Persian Rap

The number of Iranian Hip Hop groups has increased dramatically in recent years. In Iran it is necessary to have official government documents from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance for the legal distribution music. However the Iranian government is very strict about about its requirements and controls around Hip Hop Music. Because of the restrictions in place, most artist release their work over the Internet. This causes hardships for artists as they can't officially sell their music or hold concerts in Iran. Music Piracy is also a large deterrent to financial success of Iranian artists.

The Iranian government filters major web sites that distribute rap music. They have also arrested Iranian artists in the past and some have temporarily been barred from leaving the country. Iranian Police has also been known to intimate artist and producers and close recording studios.

Iranian media, which in majority is owned and controlled by the government takes a very negative view of rap music. In 2008 it featured a documentary on IRIB called "Shock" were they heavily criticized the music for preaching satanism to kids and being the source of many social problems like criminal activity and drug use. The program however backfired when many artists such as Erfan and Shahin Najafi as well as online Iranian magazines and websites released commentary defending the artists and pointing to the government as looking for a scape goat for its own problems.