Hip-Hop From the Land of Fire: Elşan ft Rǝhmǝn Atǝş - Söz Qǝplǝri

The capital of Azerbaijan, Baki, is the biggest, richest, and most cosmopolitan city in the country, so its no surprise that it produces the majority of known rap in the country.  But that doesn't mean it holds a monopoly on Azerbaijani beats and flow.  Ganja (technically its Gǝncǝ, don't get too excited) is the second largest city and has a burgeoning arts scene (illustrated partially by an awesome Open Mic project by two PCVs) that has been producing some of its own rappers.

Rǝhmǝn Atǝş and RG have produced a solid mixtape featuring numerous as-not-seen-in-Baki rappers.  Intro track Söz Qǝplǝri begins with an air raid alarm (which is basically like an arrow through my hip-hop heart) and standard name checks and barrels ahead over a NES inspired beat.

Elşan ft Rǝhmǝn Atǝş - Söz Qǝplǝri (which loosely translates to 'Word Bombs')



Previous Hip-Hop from the Land of Fire: Klan-A-Plan

The Beginning Ends And The End Begins

I just returned from a week of traveling, first to Baku for our Mid Service Conference and afterwards to Ganja (about 6 hours west of Baku) for the final Teacher Training.  Whereas last January I savored and extended every moment away from site and, this time around I was more than ready to turn my footsteps towards the city I've called home for the past 13 months.  Its been a long and anxious and awesome 13 months and this conference gave the entire AZ8 volunteer community a time to stop, pause, and reflect.

Basically MSC had two main goals: reflecting back and looking forward, the intro year is over and the final year begins.  It was pretty powerful to hear what volunteers had accomplished in this past year, not specifically because it was so large or influential (not to say it wasn't), but because it was 60 variations of the same story I am in the middle of acting out as well.  Simply seeing the developed confidence in each one of us was affecting, whereas in PST we had questions about every possible obstacle that might be presented to us, this conference saw a group of individuals far more confident and assured in their ability to handle whatever Azerbaijan might throw at us.

We also shifted our thoughts to the future.  In this conference, the fact our service will draw to a close begins to look inevitable rather than impossible and we shift out thoughts to how we can ensure something of us is left behind.  One of my managers at Apple, as I was preparing to leave as smoothly as possible, pressed me to think what the legacy is that I would be leaving, how people would remember me after I had left.  I think of those conversations a lot right now.

Currently the bulk of my effort goes to training teachers in more effective methods, and a project involving delivering training sessions around the country finished this past week.  It succeeded in delivering content to teachers but it always required an American to be involved and run it; it wasn't sustainable.  Kelly (another volunteer and my partner in this project) and I will soon begin our second project, one that we hope will contribute to our legacy.

We're hoping this will change this next year.  Beginning in March we will hold workshops around the country on how to deliver a Teacher Training on Interactive Methods, a Training of Trainers workshop, which will cover certain methods, lesson design, and presentation skills. Even better, the Azerbaijani English Teachers Association (AzETA) is partnering with us to deliver these workshops.  The goal is that, come November, we will have created a network of Americans and Azerbaijani teachers around the country capable of delivering teacher trainings in their own community, thus extending the reach and encouraging greater participation and empowerment among host country nationals.  I wouldn't expect this project, after one year, to be completely sustainable, but it is a step in the right direction and I would leave Azerbaijan feeling proud of having helped shift focus to a strategy of teacher training more friendly to Azeri involvement.

In my first year I was fumbling around looking for a purpose to be working towards.  Now in my second year I'll be racing to achieve my goals before I must leave.  Just like these past 16 months, there will be ups and downs, but this year, I know where I'm going.

How to Design a Workshop on Sustainable Project Design

This past week the AZ8s had our Mid Service Conference (MSC), marking our halfway point in our Peace Corps Service. Overall it was quite good: worthwhile reflection, great info from our new Country Director, even some relevant health sessions. Unfortunately there were some weak spots in the conference, and they happened to be centered around the topic of sustainability.

At this point in our service, sustainability is one of the foremost items on our minds. Its a buzzword that's been tossed out a lot amongst staff and volunteers but it truly is a goal in our service, to start something considered useful enough that Azeris will want to continue it upon our departure. I'll be the first to admit, there's a bit of selfish motivation held within; we all want to feel we are leaving some sort of legacy to our time spent here, but that doesn't make the end result any less worthwhile. And as we enter into our second year and learn our close of service dates our thoughts shift more and more to ways our work might continue beyond our own brief service. So, as a group, we were all excited to hear ideas on sustainable project design.

