| He is clean-shaven and goes about his business wearing a suit and tie with his cut-back collar shirt. Hardly a hip-hop image for Iran’s first official rap artist. But Shahkar Binesh-Pagoh has brought the once underground genre of rap music into the open for Iranian teenagers. Sales of his new album Eskenas, literally banknote, are rocketing. "I started writing the album four years ago but knew that we would encounter problems releasing it," said the 32-year-old singer. "Up to 20 lyrical excerpts were deleted and we had no choice [but to] delete some songs." The album was finally approved by the ministry of Islamic guidance and culture, which vets all forms of art in the theocratic state. Many of the songs question the habit of girls following western fashions. The lyrics mock the girls in Teheran who stroll through the capital with designer headscarves and make-up. "More important than bread at night is your lipstick and lipliner," raps Binesh Pagoh about a conceited girl. "There’s a lot of religious people here, cover your legs with that skirt." The album’s release is an indication that officials are easing the restrictions on art. "Teenagers will always want to express themselves fashionably," said Binesh-Pagoh. "The government has realised this and is now a bit lenient on social demands." Officials are being forced to move with the times because 65 per cent of the population is younger than 25. "I love this kind of music," said 20-year-old Farzaneh. "I am surprised that the album was officially released. But even if it wasn’t, we can download banned artists from the internet." |