Hichkas

Soroush Lashkari (; born 9 May 1985), known professionally as Hichkas ( ; ), is an Iranian rapper and singer-songwriter. Credited with popularizing Persian hip hop to the Iranian people and other Persian-speaking countries such as Afghanistan and Tajikistan, Hichkas' national success and acclaimed works are widely regarded as having broken the barriers that were in place by the Islamic regime for the acceptance of rappers in popular music. Hichkas is considered one of the pioneers of Iranian hip hop and is nicknamed "Father of Persian Rap" by his fans. Hichkas' early releases combined traditional Persian instruments and urban beats to create a hybrid genre, a combination of East and West.

In addition to performance, Hichkas' work further spans into art direction, production, and artist development, working closely with up-and-coming artists, providing mentoring and coaching, and consistently being the inspiration behind many Iranian urban artists. He has appeared as a guest speaker at many universities including Oxford University, Cambridge University, and University of Calgary discussing Iranian poetry, the Iranian underground music scene, and the effects of the Internet on music publishing in Iran.

Hichkas has collaborated with a number of international hip hop artists, including American hip hop artist Kool G Rap. His highly anticipated second album Mojaz (; permissible) was released in March 2020, 8 years after its initial announcement.

Early life Soroush Lashkari was born on 9 May 1985, in Tehran, Iran and is the son of a family of five. He lived in Germany until he was two years old and then lived in the Vanak neighborhood of Tehran. He was studying translation at Garmsar University but dropped out of college for personal reasons and in order to pursue Persian hip hop. His father is from the Ziaabad village of Qazvin and has a family relationship with Hossein Lashkari (pilot of Iran's Air Force who was captured in Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war). Hichkas currently lives in London after emigrating to Great Britain in the aftermath of the 2009 Iranian presidential election protests. He is married to the British-based Iranian feminist activist Azadeh Akbari.

In his early years, Hichkas was known for founding a supergroup called 021 (the area code for Tehran). Around 2003, he started his music career in the Vanak neighborhood, participating in Persian free-styling with people who also covered some English language songs in rap battles. Hichkas' early releases combined traditional Iranian instruments and urban beats to create a hybrid genre, a combination of East and West.

Discography

Studio albums Jangale Asfalt (2006)

Mojaz (2020)

Compilation albums Anjām Vazife (The Tour of Duty EP) produced by Mahdyar Aghajani (2011)

International collaborations Young N Foolish (featuring Kool G Rap, Reveal, Quf) produced by Mahdyar Aghajani (2012) "Long Live Palestine, Part II" (Lowkey featuring Hichkas, Reveal, Dam, Narcy, Eslam Jawaad, Hasan Salaam, and Shadia Mansour) produced by Nutty P (2010)

As featured artist "Boro Jolo" (with Reza Pishro) (2007) "Divoone" (with Reza Pishro) (2007) "Long Live Palestine, Part II" (Lowkey featuring Hichkas, Reveal, Dam, Narcy, Eslam Jawaad, Hasan Salaam, and Shadia Mansour) produced by Nutty P (2010) "Chera Badi?" (with Zedbazi) (Why Are You So Mean?) (2012) produced by Alireza JJ "Chi Shenidi?" (with Fadaei) (2012) Single 2024 Dishab Ye Basiji Koshtam - (I killed a basiji last night) Rooye Jenazat Miraghsam - (I dance on your corpse)

Filmography Trip e Ma (Our Style) (2004), music video edited by Fred Khoshtinat Ye Mosht Sarbaz (A Bunch of Soldiers) (2008), music video directed by Fred Khoshtinat, with guest appearances by Mahdyar Aghajani, Reveal, Reza Pishro, Ali Quf, Atour and Bahram Nouraei. Sections of the video are included in the Cultures of Resistance full-length documentary feature film by Iara Lee. No One Knows About Persian Cats (2009) feature film directed by Bahman Ghobadi, which won an Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize Ex-aequo at the Cannes Film Festival.