But there were too many problems with the workshops on sustainability for them to be effective. In these sessions, the word 'sustainability' was ill-defined and often used interchangeably with the word 'success'. Recommendations for a 'sustainable' project usually just amounted to recommendations for a 'successful' project. And the scope of what was meant by 'sustainable' was constantly changing-one moment it focus on projects and the next moment it would be expanded to the extent that simply being friends with someone was considered 'sustainable'.

I was disappointed with this and left wanting for better information on sustainable project development. After these workshops I was thinking a lot about how it could have been improved and in what ways it could have been more beneficial. From this, I've identified three things to adhere to when planning a workshop on sustainable project design.

1) Provide a range of vocabulary and visual metaphors for the learner to utilize.
In a workshop on sustainable projects begin with a discussion on the differences (and similarities) between 'sustainable' and 'successful'. Spend time discussing different expectations to have when thinking about a project's sustainability, and be specific about what this workshop will be referring to when discussing sustainability and sustainable projects.

Additionally, provide a variety of metaphors for participants to think of sustainability in terms of. This will help showcase the different ways to interpret sustainability and allow participants to determine the metaphor that works best for them. Sustainability is not just 'teach a man to fish' but can also be thought of as a waterwheel or letting a field lie fallow. There are many ways to interpret sustainability and they should be introduced in a workshop on this topic. Doing these two things will provide tools to the participants for future discussion and critical thinking.

2) Make sure you stay focused on your topic.
Remember, the topic is 'sustainable project design'. This point may seem obvious, but with a slippery buzzword it's pretty easy to find one's self off topic. To ensure workshop participants are as focused as you are, continue to spell out how what is being discussed relates your topic. Challenge participants to make the connection between what they have said and in what specific way it relates to project sustainability.

Similar to this, check to make sure what you include in your agenda is truly focused on the topic. Rather than focusing on measurements of success, discuss features of a project that encourage sustainability. More than something to be measured, sustainability of projects is something to prepare for.

3) Focus on techniques and practices that encourage sustainable thought amongst counterparts.
Often we need to work with host country national counterparts to ensure project sustainability, these are the people we are priming to continue the project once we've left. When discussing project sustainability what are the techniques that can be employed to encourage it?

Discussing ideas and strategies for train the trainer programs, leader selection, and openness about the temporary nature of one's service here are all ways to prepare for a project's sustainability. Introducing, or even teaching, these methods are ways to help volunteers design sustainable projects.

Volunteers want to design sustainable projects and want to feel as if they are leaving some sort of legacy of their service behind. Similarly they want to attend workshops on sustainable project design, but, they want it to be relevant to their work. Otherwise, instead of feeling empowered, participants will feel frustrated and stilted.

Hip-Hop from the Land of Fire: Klan-A-Plan - Valideynler

Last week Klan-A-Plan dropped a new track dedicated to their parents.  It intros with a middle eastern sounding sitar plucking over a mid tempo beat and some scary experimentations with auto-tuning and falsetto.  However, this turns out to be a bit of a head fake and after a minute and a half they launch into some pretty enjoyable verses to create a pretty appealing song.

Klan-A-Plan - Valideynler (which means: parents) via: RapRock.Az

 Klan-A-Plan - Valideynler by joshehr

Previously Hip-Hop from the Land of Fire: Hüseyn Dǝrya

And The Lesson Is 'Boring'

For those of you who have been somewhat keeping up with these emails you'll know that these past couple months (...years?) has been pretty busy.  Talking with friends stateside, it sounds like it was equally true in Americastan; I'd be willing to take the safe bet that, around the world, months which include major holidays tend to be busier than the rest.  Its a familiar phenomenon to feel the need for a break after the rubble is cleaned up from the holiday cheer bomb which exploded all over your previously normal and sane life.

I'll be the first to admit I bring it upon myself.  I like being busy and I'm really good at filling up my hours, days, and months with projects and activities (though I will also admit that walking takes up at least an hour of my day...better get used to this no-car lifestyle).  I like visiting friends and I like getting out and about in my community.  I like meeting with colleagues working towards larger projects than the day to day minutia of a 5th form English lesson.  But I also recognize that keeping up a state of constant work and 'productivity' is exhausting.  My body has been telling me this over the past few weeks, threatening me with illness and forcing itself to bed at 7:30.

