{{Infobox musical artist |name = Salome MC |image = Salome_MC_Album_Art.jpg |caption = |background = solo_singer |origin = Iran |genre = Hip hop, Trip hop, Video art, Multimedia art |occupation = Musician, activist, multimedia artist |years_active = 2002 – present |label = |website = http://www.salomemc.com }}
'''Salome MC''' ({{Langx|fa|سالومه امسی}}; born 1985) is an Iranian rapper, producer,<ref name="artisttrust.org">{{cite web|url=https://artisttrust.org/artists/salome-mc/|title=Salome MC|website=Artisttrust.org|accessdate=29 August 2020}}</ref> antimilitarist activist<ref name="Codepink">{{cite web|url=https://www.codepink.org/why_antimilitarism_is_not_a_partisan_position|title=Why Antimilitarism Is Not a Partisan Position|website=Codepink.org|accessdate=29 August 2020}}</ref> and multimedia artist.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4973690.stm |title=Entertainment | Iran's underground music challenge |publisher=BBC News |date=2006-05-08 |accessdate=2016-06-28}}</ref> Known as Iran's first female rapper,<ref>{{cite web|last=Chopra |first=Anuj |url=https://www.usnews.com/articles/news/world/2008/03/12/iranian-rap-music-bedevils-the-authorities.html |title=Iranian Rap Music Bedevils the Authorities | World News |publisher=US News |date=2008-03-12 |accessdate=2016-06-28}}</ref><ref name="Khaleeli">{{cite news|last=Khaleeli |first=Homa |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/may/10/salome-iran-hip-hop-interview |title=Salome: straight outta Tehran |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2011-05-10 }}</ref> she has been recognized as one of the best non-English-speaking hip-hop artists by MTV<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2177489/rappers-who-kill-it-in-other-languages/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711165138/http://www.mtv.com/news/2177489/rappers-who-kill-it-in-other-languages/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 11, 2015 |title=15 RAPPERS WHO KILL IT IN OTHER LANGUAGES |publisher=MTV |date=2015-07-09 |accessdate=2016-06-28}}</ref> and ''Time'' magazine listed her as one of the world's best rappers who are revolutionizing the world of rap.<ref name="Time">{{cite news|url=https://time.com/2977682/forget-eminem-world-rappers-you-should-meet/ |title=World Rappers You Should Meet |publisher=Time Magazine |date=2014-07-12 |access-date=2016-06-28}}</ref> She is also a multimedia/video artist and her work has been featured in festivals, galleries and universities around the world, such as Venice Biennale<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.swatch.com/en_us/explore/swatch-art/la-biennale-di-venezia/|title=La Biennale Arte di Venezia 2019 - Swatch® United States|website=Swatch.com|accessdate=29 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://currentsnewmedia.org/artist/salome-mc/|title=Salome Mc|website=Currentsnewmedia.org|date=26 March 2015 |accessdate=2021-05-04}}</ref> and Yale University.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.yale.edu/2018/01/23/symposium-explores-impact-popular-music-iranian-society|title=Symposium explores impact of popular music on Iranian society|date=23 January 2018|website=News.yale.edu|accessdate=29 August 2020}}</ref> In 2020, Salome founded "Seven Climes", a grassroots art and heritage project that presents the cultural and lingual diversity of the Iranian Hiphop scene.<ref name="The Tale of Seven Climes">{{cite web|url=http://sevenclimes.com/about|title=The Tale of Seven Climes|website=sevenclimes.org|accessdate=2021-05-04}}</ref>
==Activities== === Music === Salome started rapping by collaborating with Hichkas, one of the currently prominent Iranian rappers, in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/01/iran-rap-culture-thrives.html|title=Iran's thriving rap culture|first=Holly|last=Dagres|date=6 January 2014|website=Al-Monitor.com|accessdate=29 August 2020}}</ref> With German-Iranian rapper Shirali, she released the collaboration album ''Delirium'' in 2006, and, in 2009, a mixtape called ''Paranoid Descent'',<ref name="Khaleeli"/> which put her in the list of finalists for the Freedom to Create Prize in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freedomtocreate.com/salome |title=Freedom to Create - Artists :: Salome |access-date=April 16, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620064812/http://www.freedomtocreate.com/salome |archive-date=June 20, 2012 }}</ref> In 2013, she released ''I Officially Exist'', the first hip-hop album by a female Iranian hip-hop artist,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theworld.org/stories/2015/08/03/iranian-rapper-speaks-about-hip-hop-and-its-future-iran|title=Iranian rappers speak about hip-hop and its future in Iran|website=Pri.org|date=3 August 2015 |access-date=29 August 2020}}</ref> and its first music video, "Price of Freedom", was crowdfunded to be produced by Sahar Sarshar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicfilmweb.com/2013/10/salome-mc-iran-hip-hop-documentary/|title=Salome's Tale: A Woman Rapper Makes Waves in Iran - MusicFilmWeb|website=MusicFilmWeb.com}}</ref>
