Music videos have played a pivotal role within the realm of rap music, serving as a potent visual tool to enhance the auditory journey. These videos offer artists a platform to display their distinctive style, creativity, and persona, frequently exerting influence on popular culture and fashion. In the realm of rap, music videos contribute significantly to the genre’s storytelling by visually portraying the narrative embedded in the lyrics, thereby intensifying the impact of the message. Moreover, they play a crucial role in molding artists’ public personas and elevating their overall brand.
The rise of the latest era in Persian rap has led to one of the most noteworthy developments—the artists’ distinct focus on visual elements. This is evident in the inclination of these rappers towards participating in video interviews, maintaining an active presence on social networks, recognizing the necessity of creating teasers and music videos for their projects, and more, all of which are clearly observable.
The creation of music videos by Persian rap artists has introduced a fresh dimension to the visual representation of Persian rap, facilitating its expansion and outreach to a wider audience of music enthusiasts in Iran. In contrast to the predominant approach of Iranian rappers in earlier periods, where even influential figures in this genre often lacked accompanying music videos for their works, the new generation of Persian rappers, mirroring their counterparts in other countries, frequently present their compositions alongside visually captivating music videos. Consequently, contemporary involvement in Persian rap transcends the mere release of audio files on music platforms, requiring rappers to possess the capability to deliver compelling performances in front of the camera. In this context, let’s explore the top 10 music videos released by Iranian rappers in 2023:
Dorcci has collaborated with Putak on two tracks, namely “Stress” and “EYN,” featured in the album “Red Horn.” This showcases his remarkable versatility in tackling diverse projects. Earlier, he substantiated this assertion through fruitful collaborations with notable Persian rap artists such as Poobon, Sinazza, and Chvrsi, each boasting a distinctive style. “EYN,” akin to numerous other creations by Dorcci, is imbued with his emotional approach to lyricism—a rarity among the works of the new generation of rappers.
The intense rivalry in Persian rap between Hiphopologist and Godpoori commenced with the release of the double track “Bozkesh” and “Troll.” Despite almost a year passing, the tension has continued through various means, whether by releasing diss tracks or bullying on the social media—a competition whose true winner may not be easily determined. “Bozkesh” is notably performed based on the successful and repetitive formula of the song “Zaakaan” in the drill style.
Tohi‘s position within the Iranian hip-hop community has always been a subject of debate among Persian rap enthusiasts. Despite being one of the pioneers of Persian rap, it seems that his broad audience does not completely overlap with Persian rap lovers. This might be the reason why Tohi does not have a significant presence in Persian rap media, and his news and controversies are rarely covered by countless media outlets in this music genre. Khaled, a 63-year-old singer from Algeria, previously collaborated with Cameron Cartio in 2005, which, at that time, was one of the most popular music videos on Persian-language satellite networks. In “Balatar,” he collaborates with Tohi, an Iranian rapper. According to social media and music platforms statistics, the song gained significant popularity and could be considered one of the most successful Persian songs of 2023. The quality level of this music video cannot be compared with any of the other examples in Iran due to the significant budget allocated for it.
Nazli McFian may be the first female rapper in the two-decade history of Persian rap to completely distance herself from the masculinity framework of this music genre. This is evident in all dimensions of her musical and personal identity. Despite her limited number of releases, her achievements are commendable, indicating her remarkable musical abilities that have been well-received by the audience.
While Persian rap audiences were accustomed to the continuous activity of Hiphopologist, they were met with his silence after the release of the album “Noskhe.” Hiphopologist made a magnificent comeback to Persian rap with the double track “Big Bang” and “ELM vs GUN.” The echoes of the anticipated changes due to this lengthy hiatus were particularly felt in the initial verse of the song “Big Bang.” With showcasing a completely different style in this song, it quickly climbed to the top of his best works on SoundCloud and Spotify. This exemplifies the Persian rap audience’s inclination towards the risks taken by rappers for new experiences in this music scene, which was previously observed in the reception of new-generation rappers with completely different styles from the classic structure.
In the song “Fight Club” composed by “Arian Dousti” and “Seza Gods” in the style of drill, Chvrsi shows his power against other Iranian rappers. One of the key reasons for Chvrsi’s success in the Persian rap music scene, aside from his lyrical writing and vocal abilities, is his unique and powerful personality, unparalleled in the history of Persian rap. This charismatic personality enables him to collaborate with a significant number of people who play roles in his music videos, as seen in the video for “HATE II” featuring “Young Sudden.” Contrary to what may seem at first glance, creating a music video in this music genre in Iran with the existing limitations is a remarkable accomplishment.
Success in Persian rap is not a mere stroke of luck; rather, it is the result of a combination of factors that contribute to a prominent position within the music scene. Sinazza, a member of the “Belaad” label, stands out among the myriad of rappers, having captured the attention of Persian rap enthusiasts with his distinctive voice and style, showcased in just a handful of tracks. The music video for “Red Carpet” is another noteworthy addition, released on Putak‘s YouTube channel. An interesting facet of “Red Carpet” lies in its incorporation of a sample from Farhad Mehrad’s song “Jomeh” into its melody, skillfully produced by “Yxnglost.”
The emphasis on showcasing urban subjects in this music video and Moer‘s Old School style in the song “Gosal” significantly recalls the interactions of the early years of the emergence of the rap music genre in Iran in the first decade of the 21st century and the song “Ekhtelaf” by “Hichkas” in Bahman Ghobadi‘s movie “Nobody Knows About Persian Cats.” Moer has had a fluctuating trajectory throughout his activity in this music scene, and in this song, he is earnestly trying to align himself with recent developments in Persian rap. However, despite these efforts, he can not achieve success in this regard, and the only tolerable point of this work is the quality of its music video, which deserves to be among the best Persian rap music videos in 2023.
The first collaboration between Isam and Koorosh is the song “OnlyFans,” which achieved remarkable success. The unparalleled reception of the audience to the presence of these two rappers together led to their continued collaboration in the songs “Roulette” and “Busy Body.” Due to Isam and Koorosh’s common language, despite the difference in their tastes and consequently their distinct audience (likely Koorosh’s audience belonging to an older era of Persian rap and group Wantons, while Isam’s audience is part of the new wave of Persian rap listeners after significant changes compared to previous eras), they have created a fantastic harmony in all three works.
Safir, the founder of “Melli” label, known for his intricate and enigmatic lyricism in the Persian rap scene, has undergone a fundamental change in his approach to lyric and music structure in some recent tracks, without considering the album “Kandoo.” Despite using literary elements, his lyrics have become significantly simpler and more understandable. This transformation is not limited to the musical structure of his works and similar to many other rappers who were previously averse to any visual confrontation, he has reluctantly accepted these changes in the recent era of Persian rap. Following Safir’s successful collaboration with “OVERSEE” on “GA” project, their second collaboration can undoubtedly be considered one of the most artistic music videos in the history of Persian rap, almost unparalleled in this music scene in every aspect.