ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates contemporary Iran’s rapidly flourishing hip-hop scene in light of Robertson’s concept of glocalization. It examines the complexity of the interaction between local and global forces in the Iranian hip-hop scene. Focusing on the Persian cover of Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling by a well-known and highly controversial hip-hop artist Hamid Sefat, the chapter argues that the postmodern nature of hip-hop, as well as its global appeal, mobility via mediated technology, and accessibility of production equipment, has shaped it as a translocal site for sociocultural contact between young Iranians and the transnational hip-hop nation. The Grand Bazaar, incorporating daf and prominent appearances of the violin on the one hand and, on the other hand, showing the hoverboards, phones, and hip-hop fashion trends representing global/American consumption patterns — all added to Drake’s beat and dance moves — the Persian ‘Hotline Bling’ re-emplaces the song in Tehran and reveals how hip-hop rejects the metanarratives of cultural purity against cultural imperialism.