In 2015, Salome collaborated with Japanese rap artist Shing02 for a worldwide recording project called 1+1,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://1n1.ch/?lang=en|title=1+1 – Worldwide recording project|website=1n1.ch}}</ref> and the resulting documentary, ''Passenger'', was released in March 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grHpo6TPdqA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/grHpo6TPdqA |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|title=Salome MC & Shing02 - Passenger feat. Nicholas Kaleikini - مسافر|last=Salome Mc|date=13 April 2016|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> She was also one of the participants in the remake project of Fela Kuti's album, ''Zombie'', featuring Seun Kuti.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://freemuse.org/archives/10128|title=Freemuse|website=Freemuse.org|accessdate=29 August 2020|archive-date=6 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706015804/http://freemuse.org/archives/10128|url-status=dead}}</ref>
She announced her self-produced upcoming album Excerpts From Unhappy Consciousness (ناخوشاگاه) in 2016 and debuted the first song "Odium" (رسوا) at the Music Freedom Day festival 2016 in Norway.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicfreedomday.no/|title=Music Freedom Day Oslo 2017 - Seminar & Concert|website=Musicfreedomday.no|access-date=2016-10-24|archive-date=2016-10-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025052807/http://www.musicfreedomday.no/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The music video for "Odium" was released in October 2016,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBHg4hZ1FyM |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213144550/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBHg4hZ1FyM |archive-date=2017-02-13 |url-status=dead|title=Youtube|website = YouTube|accessdate=29 August 2020}}</ref> followed by the second single from the album called "Callous".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_ERSGAGh6E |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/i_ERSGAGh6E |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|title=Youtube|website=YouTube |date=4 November 2016 |accessdate=29 August 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The album was released in August 2017 digitally, and consists of 8 tracks.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/excerpts-from-unhappy-consciousness/1273245330|title=Get millions of songs. All ad-free.|website=Music.apple.com|date=3 May 2017|accessdate=29 August 2020}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In the summer of 2018, Salome released her self-directed music video for the last single from the album called "Riddle", while pregnant with her son.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.salomemc.com/|title=Salome Mc | Home|website=Salomemc.com|accessdate=29 August 2020}}</ref> Her song "3" was published in the subsequent year along with a personal essay named "Anxiety, Alienation and Control" on an Iranian feminist website.<ref name="bidarzani.com">{{cite web|url=https://bidarzani.com/29300|title=اضطراب، بیگانگی و کنترل/ نوشته: سالومه ام سی|date=24 June 2019|accessdate=29 August 2020}}</ref> A regular collaborator with artists from around the world, her 2020 release "Home" featuring Tunisian rapper Medusa TN debuted on KEXP Radio.<ref name="kexp.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.kexp.org/shows/WoPop|title=Wo'pop with Darek Mezzone|date=8 September 2020|accessdate=15 September 2020|archive-date=1 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001204247/https://www.kexp.org/shows/WoPop/|url-status=dead}}</ref>. Salome was featured in the 2024 Konceptualizer album as a co-producer of the song "Wasteland". <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKKcR-bfn50</ref>
Salome founded "Seven Climes", a grassroots art and heritage project that presents the cultural and linguistic diversity of the Iranian Hip-hop scene and aims to connect the regional communities through their common passion for creating social change through rap music.<ref name="The Tale of Seven Climes"/> The first result of the endeavor, "Seven Climes Vol. 1" was released in April 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sevenclimes.com/|title=SEVEN CLIMES VOL. 1|website=sevenclimes.org|accessdate=2021-05-04}}</ref>
She received the 2009 female change maker and 2018 Artist Trust Fellowship awards.<ref name="artisttrust.org"/>
