Hip hop in Iran and Farsi hip hop in general are nascent musical forms that too often suffer from the same ailments as the trajectory of the commodities market: cheaper, faster, more standardized. Then Deev comes along, and makes a few changes, resulting in Iranian hip hop to be proud of…

On the more experimental and phenomenal side, Omid in Long Beach is doing compelling work, though not necessarily in Farsi…and not necessarily hip hop!

Pride is a sensitive and tricky thing among “Persians,” but for me it’s about staying true to certain elements of our original as well as dispersed cultures, while breaking the mold when feeling constrained by them. Deev and Omid achieve an honest moment of that process.