Salome Mc

Salome MC
Background information
Origin Iran
Genres Hip Hop, Rap, Experimental
Occupation(s) Rapper, multimedia artist
Years active 2003–present
Labels Unsigned
Website www.salomemc.com

Salome Mc (Persian: سالومه, born 1985), is a female Hip Hop and Multi-media artist from Iran.[1] She is known for being Iran's first female rapper and Hip-Hop producer.[2][3] Even though the topics expressed in her lyrics are a mixture of politics, social issues and personal matters, she defines herself as "apolitical" and her poetry being about "whatever occupies her mind." [4]

Philosophy

Photograph
Salome Mc

Being questioned about being a female rapper in Iran, she mentioned in several interviews that she wouldn’t say she faced many challenges just because she was a female. "I might be the first female rapper to ever step in a studio in Iran, yes, but from people around me I mostly got courage after they got over the surprise. The other challenges that you might guess was there for my male counterparts too. Of course you get a certain amount of sexist comments from lack of common sense or education, but that is a global problem. "[5] She also believes Hip-Hop can be a tool for empowerment, saying "it can be used to make people aware of their rights and their position, realize their own potential and at the end, empowerment, yes. But I am not one to speak big. I think change comes slowly and locally, so instead of talking big and throw slogans, I prefer to metaphorize my own experiences and hope that I inspire a person or two.[5]

She believes in freedom in art, and claims she would still be an underground artist even if the government in Iran would allow hip-hop music openly.[6] Answering a question about whether she feels that if the government of Iran lifts the ban of hip hop that the artists will be less political, she said: "I think those who have social consciousness will keep doing what they are doing, and those who abused socio/political issues just to get attention will find a different way of self-promoting."[5]

After receiving Japan’s MEXT academic scholarship in 2010, she moved to Japan to further study in the field of audio/visual arts, "deepening her knowledge of music in search for new ways of expression that would reflect her new life style: being away from urban life and living closer to nature." Right now in addition to continuing her hip-hop music, she tries to create a connection beyond language with a broader audience, incorporating sound, photo and/or video in form of installations, and had different screenings, shows and performances around the world.[7]

Biography

Hip hop career

After recording her first song collaborating with Hichkas, she went on to make her solo songs. Her first album was a collaboration with Iranian/German rapper Shirali, titled Delirium (هذیان) released online in 2006. All the tracks in album were in German and Persian language.[8]

In 2009, she released a mix-tape of her single releases title Paranoid Descent,[9] which got extensive media attention and put her in the list of finalists of "Freedom to Create Prize" for 2010.[10] Also the song "Paranoia" (in Persian: شک) received the first place in Tehranavenue Music Festival in Hiphop Category.[11]

Her socio-political songs has gained most attention from foreign media. After the 2009 election crisis in Iran, she released a video, titled "Grown Green on This Land", which called all Iranians to unity against those who want weaken to gain access to its resources[12] In spring 2012, she released "Drunk Shah, Drunk Elder",[13] which featured a speech by Ayatollah Taleghani, with a chorus embellished by Bahar's poetry, while the video featured archive footage of Iran's recent history, all edited by Salome herself. She voiced the issues of the second generation of Islamic Revolution and the general feelings towards the current structure in the Islamic Republic. This song was featured in the mix-tape: Songs of Freedom for Iran.[14]

In February 2013, she released her third Album named I Officially Exist, (هستم رسما)[15] consisting of 11 tracks, produced by Arman Deniz and Armada BeatZ. This album features her first English spoken word song, "Salome's Tale". She also has a collaboration with Swedish musician Fredrik Söderlund that has a different sound from her other work. This album is the first full-length solo album from a female Iranian rapper.

Sahar Sarshar, the Iranian/American film maker launched a kickstarter project to make a documentary about Salome MC, and after the successful funding, the documentary is now in production.[16]

Warp and Weft

Warp and Weft

The project was released in 2014 and produced in collaboration with Koohsar Mc was named one of the rappers talented.[17] This effect has had more feedback than any other published works by the artist and has had several American director soundtrack and as a special offer on YouTube channel of Sandklvd page placed he Ast.Contents social and political work is described in this work can be seen many can be expressed in twenty that the closeness and personal life and his whole life has been music. Try different places to look and be writing.[18] The important points in the song Salome is an oriental style which can be cited for trying to tell the personal problems of conscience is a person's life.[19] Lyrics on the official page of the official website Salome Mc سالومه ام‌سی can get them. These projects, he is one of the best and most visited music.