And I finally listened.  This past weekend I did nothing; it was a national day of mourning on the 20th of January and I made it my business to have no business on Friday and Saturday.  It was magnificent-I read and listened to music.  I washed my bedsheets and cleared my email inbox.  I bought a new toothbrush and ignored grocery shopping.  For the first time in a very long, I had enough time of not doing anything to actually become bored and it was so nice.  Wandering aimlessly from my living room to the kitchen back to the living room again never felt so good.

There's a lesson for me in here.  I know that we all need to take some time off for ourselves to recharge, but I generally seek out people to recharge which means making plans.  What was so nice about this weekend was that it was unscheduled.  Its already on my calendar in early March to figure out when my next 'unscheduled' weekend will be.  I'm always going to be busy, so I'm going to assume in about 3 months I'm going to want, and need, another weekend of that fleeting flavor of boredom.

Next week we have our Mid Service Training.  I'm going to see some people I haven't seen since we were inaugurated as volunteers.  It will be a week of looking back and projecting forward, dental checkups and language exams.  And then I'll head to to the regions for our final teacher training under this current grant.  It will be a busy week of traveling and trainings, but after this weekend savoring the subtle joy of boredom I think I'm more ready than I've felt in a while.

Photos from the Hüseyn Dǝrya Concert

Surf on over to my Flickr to see the best shots from the Hüseyn Dǝrya Concert with MC Kamal this past weekend.

Dad...I mean Dǝrya...rapping about building character

MC Kamal being like 'screw you Dad, I just want to party!'

Hip-Hop from the Land of Fire: Hüseyn Dǝrya Concert in Khachmaz

American celebs at the Azerbaijan rap show

Well it happened, I went to my first Azerbaijan Rap show.  I wasn't expecting this to be the first goal achieved in 2012 and I certainly wasn't it expecting to happen so easily, but last week I saw a poster on the door of the school I work at advertising Hüseyn Dǝrya, performing in Khachmaz this past Saturday.  Hüseyn Dǝrya is not my fave Azeri rapper, he's best known for his hit Keyf Elǝ (which is hilariously translated on youtube as 'Have a Fun') a song that sort of embodies easy, 'can't we all just have a good time' rap.  The video looks like it was made in the 80s at latest, but don't let that fool you-it came out in late 2000.  If anything, its a trip to watch what a rapper of somewhat commercial success in Azerbaijan considers 'having a good time' to be.  Here's a hint: its not what American rappers think.

But I wasn't going to be deterred at this type of cultural experience on the basis of talent!  I want to see any rap show I have opportunity to in this country and this was happening in my hometown.  So go I did, at 5pm, to the Heydar Aliyev Culture House to see Dǝrya.  The show was in a very nice auditorium and everyone sat in their selected seats and, for the most part, didn't get up.  I can't really tell much of what Azeri rappers are saying but Hüseyn Dǝrya was very PG; he was wearing grandmother approved clothes (sweater vest, button down shirt), frequently stopped to say how lucky we all are to be in Azerbaijan, and invited 3 young girls on stage to help him with a chorus to one of his songs.  These weren't girls in the sense of booty dancers, these were girls in the sense of 12 year olds who he swayed awkwardly with as they shyly sung.

Yes, Hüseyn Dǝrya confirmed my suspicion of (lack thereof) cultural relevance.  However, there were some real highlights to the show.  The light show for this concert was unreal and I can only think of a few concerts I've attended that surpassed this.  It was as if they prepared a lightshow for a 10,000 person festival but were then told they would be in a 250 person auditorium.  It was great and really fun.  Secondly, Dǝrya was performing with a young Khachmaz rapper named MC Kamal who basically showed him up every time he got on the mic.  Hüseyn may have realized this because he definitely started cutting MC Kamal off as the show went on.  MC Kamal has absolutely no publicity and no 'laurels' to rest on so he focused on speed and energy and he delivered a highly enjoyable mini-set.

Unfortunately, after a couple hours searching on the sites promoting this concert, youtube, and online in general I can't find any tracks of MC Kamal to post except for this early one, from 2010.  Furthermore, because soundcloud recognizes it as using an unauthorized sample it won't let me upload it.  Is this a new thing soundcloud? I've never encountered this before..

This Is How The Weeks Can Fly By..