===Writing=== In 2016, Salome MC wrote an article called "Another Face of Censorship" for Siamak Pourzand Foundation's website, in which she lamented the biased reporting of Western outlets about Middle Eastern women, White feminism and neocolonialism.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pourzandfoundation.org/another-face-of-censorship-by-salome-mc/ |title=Pourzand Foundation » "Another Face of Censorship" by Salome MC |access-date=2016-02-16 |archive-date=2016-02-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215062445/http://pourzandfoundation.org/another-face-of-censorship-by-salome-mc/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> She interviewed A1one, also known as Karen Reshad, the pioneer of street art in the Middle East for Kolah Studio website in May 2018. Another essay of hers named "Anxiety, Alienation and Control", in which she details her postpartum anxiety experience was published on, Bidarzani, an Iranian feminist website, in June 2019.<ref name="bidarzani.com"/> A long personal Essay titled Reclaiming the Village Clown by Salome was published on the website of Museum of Human Achievement in 2025, as a part of a residency project.<ref>https://moha.wiki/CATS%2BCIAL_Experiment:_Reclaiming_the_Village_Clown</ref>
===Sound and video art=== Salome MC started working as a sound and video art while getting her master's degree in audio/visual arts in Japan. Her work has been screened and exhibited at various festivals around the world, including Swatch's "Faces" exhibit at the 2015 Venice Biennale with her music video "Vacuum," which features Don Porcella.<ref name="auto"/> Her video art piece ''Concealment'' was one of the selected shorts to be screened at the Iranian Film Festival in Los Angeles, and her experimental documentary ''Three Rituals of Perdurance'' was among the chosen shorts at the Currents New Media Festival 2015 in Santa Fe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://currentsnewmedia.org/work/three-rituals-of-perdurance/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213134007/https://issuu.com/parallelstudios/docs/currents_2015_final4?e=9161260%2F13413787%3Fmode|url-status=dead|title=Three Rituals of Perdurance|archivedate=13 February 2017|accessdate=29 August 2020}}</ref>
===Other activities=== Salome is also known as the first female graffiti artist in Iran. However, she stopped writing graffiti in the early 2000s. She focused on her music.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kolahstudio.com/?p=3330|title=گفتگوی سالومه با کارن رشاد «|website=Kolahstudio.com|accessdate=29 August 2020|archive-date=28 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028142345/https://www.kolahstudio.com/?p=3330|url-status=dead}}</ref> Salome organized art workshops for children who were affected by the 2011 tsunami in Japan,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.curiositymag.com/2018/09/21/salome-mc-female-rapper-iran/|title=In Conversation With Salome MC, Iran's First Female Rapper|first1=Rob|last1=Holl|website=Curiositymag.com|date=21 September 2018|accessdate=29 August 2020}}</ref> and started “Hip-Hop without Borders” as a music workshop for visually impaired youth of all ages in collaboration with WA department of Services for the Blind.<ref>https://moha.wiki/CATS%2BCIAL_Experiment:_Reclaiming_the_Village_Clown</ref> A year later, inspired by her own struggles as a new immigrant to the U.S, she expanded the workshop’s reach to include ESL students in partnership with Jack Straw Cultural Center, exploring themes of identity, home, and language through the power of hip-hop music. <ref>https://www.jackstraw.org/artist/salome-mc/</ref>
Salome has spoken and written against militarism<ref name="Codepink"/> and joined on the advisory board of Code Pink after moving to the U.S.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.codepink.org/codepink_advisory_board|title=CODEPINK Advisory Board|website=Codepink.org|accessdate=29 August 2020}}</ref>
==Discography== ===Albums=== * ''Seven Climes Vol. 2'' (2023) * ''Seven Climes Vol. 1'' (2021) * ''Excerpts From Unhappy Consciousness'' (2017) * ''I Officially Exist'' (2013) * ''Paranoid Descent'' (Mixtape) (2009) * ''Delirium'' Featuring Shirali (2006)
===Films=== * ''Passenger'' - Music Documentary (2015) * ''Three Rituals of Perdurance'' - Experimental Documentary (2014)
===Select Art Shows/Screenings=== * ''Reclaiming the Village Clown'' - Museum of Human Achievement (2025) * ''Only Partially Here'' - Shoreline City Art Cottage (2023) * ''From Silence to Exaltation'' - Activa Fest, Spain (2017) * ''Seismographic Sounds - Visions of a New World'' - Touring exhibit (Aug 2015 - Feb 2017) * ''Faces'' - 56th Venice Biennale (2015)
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.salomemc.com/ Official Website]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salome Mc}} Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:Iranian women rappers Category:Iranian hip-hop musicians Category:21st-century Iranian women singers Category:Women video artists Category:Women record producers Category:Iranian women activists Category:Women graffiti artists