Another Face of Censorship

et me start by getting something out of the way: when an Iranian artist seeks to make use of the distribution channels controlled by the state, it is a fair assumption that they will be subjected to censorship. The government has a powerful grip on various segments of life of an Iranian citizen, which becomes tighter in larger cities like Tehran, and is felt even more intensely by those whose activities are in the fields of art or media. There’s much to say on this topic, and fortunately there are a good number of Iranian activists working hard to pave the way for freedom of speech and other basic human rights. But this essay is not about the censorship that is imposed upon us by the Iranian government. The truth is, as an underground musician who simply refrained from allowing the state apparatus to enjoy control over my art, I never felt particularly burdened by censorship in Iran. It’s true that I could not perform in live shows and such; but our generation born in ‘80s is somewhat a content people, maybe because we experienced the Iran-Iraq war as toddlers, and grew up in the aftermath. My connection with music began in my little windowless room, while listening to copies of copies (of copies, and so on) of tapes. Perhaps that’s why when the studios in Tehran were banned from recording rap music, I turned to my bedroom again and built a minimal studio in the corner. It was so compatible with my personality – to make music nestled between the walls whose every crack and stain were known to me – that despite not living in Iran anymore, I am a bedroom producer still, and I always will be. Maybe I should even thank everyone involved in the Ministry of Culture for closing down some options, forcing me to find my own path to creativity and self-discovery. Now here I have to point this out real quick: the censorship that I impose upon myself for the sake of my family, friends, acquaintances and audience, has always had a more important role in my artistic life than state-imposed censorship. I have been thinking about self-censorship a lot since becoming independent from my family; considering the fact that this type of censorship is an opt-in decision that I make, where does my authority end and the dominance of others begin? Let’s assume that someone prioritizes their parents’ peace of mind over their creative satisfaction. Is it free will, refraining to express some concepts because of this specific value judgment? But then, what if this characteristic feature – putting the satisfaction of certain people ahead of one’s own – is the direct result of upbringing in a patriarchic society? Then what? The abundance of vicious cycles such as these makes it fairly clear to me that there is no complete objective freedom unhindered by social pressure. These are my favorite subjects to ponder when I am in a bus or waiting for a doctor’s appointment, but this essay is also not going to be about the censorship that is imposed upon us by ourselves. I’d like to talk about a third type of censorship that I’ve been subjected to since the beginning of my creative journey. It was 2001, when I started writing a blog about rap and Hip-Hop. This blog laid the foundation for my entrance into the Iranian Hip-Hop scene, which neither had a name nor definition at the time. It was also in 2001 when I first started hearing the phrases “World Trade Center”, “Al-Qaidah”, “Bin Laden” and “War on Terror”. It was the year that the Western media turned their attention towards Middle East, whose representation until 9/11 had remained unchanged for two centuries: vast endless deserts, ornate tents, sultans, decorated camels, magic carpets, mysterious veiled women, One Thousand and One Nights… Of course in the wake of 9/11, a climate of fear and Islamophobia erased the exotic aspects of this imagery. The aspects which could imply inferiority of Middle Eastern culture compared to progressive Western civilization were emphasized: cold and unforgiving deserts, turban wearing savage men, black-clad women with no rights or choices of their own, children who can’t go to school and are forced to marry… The Western view of the Middle East became changed very fast from the exotic stereotypes of Disney’s Aladdin only 10 years prior. The international media perpetuated these new stereotypes with reductive or exaggerated reports. A neo-orientalist view was born in this atmosphere of fear and tension in which the mosaic of the Middle East was presented as one single wilderness. It was in this context of the dehumanization of the peoples of the Middle East that American politicians were able to gain support for two costly wars. And somehow this perception has managed to survive to this day – in the age of the internet and information technology – the casualties of one war after another, air strikes and unmanned drones all still justified on the same myopic view of the world. Meanwhile, other new storytelling opportunities emerged: the carefully selected tales of those who rise heroically to challenge the repression of their leaders; those who fight for their human rights – rights that seemingly existed in the Western societies inherently. This narrative became a type of a supremacy-porno for the Western consumer and it wasn’t long before I became one of the many subjects of this trend, under the rather appealing title of “First Female Rapper of Iran”. However, it eventually became obvious that only a fraction of my story, the part that parallels the media’s interests, is worth telling. Whatever I say or do that doesn’t fit into the pre-established story will be omitted and ignored. Much to my dismay, I realized that my media value closely correlates with my gender and nationality. Anything that could portray me as something more than an oppressed Iranian women, any attempt to represent how I perceive myself first and mainly – a human and a citizen of the world – would never make it to the final cut. I’ve experienced this type of censorship so many times that it is as predictable as the Iranian government’s censorship. It has become habitual for me now to refuse interview requests that are aiming for the same old cliché portrayal: a repressed woman who stands against the medieval, savage, anti-women system so that she can elevate her living conditions to the progressive Western standards. Of course my refusal means little to nothing, since I am just one among thousands. Once they realize that I do no see myself as a victim, they lose interest quickly and direct their attention to someone else who doesn’t have a problem portraying a victim and feeding into their story. For me, the most interesting part of it all is that while this kind of reporting claims to be aiming to “empower” their subjects, all they manage to accomplish is to reduce their subjects to one-dimensional objects – victims of the reporters’ pre-established villains. They opportunistically cut their subjects down to fit into the frame that was long set in stone. But wait, aren’t the oppressive regimes that have “victimized” us trying to do something similar? As censorship goes, I don’t really see much of a difference, and to be honest, this type of censorship agitates me more than the state-sponsored censorship in today’s Iran. To read this article in Persian,[20]