I tend to turn off during vacations.  I barely return texts, hardly keep in touch with email, never ever check a voicemail.  Maybe you can call it a bad habit, but I think its an expression of desire to truly escape whatever binds me during all those other, non-vacation, days.  As 2011 turned to 2012 I had one of those vacations where I was able to escape Khachmaz for a bit and then come back to an ascetic retreat of early bedtimes and increasingly creative/desperate recipes saving me from leaving the house.  All celebrities need their alone time.

There is a double edge to your alone time and that is falling behind on your projects, job responsibilities, and social obligations.  Personally I think its worth it for a true vacation, but the week following is pretty busy and this one was no exception.  As Sunday night came I decided I needed to man up and face the harsh reality of what my upcoming (this past week) was going to be like.  If it was going to be a busy week it might as well be productive.

And it was busy.  Between school, delivering late 'Happy New Year' wishes, and various projects, most days I would arrive back home to cook myself dinner at 8 or later.  But, it was also incredibly productive.  I finally finished the budget details for a grant I've been working on for a couple months, began discussion about how we'll be running Summer Camp this year, and began meetings with a counterpart again about upcoming trainings in the Khachmaz region.  I was even able to get most of my meals taken care of through frequent guesting.  By the time Wednesday night came around, I was ready for the week to be over, but I stayed true and plowed ahead through the remaining work week.

I welcomed the weekend with open arms and gave myself an appropriate award on Saturday when I met up with two friends, Elsean and Movlan.  Both of them work in the Ministry (government) and they happen to be my only drinking buddies in Khachmaz.  Now, what I mean by drinking buddies is: I clear out 6 hours in my day because we are about to drink multiple bottles of horrible vodka.  But after 15 months, the horrible vodka isn't so bad anymore, and it definitely gets a lot better after the first bottle-and hey, this is how I do business with Elsean!  Afterwards I attended my first Azerbaijan Rap concert which is (and will be) a post in itself.  Goal number 6: accomplished.

Well, Sunday comes around and once again I'm staying indoors, though more for avoiding bright lights rather than people.

Staying In Your Comfort Zone In The Peace Corps

By design, Peace Corps takes you outside your comfort zone.  If you were placed in a country where you felt completely at ease, it would defeat the purpose of Peace Corps-its designed to shake you up a bit.  Socially, linguistically, culturally-everything is dramatically different.

Well maybe not everything, one area where I haven't really left my comfort zone is my professional life.  Part of this is also by Peace Corps design-people with 'industry' expertise are generally placed in that specific area.  'Have teaching experience?' 'Good, we need some teachers.'  This is especially the case in the TEFL sector, where the main structure of your week is the school schedule.

With counterparts, I teach numerous classes a week.  I work with other teachers in my community to design trainings to help teachers become more effective in the classroom.  I meet with teachers across the country sharing techniques they can use in the classroom to increase student participation and comprehension.

Sound repetitive? It is.

Its not to say I don't enjoy my work.  I do.  I'm passionate about helping teachers (or trainers, or mentors, or whatever term they are being identified as) become better teachers and I have a certain degree of expertise to offer in this field.  But, it also is quite safe and very little precariousness is involved.

As I begin to ponder what direction my life will take after Peace Corps (you wouldn't believe some of the dorky thoughts I've had regarding my resume) I've started to think about those lessons I'm looking for in future employment.  I've found just as much education in my professional life as I have in my academic life and I'm hoping my next steps will help me along two specific lines.

1) Risk.  As I mentioned earlier, I've been able to play extensively within my comfort zone in the Peace Corps.  One of my most valuable lessons learned in grad school was to become adept at re-articulating situations in terms of your expertise.  While this helps create confidence in new endeavors it also minimizes my experience with risk and taking risks. Don't worry Mom, I'm not looking to engage in 'risky behaviors,' but I'd like to deal with risk enough to know I'm not risk adverse.

2) Entrepreneurship.  It's a goal of mine to start my own business.  That's about as specific as this goal can get right now; I'll acknowledge, there's definitely room for improvement.  I want my next steps in my professional life to prepare me to take action on this goal.  I'm not looking to learn specific lessons rather, I want to experience the nature of a small, interconnected company.  Past the very surface level sheen of entrepreneurship, what is actually involved in day-to-day running?

Hip-Hop from the Land of Fire: Xan ft. Kavkas Clan - Yağış Olaram

Xan hasn't struck me as the most lyrically dexterous of Azerbaijan's rappers, for that I would reserve honor for Qaraqan or other members of the H.O.S.T. clan.  However he has good production values and is embracing the R&B/rap style that has been championed by Drake and The-Dream.  I dig this new track recently posted on RapRock.Az. Its short, with a lilting melody line; one thinks of past memories, maybe remembering them a bit better than they were.

