Iranian hip-hop band Zedbazi are known as the pioneers of gangsta rap in Iran and are often credited with the formation of a new movement in the country amongst the youth.
Formed in 2002 by high school friends, Saman Rezapour and Mehrad Rad, the band was influenced by legendary American rapper Eminem. Following their move to London, they met Sohrab Mostavafi and began to write their own lyrics. The trio then met Siavash Jalail and Alireza Jazayeri to form Zedbazi. In 2007, Zedbazi released Tabestoon Kootahe, a song about the bittersweet feeling of summertime in Iran, their first release as a full band.
From their early release Zedbazi gathered a large fan base with younger audiences as their lyrics spoke about the truths and hardships in Iran, controversially they became one of the first bands in the region to use explicit language in their tracks.
From 2014, the band announced their split. Many of the band members formed two separate groups and others have gone on to release their own solo productions, in the same style as Zedbazi, but under new names.
Alireza, Sijal and Nassim have since gone on to produce 2 studio albums, in 2014 and 2016, whilst the remaining band formed Bozorg, with an official album being released in 2015.
