Zedbazi

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Zedbazi (Persian: زدبازی‎) is an Iranian hip hop band, formed by longtime friends Saman Wilson and Mehrad Hidden from Tehran, and later joined by Alireza JJ, Sohrab MJ, Sijal and Nassim Parize. They are known as the pioneers of gangsta rap in Iran.^[2][3] The band's first song called "Diss Ajili" is largely credited as the first wildly heard piece of Persian Rap.

The band was officially suspended in October 2014 due to personal reasons. On May 20, 2020 Zedbazi announced they are back on their Instagram page. Shortly after on June 10, 2020, they released two single tracks named Yakh (یخ; meaning ice), a diss track to Hichkas and Moltafet, and Bache Mahal (بچه محل; meaning homeboy, neighborhood's kid) talking about their past path to becoming famous from the beginning of Persian Rap in Iran. The songs were released on Radio Javan.

History[]

Foundation[]

The Foundation of the band dates back to early 2002. It was started up by Saman Rezapour () and Mehrad Mostofi-Rad (), who were friends in a high school in Tehran. Despite having prior experiences in music, the formation of the band as in a hip hop style was motivated by Saman's cover of Eminem's Without Me, which was performed with a matched vulgar lyrics written in Persian. After moving to London, they met Sohrab Mostafavi () in a summer school, where he joined the band after collaborating on Kal Kal (کل‌کل – Kal-kal, "Argue"), a cover of D12's Rap Game.

The first collaboration of Siavash Jalali () and Alireza Jazayeri (Alireza JJ) with the band's earlier members was Berim Faza (بریم فضا – Berim Fazā, "(Let's) Go to Space"), produced by Alireza JJ in 2005. Siavash and Alireza were best friends in Paris, where they had also met , an Iranian finalist at the French reality TV show Star Academy (Season 5) with her twin sister, Neissa.

The three future band members officially joined Zedbazi by releasing Tabestoon Kootahe (تابستون کوتاهه – Tābestun Kutāh e, "Summer is Short") in September 2007. They brought a new style into the band, as remarks in 's Zedbazi Documentary. "The formula they brought was different than ours. Our formula was necessary for the inception, theirs was necessary for the continuation."^[4]

The name Zedbazi (زدبازی – Zedbāzi) consists of the words zed ("Z", the first letter of Zakhar meaning mate) and bāzi ("play"). It is what Saman and his friends used to call each other in high school,^[4] and according to the band, it can mean both "an old and close friend" and "an old-fashioned and fusty person"; it depends on the purpose. Therefore, Zedbazi can be translated as "the Zakhar acts."

Popularity[]

Zedbazi in the Iranian Intergalactic Music Festival (October 22, 2006).

Zedbazi emerged at the same time as Hichkas, and rapidly garnered huge popularity between the youth, due to their controversial lyrics, littered with profanities, depictions of sexual encounters and drug use.^[5]

Tabestoon Kootahe is considered Zedbazi's most popular song, which was released in September 2007. It is about "the bittersweet feeling" of summertime in Iran.^[5]

Temporary Dissolution[]

In October 2014, the band announced a separation between the members. It was due to some internal disagreements. , who had not been attending to the band's songs after Tabestoon Kootahe,^[4] returned and joined , forming a new band named Bozorg (بزرگ – Bozorg, "Great"). Alireza JJ, , and decided to work together, and worked alone.

Return[]

Zedbazi announced their return to Persian Rap in June 2020 by releasing two tracks (Yakh and Bache Mahal).^[6]

Members[]

Left to right: Alireza JJ, Nassim, Sohrab MJ, Sijal, and Mehrad Hidden; Zedbazi Documentary (2014).

• Mehrad Hidden – vocals, guitar, piano, composition, production (2002–Present)
• Saman Wilson – vocals (2002–2007; 2014–Present)
• Sohrab MJ – vocals (2003–Present)
• Sijal – vocals (2005–Present)
• Alireza JJ – vocals, piano, composition, production (2005–Present)
• Nassim – vocals (2005–2015)

Discography[]

Zedbazi[]

Until 2012, the band had yet to release an album, and their songs were provided as singles.

Their first studio album, Zakhar Nameh (زاخارنامه – Zāxār Nāme, "The Zakhar Book"), was released on June 4, 2012. All of the band members, except , were involved in the album, featuring Hichkas, , and .

Alireza JJ, Sijal and Nassim[]

On July 28, 2014, the album Pir Shodim Vali Bozorg Na (پیر شدیم ولی بزرگ نه – Pir Ŝodim Vali Bozorg Na, "Got Old But Didn't Grow-Up") was released, including only three members of the band (Alireza JJ, and Nassim) and without the record label of Zedbazi. It was composed by Alireza JJ and and included , , Erfan, , , ], and as featured artists.

Bozorg[]

The album Bozorg: Vol. 2 (بزرگ: ولوم 2 – Bozorg: Volume 2), presented by Bozorg ( and ), was released on February 27, 2015; with , , , , and Siamak as featured artists. It was composed by , , and and mastered by ; including 19 tracks. The 2 other volumes are said to be released in the future.

Mehrad Hidden[]

The album Toonel vol.1 (تونل جلد 1), presented by was released on February 2, 2017; with , , , Zakhmi, , and Canis as featured artists and as a featured composer. Toonel was Composed/produced by and Canis and mastered by ; including 11 tracks in the genre of , sponsored by Bose and realized on Spotify, SoundCloud, and .

The album Sefr (صقر), presented by was released on November 11, 2018; with as co-producer, as mix and mastering engineer and Imane as the cover artist; including 9 tracks in the genre of Rock and realized on Spotify, SoundCloud, and .

The EP album Salakh (سلاخ), presented by was released on February 27, 2019; including 6 tracks in the genre of New age and realized on Apple Music and Spotify.

The album Toonel vol.2 (تونل جلد 2), presented by was released on August 14, 2020; with , , , , , , , , Zakhmi, , Canis, , , , , , , , as featured artists. Toonel vol.2 was Composed/produced by Canis and mastered by ; including 14 tracks in the genre of , in association with and realized on Apple Music, Spotify, and .

The EP album Alavis presented by and was realised on February 17, 2021; including 2 trackes in the genre Electronic and realized on Apple Music, Spotify, and SoundCloud.

Sohrab MJ[]

released his first album, Yeksin, on September 20, 2017. Alireza JJ is responsible for the production of the album while producing four tracks, and producing the remaining track. Yeksin Includes five tracks with guest artists from Zedbazi (every member excluding ) and .

released his second album, Zakhare Asli, on April 1, 2021. , , , , , , , Alireza JJ, and are responsible for the production of the album. Zakhare Asli Includes ten tracks and a bonus track (only for physical packs) with , , , , Amir Tataloo, , Hooman, , , , Alireza JJ, , , , Maslak, and as guest artists.

References[]