Xan ft. Kavkas Clan - Yağış Olaram (meaning: I'll Be The Rain)

 Xan feat Kavkaz Clan (Luter) - Yagish Olaram by joshehr

Previous on Hip-Hop from the Land of Fire: Qaraqan - Qaraqan Qayitdi!

2011: A Review

I may be a little late in wishing you all a happy new year but believe me that you were all in my thoughts in the early hours and days of 2012. Last year was my first full year in Azerbaijan and this was possible due to the consistent support and spontaneous messages of cheering I would receive throughout the year.  Though much of my communication (both sent and received) is written, I feel much closer to you all when reading your emails or texts.  Thank you so much for that.

2011 has been quite a year with a lot packed into it.  I first began teaching with counterparts at my school in January, after being at my permanent site for only a few weeks.  January was when I began my first conversation clubs and first learned what it was like to be an American teacher in an Azerbaijani school (like being the most famous celebrity ever).  February and March saw me survive my first Azerbaijani winter and continue with my language lessons.  I began an advanced conversation club which provided access to some of the most engaging students I've worked with.  Also in March, my first regional teacher training were held, a project I continue today and which expanded the boundaries of where my service could be held.

Spring came with lots of non-school projects started.  Early April saw Writing Olympics, Azerbaijan would eventually go on to clean up at the international level.  We also held our first softball practice in Khachmaz-its pretty incredible to think where they are now considering where they began.  April also began one of the oddest relationships in my life-my landlady.  Finally I could be an adult again when I moved away from the host family and into the clutches of a kind, if not overly intruding, landlady.  May slowly, but surely came to a close and with it, the end of school.

Oh the beautiful freedom of summer.  Now that there wasn't school hanging over my head there was so much more we could do!  Summer was very hot, so much so that we put baseball on hold, but that didn't stop me from traveling and exploring this country.  I conducted more teacher trainings and helped with 3 different summer camps around the country.  Volunteers and friends around Khachmaz held our own camp, both here and in Khudat.  I began meeting with Elsean, the region's methodologist, and that became a really enjoyable friendship.  I also got to visit the fam in America for my sister's wedding.  Summer was extremely busy, but very very fun.

As summer changed to fall the weather began to cool, but the pace didn't.  Every weekend from September to mid November was scheduled with a different activity.  Softball tournaments, teacher trainings, new volunteers coming in, old volunteers leaving.  Traveling to Ganja and Goychay, Baku and Tbilisi or hosting volunteers who came to visit Khachmaz.  By the time Thanksgiving came around I wanted a weekend off.  So I took one and didn't go anywhere for the holiday.  It was a much needed respite and prepared me for a super busy December.  While preparing for multiple holiday parties it was shocking to see that the semester had already drawn to a close-it felt like it hand't yet begun.

There was a lot of sport activity this year, which was new for adult me and really, really nice.  Softball, though at times a pain, became one of my favorite activities in Azerbaijan.  I am looking forward to spring coming and the accompanying practices.  My site mate Glendene and I began practicing yoga together this year which has been a massive benefit for me.  It is like practicing with a private teacher multiple times a week and I can only continue to be grateful for this.

Regarding hobbies, 2011 saw the inception of my most recent 'once in a life time experience' to plan-renting a private yacht in the Mediterranean.  Deposits have been paid, flights are being purchased, and all of us are getting very excited for June.  I blogged more than ever this past year-publishing a new post about once ever 3 days (including my ever-expanding Hip-Hop from the Land of Fire series).  They say the best way to become a better writer is to write-lets hope that's true.

So what have I learned this year?  At times, I feel very little; this culture still continues to baffle me and I feel about as solid in life direction as I did when I left for the Peace Corps (which would be: somewhat).  If anything I've learned a greater ease in allowing others to run with ideas. Coming into service there were so many times where I felt the need to involve myself and my American ways; more often is the case now that I agree with an idea and find I'm providing more moral support than anything else.  This is an advanced skill for a leader and I'm grateful to receive practice in it.

I'm extremely excited for 2012.  This is the year will show the results of long term projects.  This is the year of a yacht trip.  And, this is the year I can return to my friends and family in the states.  Please check out 'New Year: New Goals' as well.  I can't wait to share my 2012 with you.

