my friends and a producer from german who I recently started to work with. making the background music for the rap can be very simple or complicated as well.
KS: Would you please tell us about Female Art Scene in Iran in both mainstream and underground ?
S: I am not very into art scene, I am a loner and do not get involved in these intellectual stuff 🙂 but, as a graduate from art faculty, I’ve seen that females are basically jealous, and while they’re trying to put obstacles for others, they hold back themselves from improving. ofcourse there are always exceptions. as for the underground scene, I must say the definition for “underground” in iran is a little controversial. most of the artists are said to be “underground”, not for being against the mainstream and commercial art, just because they cant get permission to come on the ground 🙂 I know lots of so called underground bands that would like to have lots of audiences dieing for their beautiful faces 😀 ofcourse there are exceptions again. I am very idealist about the “underground” thing, which I dont know if is good or bad. but it’s just me. to sum up, I am not aware of female art scence in iran and I havent met an inspiring female rapper here yet 🙂
KS: You have colabrations with Other rappers ,in songs like Petrolika or Mayous Nasho ,you have joined Persian rap with Turkish and German Rappers ,Would you please Let Us Know More About Your Experience in collabrating with other Artists?
S: petrolika was a collaboration with my turkish friend, Pusat, who is an underground rapper in there, in that time there was a war going on in iraq and also there was these threats for whole middle east especially iran. so we decided to make a song for his album about these issues. thats one of my first jobs. not perfect but sincere. As for “mayous nasho”, I worked with a iranian-german rapper, Shirali, whom I met via internet. later he put it on his album which was distributed in german, as an underground album ofcourse. Also I had the chance to meet someone who took the song to underground Music competition of TehranAvenue and by this means we could reach to more audiences. I consider myself very lucky for getting to know him. last year I was very disappointed from the rap thing in iran, I was thinking, well, who am I talking to really?! but he gave me a new energy, a strength to move on. so six month ago we started to collaborate again and made 3 songs together, now an EP is done with those songs, 3 extra songs and 2 remixes. the album is about to come out. finally I better say that all these works were done from distance, and we’ve never met eachother! I recorded my verses here and send him via email. and mixing was done there in german.
KS: Do you name it Encourage to sing Ideaological and Strong Social lyrics in todays P-rap Atmosphere? what about Feedbacks?
S: Actually,here there is this small colony of people who listen to rap, make so called raps, become famous in that little colony and have fans in that little colony … I am not considering myself as a part of that colony, nor I don’t think I could have many audeinces among them. not because I am saying I am smarter than that or something, just because I never been part of any colonies, and I am loner, and I can never be as happy as them, in its common meaning. I am not expecting any of these teenagers who talk about money, party, cars, girls etc to feel my sadness or anger. Hip hop is a movement for me, as it is in whole middle east, as in latin america, as it should be in iran, but is not! Unfotunately, it is in the hands of wrong part of society now, who know hip hop only from what they saw on mtv. Also I know that these academically educated musicans that are stuck in some rules and other gibberish, will hate my work and I understand them with a bit sorrow. what these guys don’t get is, I am not a musician, I am a lyricist, my music is very simple. Even hitting a pot with a spoon rhytmhically could create rap music. they have to be an “outsider” like me to understand my work. But the point I agree with them is, I am weak technically as a vocalist, and it is possible that someone with a sensetive ear can not stand it. However I try my best to get better.
finally, since I am not into showing off myself in every stupid occasion and webpage, (in fact this is my first interview), I am not in touch with our real listeners. sometimes I receive an email from someone who really understands, but thats all.
KS: Maybe you don’t like to talk about Being the First Iranian female graffer or such stuff , So let us ask you another thing:as we know ,you have done some Graff writings yet ,how do you describe Your Graffiti Experience ? We would be glad to know your feeling about Graffiti,too.
S: as I said, hip hop is a movement for me. so is the graffiti which is one of its elements. I havent been a very active graffiti writer though, i wouldnt write on the train or subway, or other’s property, I usually choose ruined and left places, or get permission from the owner to write on the wall. I only write tags, salome or my real name, I am working on having my own style. I have been a little lazy in past months, but I am hoping to be more active during summer.
graffiti, to me, is a way of communicating and expressing, as in my rap. it says dont get lost in the habits, don’t cage art, color the grays, dont accept the imposed, create your own, dont drink coca cola, get reborn! (yeah I tried this to be rhymed :D)
KS: What are you doing in your life and What do you think about Freedom?
S: I am just living in my life. it is great. I try to improve what is putten into me, I try to cherish whatever comes to me… If you’re asking for more specific things, I am working on my thesis, I am waiting for my master’s exam, I do some freelance jobs and earn little money, its been more than one year that Love has become a considerable part of my life and I have no idea what I would be doing 6 months later…
I think if you learn to keep your soul free, there is no parent, no habit, no tradition, no rule, no religion, no prison to captive you. Now the question is, how would you set your soul free? And another question is, since when I started to make these kind of sentences?
KS: We have a question for All Artists in our interviews ,Thanks if you could ust answer this last Question What do you think about The World today and the human condition?
S: I’ve learned to be independent from my inviroment. If I werent, I would be suffering much more that I do now. the world today is too civilized and computed for me. Everything that makes me happy or sad, just happens in my mind independent from enviroment. If I have sensibility towards some social issues that’s because they tease one’s self respect.
and the human condition, well, human make his condition by his own choices, I am not gonna speak for 6 billion people! (I am not into saying wise words, yes, I evaded you question, sorry!)
KS: We really Thank You for accepting our interview and answering our Questions ,If there is any other thing you think you must say please tell us or if you have any comments on the Issue, BBC LIES.
S: I wanted to say that it is really great that medias like kolah studio exists, thank you for your efforts on iranian underground art while you are sincere and underground. Ok when I talk like this I picture myself with a tie and suit and very serious face, that’s really funny!
I am working with a very talented DJ, The Eleven, to make a song for bbc lies issue, we are hoping to finish it til the dead line. It is about how mass media imposes to us and can easily manupulate our minds. By the way, I recently saw an article in bbc persian part, about iranian underground music, that was totally showing the author’s ignorance and sciolism. Ot is really sad that from the day we are born, the family, the soceity, the politicians, different groups and media is messing with our minds. Either you have to unplug yourself or suffer!
First Published in Brainstorm #4 | BBC LIES PDf Magazine
