Encapsulating an era, with timeless production by Pete Rock and Nas’ prolific street chronicles, Nas’s The World Is Yours is one of the most defining songs of my past, and hip hop in general. Although he first appeared on Live At The BBQ, a song by Main Source off their Breakin’ Atoms album, The World Is Yours was the first I heard of Nas.

I was in my neighbor's stuffy kitchen and it was playing as one of those super exclusives on Hot 97. Everyone was calling him “Nasty Nas” in my neighborhood in Flushing and the buzz for him in Queens was unparalleled. 

As a kid growing up in Queens in the 90’s I can honestly say there was never a bigger buzz leading up to a record for anyone than the one leading up to Illmatic. All we really knew was that this dude, “Nasty Nas,” might be the one of the best rappers from Queens ever and about to blow up, that kind of hype can’t be bought. I remember that I actually taped this song from the radio on a blank tape when it was finally put into rotation.  The World Is Yours was the empowering third single from Illmatic, arguably one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.  

The truly redeeming quality of hip hop before the computer age was the element of mystique that always sparked the question; Who, exactly, is the person behind the voice of a particular song? All you had to go by was word of mouth, maybe a video, or a song you heard. Not knowing when you would get to hear a new track is an anticipation that is long gone due to the almost unlimited accessibility of music, movies, and pretty much anything else you can imagine in world via the world wide web. I was damn near praying for the radio to play my favorite songs back in the early 90’s and this song was one I would hope for.

The World Is Yours is not a phrase that rings true for many Iranian people living in Iran right now. It is more a belief than a reality, which may be the same to a degree in the U.S., however the difference is in Iran there isn’t much choice as the world, to those living there, is governed with an iron fist. It is a world ran by a government most of us couldn’t dream to imagine, one that will render the most extreme repercussions if spoken or acted against. Freedom of speech is limited, fought and died for, and religion is the guise by which these constraints are imposed. It is the complete opposite of what we, here in the US, know to be “separation of church and state.” 

I am Iranian, 100% Iranian flesh and blood. I was born in Manhattan to my mother Mehrzad and father Bahram, two Persians who met in college after fleeing Iran during the Islamic Revolution in 1979.  I am subsequently the product of a revolution like the vast majority of first generation Iranians my age in the United States whose parents escaped the harsh reality of war and death in those years.  Thirty years later there is still unrest and bloodshed as a result of citizens' discord with government.  

A little over two weeks ago on June 12th, 2009 the results of the Iranian presidential election came out in favor of hardline incumbant and current president, Mahmood Ahmedinejad, with what was reported to be 65% of the peoples vote over Mir Hussein Moussavi's 35%, his newly popularized opponent. The consensus among a large portion of the general population of Iranians in Iran and across the world is that Ahmedinejad won due to an engineered or rigged system, sparking the biggest uprising since the 1979 revolution. This system, reeks of a familiar scent, one that we experienced when former President George W. Bush was a presidential candidate and the votes in Florida were somehow miscounted. Ahmedinejad could be compared to George W. in the sense that he is a hardline conservative, while the portion of the population streaked with a strong youthful and student presence in Iran are looking at Hussein Moussavi as their own Iranian Barack O’bama. Moussavi is a religious man with more liberal views who they believe will bring about the change in government and leadership they desire.

You may have heard the story of Neda and other such horrific tragedies of innocent people slaughtered by security forces, the police, and Basij while taking a stand for what they believe in, some of which, like Neda, were not actively demonstrating when they were killed. It is reported that 18 protestors have been killed by government-alligned forces but many believe there to be more.  The people who are in the street and protesting against what they feel has been an unfair election have been labeled the opposition and are made up of regular law abiding citizens like you and I. These are people who believe in democracy, fairness, freedom of speech, and peace. What they are getting and have gotten in return from their government and religious leaders are life threats, a semblance of dictatorship, injustice, fear tactics, violence, and death. 

You may have seen the green tinted twitter pictures representing support for the opposition as they demonstrate and protest on the ground, speaking out against Ayatollah Ali Khameini, the supreme leader of the Iranian Government who is taking the brunt of the blame for the speculated fraud.  These people, including myself, feel as though Hussein Moussavi’s loss was illegitimate and of course have been twittering their take on it, using Facebook, and uploading YouTube video’s as a means of retaliation. This is also a way for these people to spread the message as well as provide the rest of the world with a much closer look into the chaos and uprising in the streets of Iran. 

As a result of the unrelenting pressure of the state, helpless news reporters from abroad have been barred along with Iranian journalists, confined to their hotel rooms and homes for fear of their lives. All while major news networks have been relying on real people to provide some insight as to what exactly is taking place on the ground level, even some Iranian newspapers have been shut down during this time. The government, in response, has invested a significant amount of resources to crack down and control digital technology by blocking online content and the aforementioned websites as well as shutting down mobile services; Cell phone service has since been turned back on however SMS continues to be blocked. 

At this point the powers that be are threatening to kill anyone who attempts to speak out against the government and saying it is going against Islam to carry out such an act. There is also a faction called The Basij who are thugs in plain clothes supporting Ahmedinejad that will invade homes as the police do and turn in their own neighbors. The Basij are ruthless and liable to walk up to someone they know is against Ahmedinejad and stab, shoot, or beat them to death in cold blood. 

My father recently called my family in Iran and asked how they are and what they felt about the whole situation. Guess what they told him? NOTHING, because they are too afraid to talk for fear of possible retribution if their phone lines are tapped. I don’t blame them, as they very well could be being monitored given the new and absurd information about the establishment that arises each passing day. This news will soon fade from the public eye but the impact has already been felt. The involvement on a global scale has bent the sympathies of several countries to side with the citizens of Iran and furthered their message. Only time can tell the outcome when the smoke clears.

I have been receiving several messages asking me to make a song about the Iranian election and the events thereafter. However, I can’t bring myself to write a song that could be viewed as an attempt to capitalize on these political events just because I’m Persian. That’s like making a song about Obama being elected if I was black, which so many people did and it was pretty lame. It comes across as cliché, super phony, and self centered, I can’t stand when people do shit like that. Maybe in time I will take the time to write a song about what happened during this election but not any time soon. 

Either way, this blog is my opinion and I wrote it to raise awareness among the indie hip hop community and anyone who cares to read it. I gather most of my facts and form opinions based on reading the New York Times, watching CNN, CNN.com, and my favorite source of all; talking politics with my old man.I believe if you fight for your voice to be heard, there is some degree of sacrifice involved but as reflected by the actions and the spilled blood of what I will say are present day revolutionaries in Iran, resistance is NOT futile.

Throughout our lifetimes a higher power will always attempt to suppress our voice and control our world.  It is up to us to not give up the wheel as individuals and unite to take a stand for it is strength in numbers that will always prevail. Although the Iranian Government recently certified the election as valid after investigations into alleged voter irregularities, solidifying Ahmedinejad’s presidency, the world has heard the voices of Iranians dead and alive resonate as loud and as crystal as ever. 

Nas was right.