New Year: New Goals

I'm not really a person who makes resolutions upon the New Year.  My general thought on New Year's Resolutions are that they have already defeated you-if one was really resolved to make a change then they would do it then, at that moment, rather than waiting until the new year rolls around.  Thus, I don't really make resolutions to begin on New Years, but rather try to actively improve myself along my life when I feel there is a need to do so.

This past year, a friend turned me on to The Random Show podcast and I've been savoring their backlog of episodes while catching up.  In one they shared lists of goals to accomplish in the new year.  This was an idea I liked.  Instead of stating what you hoped to do from Day 1 of 2012, you prepared a list of objectives you hoped to accomplish in 2012.  Personal resolutions, like exercising and eating better, I try to begin right away, but there are numerous 'projects' I have put off, or been eyeing, that would be perfect for this.  So, without further ado:

Goals to Accomplish for 2012:

1) Establish my own wake-up time, as determined by me, and not by my work.  For my entire life I've been a slave to waking up based on the first time commitment of the day.  Usually this is about 1 hour before I have to be there, and this also usually makes for a thoroughly inconsistent wake-up schedule.  It was the worst while working for Apple, but even in Peace Corps I have about 3 different wake up times.  I'd like to establish consistency in my wake-up time in hopes of becoming have more productive, more enjoyable, and more stable mornings.

2) Focus on my hamstrings.  After throwing my back out twice in 2010, I really started to focus on my back in 2011. Obviously, this is a lifelong commitment, but it was a thrill to find myself in full wheel (a yoga posture with feet and hands on the ground pushing your back into a 180 arch) for the first time ever. I'll maintain this commitment, but I'd also like to add special emphasis to my hamstrings.  I have tight hamstrings, so tight that I will too often over accommodate in poses that should be working them.  This year I'd like to have a similar thrill I had in 2011 but with my hamstrings.

3) Practice yoga 5 hours a week.  This is not so much a stretch goal, as ensuring that I'm making it to the mat every day.  Regarding these last two goals, I'm not usually into 'goal setting' in a yoga practice.  One shouldn't be striving towards an accomplishment that their body is not prepared for.  But yoga is also about mindfulness and bringing consciousness into our actions, so I accommodate for these goals of increased awareness.

4) Learn Turkish.  Have I told you I'm planning a dream vacation in Turkey with 15 other friends?!  Its true.  I already (somewhat) speak a language that is extremely close to Turkish and have friends here I can practice with.  I've always wanted to visit Turkey and will not be surprised if I fall in love with it.  Finally, I have learned a little more about how I most effectively learn a new language.  I cannot imagine a better 'perfect storm' of reasons to learn a language.

5) Prepare for effective job hunting.  I really want to ensure that my next steps, whatever those may be, are fulfilling and in line with my personal values and life goals.  I acknowledge that this may be a lot to ask for in the economy that will be waiting for me, but I don't care, I think I'll be a candidate worth looking at.  So, to ensure that I'm appealing to whomever may be checking me out, I want to prepare a personal bio and engaging resume that will get noticed, rather than get lost.  And, of course, integrate it into all media I use.

6) Read the Brothers Karamazov.  I love Dostoyevsky and I really like the translators of the edition I have.  I've wanted to do this for a while-this is the year.

7) Go to an Azerbaijani Rap concert.  I haven't been to a concert in sooooo long. Update: Attended first Azerbaijan rap concert: 1/14/12

8) Buy a new iPhone and MacBook Air.  Hey, I'll finally be home in 2012 and I'm totally serious on looking at this as a goal to accomplish in 2012.  Maybe a reward as well...

9) Meditate daily.

Hip-Hop from the Land of Fire: Qaraqan - Qaraqan Qayitdi!

I'm a sucker for a good hook.  No matter how bad a song is, all can be forgiven with a great hook to rally around after a horrible verse.  This may be an unfair intro to Qaraqan's intro track from his 2011 album Isiq; the track is not bad, but the chorus is just so good.  In an affectation you here him chant 'hava, ot, su, torpaq' (which means: air, earth, water, fire...also can be written as H.O.S.T.) and its just so damn catchy.  This is a victory lap for Qaraqan, welcoming you to the album you've been waiting for simply because it was worth the wait.

Qaraqan - Qaraqan Qayitdi! (which means: Qaraqan Returns!)
 Qaraqan Qayitdi! by joshehr

Previous Hip-Hop from the Land of Fire: AiD ft. Jamal Ali - Biz İnsan Deyilik