Salome, with strong and deep lyrics, has become an icon in the Persian hip hop world. Beside her very strong and deep lyrics, what makes Salome interesting is the fact that she very openly has been active in an environment where female artists are banned and in a genre that is not inviting to female rappers. Her lyrics range from social problems to relationships. Zirzamin had the chance to have a chat with Salome about her works
Zirzamin: Salome, it's great to get the chance to have a chat with you. You've been one of the very few who has dared to challenge the system to a high degree. It is impossible to ignore the fact that you are a female hip hop artist in a society that does not allow the basic rights of women. You openly show your face in several videos, aware of the fact that your work of love was putting you in serious danger. Much respect!!! What was going through your mind? What made/makes you ignore these very real risks?
Salome: I think the fact that this is your very first question means that I have failed in what I wanted to convey. I never wanted "political songs" to speak out just to be political. It is about the poetry inside. In fact, I have recorded few songs that might be considered "challenging the system" in your words; I have many more songs about love. I have suffered from love more than I have suffered from politics (smile). You ask about my few political songs; you point out my face being showed; you ask about putting myself in danger; you ask me about "ignoring risks". If I have to answer to your question, well, the love of rhythm and poetry gives me the ignorant kind of courage I guess. But the thing is that I always have been conservative about writing political lyrics, and I hate throwing slogans and provoking without having a deeper look. And I am so sad that these superficial facts seem more important than my poetry. I think anyone can do that, but my poetry is what makes me who I am.
Zirzamin: I am actually referring to the fact that you are a woman and rapping. When looking at your profile, two different dimensions need to be considered. Let me give you an example: it is like watching someone who is jumping around in a minefield undaunted by the risk of being blown up. Of course for us who are looking at what that person is doing, it is incredible and we would say "what great courage” and “how does she do it?" while she is saying "look at my muscles and how I jump!" These two together make it interesting. And in your case, both these dimensions (risk-taking – as you are a woman – and the power of the lyrics) are making you the great voice that you are! Writing the type of lyrics you write in a male-dominated and highly divided society is just impossible to ignore. Do you see how these "exclusive" dimensions complement each other?
Salome: Well, I didn't really enjoy the muscle metaphor but I get your point (smile). I hardly find Iran a male-dominated country though. Just the fact that there are some rules based on Islamic origins that seem against women's rights, does not make a country male-dominated. Maybe the fact that they even needed rules to make women passive means that Iranian women were and are dominating. I cannot speak for an entire country, but from where I came from and what I have seen, women overpower men. But as you say, the society is highly divided. I am just a girl who speaks her feelings from her own point of view. That is why I said I am not throwing slogans out there.
Zirzamin: I see. It has been a while since we have really heard from you. In fact, it has been a while that we have heard much Persian hip hop, as far as the number of those who were active. What is going on? What are the obstacles?
Salome: I don't know what to say about that. I craft songs in a slow yet continuous way. But about ten days ago, I released a song named "Freedom Ain't Got No Color" collaborating with Yussef Black, a rapper from the USA who has converted to Islam. His words are about the latest issues going on in Iran, and he has his own point of view which encompass his own experiences, and of course I make my own statements. But we both agree that freedom ain't got no color, whether black, white or green (smile).
As for other rappers, I have never really followed Persian Hip hop, so I don't know if it has been slow.
Zirzamin: There are a lot of unhealthy "games" going on between hip hop artists in Iran. I guess you have been able to keep yourself away from that, right?
Salome: I didn't conscientiously try to, but I think that is how it turned out naturally. All I care about is poetry, and as soon as you get yourself into those kinds of games, you are anything but a poet.
Zirzamin: Yes, but it is rather sad that some people sing things and then in reality do unethical stuff. This goes back to the slogan thing that you mentioned earlier actually.
Salome: Those people are exactly the ones who do not understand the nature of hip hop. If you do not want to be real, then why choose hip hop? As I always say, I prefer those who rap about partying and girls when they actually live that kind of lifestyle – they are real - to those whose lyrics contradict who they really are.
Zirzamin: What is going on in Iran in regards to hip hop, and how do you see the future of Persian hip hop?
Salome: As I said, I have no idea about Persian hip hop. There is one thing that bothers me though, I think hip hop (and I mean real conscientious hip hop) in Iran has not reached its real audience yet. Mostly the people who listen to it are the same people who would listen to anything popular. I wish we could have a means to make our voice louder so that we could reach those in society who would really understand what we are talking about. The internet has worked fine in the past, but now it is not enough: there are people out there who would be a hell of an audience but have no access to our voices.
Zirzamin: Of course the media is not helping much. I mean how many web pages do we see that are promoting the alternative scene in a consistent way? Zirzamin is the only one I know of. I have heard that there soon will be a new sponsored and not fully independent platform out of the UK which will be focusing on the same scene though. My question to you is what would you like to see being done for the audience?