Project 1+1

Photograph
Salome And Shing02

This is the first rendition of 1+1, a new worldwide recording project by Norient and Sound Development designed to give audiences a look into how a track is produced. One of the first female Iranian rappers Salome MC and multilingual rapper Shing02 worked together in Honolulu, Hawaii for one week. What came out was a creative process that called on one of the artists best assets: their ability to adapt. For more material (tracks, videos, articles, photos) on 1+1 check the project website here. «Here today and gone the next» is a notion that can seem frightening. Depending on how you interpret it, it either reeks of inconsistency or glows with possibility. For Salome MC and Shing02, it is the latter. This is reflected in their track, «Passenger», written and produced in one week in Honolulu, Hawaii as part of Norient’s and Sound Development’s new project entitled 1+1. Salome MC, the first female Iranian rapper, was the first artist on board. She asked multilingual Japanese rapper, producer and director Shing02 to collaborate with her on this. The project must take place in one of the artists’ residing cities. Salome MC lives in Japan and Shing02 is from Japan, but has lived in Honolulu for about two years. They decided to work in Honolulu since it is a fairly new place for both of them. With only a week to write lyrics, compose the track and master it, the pair worked under conditions that were more fast-paced than they were used to. How long it takes to produce a track can hardly ever be predicted, but a week to complete any creative project effectively can be an arduous task. Salome MC typically works on her music privately, in her apartment in Japan and only when she’s not at work.[21] Film Credits Director: Vincent Ricafort Artists: Salome MC, Shing02 Project Coordinator: Hannes Liechti (Norient) Assistant Editor: Kali Kasashima Appearing Musicians: Beatboxmike aka «Mikee Mic» (Beatbox), Nicholas Kaleikini aka Saxwillard (Saxophone), Gotaro Oshitari (Piano) Background Music: Nujabes feat. Shing02: «Luv(sic) Part3» / Salome MC: «Concealment» / Salome MC & Koohsar: «Warp and Weft» (Produced by Daniel Doel) Special Thanks to: Eunji Paula Kim, Banzai Media, Lana Lane Studios, Delmore Uto, Mark Spangler, Nia Schmidheiny (Sound Development) Track Produced and Recorded at Lana Lane Studios and Blue Planet Sound Recording and Mixing Engineer: Jules Washington Subtitles English/Persian: Salome MC

Other activities

Salome Mc is also known for being the first female graffiti artist of Iran,[22] and an experimental video/sound/installation artist.[23] She had screenings and exhibitions around the globe, establishing herself not only as an underground rapper, but an audio/visual contemporary artist.

Discography

Albums

"Drunk Shah, Drunk Elder" Cover Art by Salome Mc

Music videos

Notable video artwork

Sources

  1. ↑ Entertainment | Iran's underground music challenge. BBC News (2006-05-08). Retrieved on 2013-02-03.
  2. ↑ Iranian Rap Music Bedevils the Authorities – US News and World Report. Usnews.com (2008-03-12). Retrieved on 2013-02-03.
  3. ↑ Chopra, Anuj (2008-01-28). Iran's 'illegal' rappers want cultural revolution at the Wayback Machine (archived December 12, 2008). The Independent
  4. ↑ Exclusive Interview: Iranian Rapper Salome | View from Damavand. Viewfromdamavand.com (2010-08-08). Retrieved on 2013-02-03.
  5. 1 2 3
  6. ↑ Archived August 21, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ Delirium Album by Salome MC on SoundCloud. Soundcloud.com (2011-11-17). Retrieved on 2013-02-03.
  9. ↑ Paranoid Descent by Salome MC on SoundCloud – Hear the world’s sounds. Soundcloud.com (2011-11-17). Retrieved on 2013-02-03.
  10. ↑ Artists :: Salome. Freedom to Create. Retrieved on 2013-02-03.
  11. ↑ Feature | The 4th TA Music Festival. Tehran Avenue. Retrieved on 2013-02-03.
  12. ↑
  13. ↑ Salome Mc – Drunk Shah, Drunk Elder (شاه مست و شیخ مست) on YouTube (2012-04-04). Retrieved on 2013-02-03.
  14. ↑
  15. ↑
  16. ↑
  17. ↑ http://www.salomemc.com/warpand///
  18. ↑ http://www.salomemc.com/everything////
  19. ↑ https://soundcloud.com/salomeoutsider/warp-and-weft-feat-koohsar////
  20. ↑ http://pourzandfoundation.org/another-face-of-censorship-by-salome-mc//
  21. ↑ https://soundcloud.com/1n1project/salome-mc-shing02-passenger-feat-nicholas-kaleikini
  22. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080712042707/http://pingmag.jp/2007/01/19/a1one-1st-generation-graffiti-in-iran/
  23. ↑ https://vimeo.com/salomemc/
  24. ↑
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