Persian Rap - the Real ‘Twitter Revolution’?

Just read an AllHipHop.com post that claims that Iranian rappers are heavily involved in organizing the heroic protests there right now. In fact it goes so far as to say they are incorporating demo plans into their songs: “[Rappers are] telling and passing out [information] telling people where to go and meet and the issues going on. It’s becoming the music of the revolution.”

Unfortunately, albeit understandably, it’s very short on specifics and background. I knew there were diasporic Persian rappers in Los Angeles and elsewhere, but hadn’t heard about domestic rap in Tehran - although why not, since it’s all around the world? It’s a fascinating concept, reminiscent of the old ’90s-era “hip-hop as black CNN” line and also an illustration of a fact that many media are coming around to analyze this weekend, that much of the social-networking tech being touted around the uprising is inaccessible to most Iranians and word-of-mouth and other inventive means are crucial there - not to say that Twitter, to which I’ve been riveted all week, hasn’t been vital in getting information out to the rest of the world.

I wonder if any of their rhymes are as stirring as this line from poet Ahmad Shamlu (Shamloo?) that was reportedly used on a placard in one of the silent marches in Tehran this week: ”To slaughter us/ why did you need to invite us/ to such an elegant party?”