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| Toratan |
Ramin Vüqarlı, known by the stage name Toratan, recognized as the performer of the first Turkish-language hip-hop songs in Iran, spoke with Voice of America about his music career and the state of rap and hip-hop music in Iranian Azerbaijan.
“At that time, there were very few opportunities in our city, Salmas, and there were no studios. I used the program on my personal computer to record the songs... I prepared and released my first works, 'Burası Salmas' and 'Məşədi İbad' in this way. Later, I moved to Urmia, where there were studios...”
Currently living as an immigrant in the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ramin Vüqarlı recalls distributing the songs he performed in the South via cassette from 2004 to 2007. His songs later began to be shared on internet channels as well.
Toratan also traveled to Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan to give concerts during his time in the South. However, he says that after returning to Iran, he faced pressures.
“I held concerts in Ankara and Baku, and performed on the TRT Avaz channel... After returning, I faced restrictions and lived secretly for a while,” he says.
He emphasizes that he left Iran and moved to Azerbaijan to continue his artistic activities.
“Rap music is banned in Iran, and the pressure is even greater when the songs are in Turkish... If I just wanted to live my life, I could have stayed inside, but I left the country to continue my work,” the singer states.
After moving to the Republic of Azerbaijan, Toratan continued his music career for a while and collaborated on projects with Baku-based rappers. However, he says that he has temporarily halted his activities due to some personal issues.
“I had some personal problems here. Because the situation in Baku was difficult in every way. Financially and spiritually, things were very tough. I also saw the opposite of what I expected regarding national activists,” the southern rapper adds.
The word "Toratan," chosen as his stage name by Ramin Vüqarlı, is used in some regions of South Azerbaijan to mean "spider."
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Toratan: Güneyin ilk hip-hop mahnılarını 14 yaşımda oxumuşam