Salome: I think Zirzamin is doing pretty well on that. Of course, I like quality websites like Zirzamin to emerge, but I think they still will be for a small audience and not the ones I like my music to be heard by. It is kind of sad actually, because the deepest and most feedback I get is from foreign audiences. I put the English translation of my lyrics out there and I am happy it gains me a more diverse audience, but I want to have Iranian listeners like that. The ones that feel what I am talking about, be it love, work, politics, or whatever. The ones that really listen to my words and reminisce through their own memories, or start to consider what they are going through. Connecting with those people would be amazing, but unfortunately I have had little feedback from Iranians the way I am looking for. The current so-called hip hop audience is hardly what I would wish for.
Zirzamin: Yes, I understand. What would you like to see that the media do? What is your expectation?
Salome: It is not only a media issue. Somehow the society is still not ready to digest the whole underground music thing yet. And because of the special political situation in Iran, it makes it a social problem. Right now, anything that does not get permission from the Ministry of Islamic Guidance is considered underground. So what are we who are not interested in getting any permission at all? There are those of us who want to connect with deeper layers of society without being touched by the superficial popular culture. In Iran they mixed the ideas and that is why the audience is confused. I believe we are consumed by the underground-popular culture which sounds like a weird thing but in fact it is totally possible in a place like Iran.
I don't really know if there is something anyone can do about it, but what I am doing is continuing on my own path without expecting anything from anybody or any media, as the loner I have always been, and enjoying my small yet understanding audience.
Zirzamin: Let's go back to what you mentioned about the audience with which you want to connect. Why did you collaborate with Shirali? I mean, collaborating with a German speaker on an album did limit your audience and yet you wish to have a wider reach.
Salome: My album with Shirali came out four years ago. We really connected and shared close ideas, maybe not about life but about hip hop, and that was enough for me to go for an album. I don't think I limited my audience, in fact I believe I expanded it. All the songs are in both German and Farsi, so it gained us an audience in both languages. If someone does not listen to a song just because it has parts in a foreign language, I think they are not my audience at all. I listen to French, German and Palestinian hip hop. I get the translations and try to understand what these people are talking about as my foreign audience does for my songs. Those kind of committed and real audiences are the ones I like.
Zirzamin: And what is your expectation of an audience?
Salome: It is a difficult topic. When I talk about this to people they start to think I am a snobby douche bag. It is not right to expect real feelings, I guess.
Zirzamin: What words of advice do you have to those artists in Iran? In our interview with Saye, she was saying that many studios do not even want to work with female artists. What words of advice do you have to those women who want to make themselves heard through hip hop?
Salome: I think it is easy to complain and talk about obstacles. But there is always a way for those who really want to do something. First off, I hate it when I have to give advice to only "ladies". Just because I am a woman doesn't mean men can not benefit from my words. As for studios, I saved my money while I was working and I bought the minimum required equipment I needed to record on my own. Took a few lessons and stuff. So I do everything myself in my own room. I cannot make beats, I do not have the skill for that: I am just a woman who tries to write and convey her poetry. But there are musicians out there who have real love for hip hop and know that not every rapper can "buy" beats, so they upload their work as lower-quality files for free on the net and I use them. Maybe my work is not "professional", and yeah sometimes I really lack quality because I cannot find someone who understands my work and has the skill at the same time to do the technical stuff, but I have the freedom in my poetry without having to worry about "obstacles".
Now, to be honest, the whole mix and master thing has always been a problem for me, but I do not let it be a major problem preventing me from writing.
Zirzamin: What are you working on right now? Are we going to see any album coming out by you?
Salome: The whole album thing is a little tricky. You really need someone professional to handle this thing. I do not mean a label or something, but you need planning, real musicians with technical skills, lots of cooperation. I tried to make an album all by myself but it did not work. So I will just continue to do what I'm doing, you know releasing songs as soon as they're done. Maybe someday I will meet someone with the right state of mind, someone I can really connect with, and we will do something together.
If I make an album someday, it has to be something really hardcore, with a concept and all the songs somehow related to each other. I have some ideas and I am saving them for that.
Zirzamin: What would you say to Zirzamin fashioning the beats for you? As you know, Zirzamin is also is a record label and we could take on this project on your behalf.
Salome: I don't sing, I rap. I try to be singing in my choruses to add some vibe but I am hardly good at it. The label idea is kind of a scary thing for me: it creates the image of limitations on the horizon. I like what Zirzamin is doing. If we agree on my freedom, then why not? I would be happy to. But I think everybody is looking for their own profit, of course if you put some capital on something, you expect a return. I might hardly be profitable if I do what I want to do (smile).
Zirzamin: In that case, let's sit down and talk about it further. You are very right. There is no money in it but there is a lot to gain in terms of a healthy cooperation by the media and artists. And you did touch base on that aspect in one of your responses earlier. Let's talk about it offline. We are at the end. I would like to thank you for your time – it was a true pleasure talking to you.
Salome: Same here.
Source : Zirzamin.org