Red, Light, and Hafez: The Spirit of Yalda Night

Waiting excitedly behind the door of my grandmother’s house, each family member wears a piece of red clothing. The door opens to the warm, loud gathering. We’re greeted with kisses and hugs, our faces still ice-cold from the winter chill outside. Inside, relatives with red-stained hands peel mountains of pomegranates, snacks are piled high on…

2 days ago194Views 0Comments

Berklee and Beyond: Independent Journeys in Music

Art is an echo of origins. It thrives on experiences, beliefs, and the spaces where we first find our voice. In The Roots Issue of The Persian Magazine, we’ve journeyed into the creative minds of three extraordinary musicians connected not only by their shared experience at Berklee College of Music but also by their distinct…

2024-12-05284Views 0Comments

From Abandoned Brewery to Contemporary Art Hub at Argo Factory

As the preservation of architectural heritage and a ‘reuse’ mindset has gained popularity in arts infrastructure globally, repurposing abandoned spaces into museums and galleries is increasingly commonplace. One such example is Argo Factory in Tehran’s downtown, a rundown brewery that had sat abandoned for over forty years. During that time, parts of the building and…

2024-11-30216Views 0Comments

Hossein Filizadeh

On 2024-01-23, 11:06

Belaad: A New Chapter In The Careers of Hiphopologist, Vinak, and Ashkan Kagan

In recent months, the presence of Hiphopologist, Vinak, and Ashkan Kagan together in numerous pictures on Instagram was more than just a sign of their collaboration on a single track; it was a clear indication of the possibility of forming a new recordin Persian rap.

“Belaad is the name of an artistic family founded in 2024 by Hiphopologist, Kagan, Vinak, Sinazza, and friends on a winter night in Mazandaran.”

This was the text of the joint story shared by all members of this newly formed label on Sunday night, January 21, 2024.

On the surface, “Belaad” is reminiscent of the English word “blood,” but considering that Iranian rappers always strive to benefit from the subtleties of Persian literature, this word is, on one hand, a plural of “Balad,” meaning cities, provinces, and the land. On the other hand, in the slang of the hip-hop subculture, it means “your true companion” and “gang.”

The joint red tattoo of Hiphopologist and Vinak from the “Belaad”logo, as a contract signing between these two artists, is unprecedented in the history of Persian rap, showcasing their confidence and belief in starting a new chapter in their professional activities together.

The formation of “Belaad” and the collaboration between these two well-known artists may be an inevitable reaction to “GodPoori” joining the “ZadoBand” record label, the increasing intensity of Persian rap conflicts in recent months, and the recognition of the need to expand the territory of these two rappers from Babolsar(Mazandaran) to Shemroon(Tehran) to face possible challenges in the near future.

Perhaps this cooperation was the smartest decision these two artists made at this critical time, and it can be very significant for both of them in the long run, both from different musical and non-musical perspectives.

Undoubtedly, it is a great honor for any artist to be part of a record label next to Hiphopologist, the most important figure in Persian rap. Therefore, gaining such a position for Vinak, despite his brilliant career and collaborations with known artists like Koorosh, Arta, Sepehr Khalse, Young Sudden, etc., may be considered his most important achievement in this music scene by a significant margin.