(Mmm... huge Turkey rap!)
I became aware of this fact only last night, after stumbling on a track by Ceza. Ceza is at the top of the Turkish rap game. Matter fact, it says on Wikipedia that Ceza just won an “MTV Europe Music Award” for Best Turkish Act, period.The track I found is “Komedyenler Is Basnda.” It’s from Ceza’s 2002 CD, “Med Cezir.” To hear it streaming on my Vox site, click here.
And then ponder how freakin’ wild it is that a form of vocal expression and musical performance which 30 years ago existed only in black neighborhoods of New York City (not to mention the ’tude) has been embraced, studied and internalized by cultures all over the globe.
If you want a FREE MP3 of “Komedyenler Is Basnda,” you can download it off the MySpace page of DJ Funky C. He’s the guy who raps the middle verse in English.
Rap is definitely big around the world. There are rappers all over Europe (French rap is pretty good), South America, Middle East, etc.
ReplyDelete^ I heard a little French rap back around the turn of the century, via Napster. Seemed like it was mostly an immigrant thing. (And none the worse for that.)
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, SJ, I guess the news would be if there was a place where people weren't rapping.
Funny-- Calabash just had a free download up for Turkish femme rapper Sultana that was pretty, eh, interesting. A little less 'Turkish' in the production and there is a soft-core video that caused some controversy but worth checking out all the same.
ReplyDeleteThanks, blaark. I hadn't snagged that Sultana track. Now that I know it exists, I'm seeing Turkish rappers all over the place. Like DJ Ipek. (Dig "Berlin 44.")
ReplyDeleteThat was interesting.
ReplyDelete"Reggaeturkaton" mixes Turkish instrumentation (does that make sense?) with Spanish vocals. I bought it at Calabash (or maybe it was a free download way back when). (I'm such a Calabash shill.)
(I'm such a Calabash shill.)
ReplyDeleteWorse than that, you got me shillin'! ;^D
Okay, check this out from years and years ago:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpWFwaXef1M&feature=related
Watching white boys try to rap is always bit cringe-inducing, but I still think this is a funky song.
These guys were the first successful Turkish rap group. Many of their members hail from Germany, part of the non-assimilated Turkish working class immigrant community.
They had this other rap song on their album that I still remember "Hani Bana Para?" ("Where's My Money?") which was SOOOOOO awesome.
The Iranian gov't seems a bit concerned about hip-hop over there: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7119097.stm
ReplyDeleteI used to listen to this group from Hong Kong called LMF or Lazy Mutha Fucka. Cantonese hip hop sometimes mixed with indie rock and an occasional Bruce Lee sample. And English cuss words (in addition to Cantonese cuss words, I guess).
I used to listen to this group from Hong Kong called LMF or Lazy Mutha Fucka.
ReplyDeleteHow about the Notorious M.S.G.?
UBM, keep gettin' your shill on!
^ Ohhh wow... thanks for that link, Jena6. Them boys are raucous.
ReplyDeleteThey should do an album called "Chinese Fire Drill."
Meanwhile, I'm gonna have to hunt down some LMF.
That one dude that calls himself "Down Lo-Mein" might want to change his name. Or not, depending.
ReplyDeleteHere's a little bit of LMF;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-dgbqgczNk&feature=related
YOO PEEPS IAM Gurkan KAN FROM THA UK I BEEN RAPPING FOR ABOUT 14 YEARS AND, I HAVE PERFORMED WITH A LOT OF TOP TURKISH ACTS INCLUDING CEZA AND SAGOPA KAJMER THE TWO TOP RAPPERS IN TURKISH RAP, I RESPECT THE WAY THEY HAVE EVOLVED THE INDUSTRY, TO THINK 15 YEARS AGO THE FIRST TURKISH ALBUM CAME OUT WITH CARTEL SINCE THEN THERE HAS BEEN MANY RAPPERS CAME AND GONNE WITHOUT A TRACE, BUT I WILL BE DOING THIS TILL I LOOSE MY BREATH
ReplyDeleteP.S,, PLEASE LISTEN UP TO MY TRACKS ON www.myspace.com/gurkankan ILL BE LOOKIN FORWARD TO YOUR COMMENTS GOOD OR BAD
STAY BLESSED UNDERCOVER BLACK MAN AND THE REST OF YOU FOLKS WHO TOOK AN INTREST IN OUR RAP COUMUNITY