Nuthin’ But A G Thang

The Turkmen government owns channels one through five. The channels rotate through Turkmen news, pictures of factories, dancers, and music videos (Any one who has spent a morning with me lounging knows I LOVE music videos but not these. They are boooooring). The “five channels” show the traditional culture of Turkmenistan. What is really interesting is the pop culture that is stirring beneath the surface. What is beneath the surface? Rap youth explosion. Youth rapping famous raps, rapping their own raps, and recording raps. Break dancers, tectonic dancers, melodist, producers. The work they produce is still raw impersonations of other people’s creations but it’s a beginning with the possibility of being something wonderful. 

            I didn’t realize that a rap culture existed here until recently. My friend Moral called up one afternoon and asked if I was busy on Friday. Being that I had no plans she invited me to come over and record a rap for Women’s day. I was thinking that we were going to be sitting around her living room raping into a phone or recorder. Boy was I wrong. As soon as I got to Moral’s apartment, Moral, Sofia, Niseba, and I hopped on a bus and drove across town. We got off the bus and headed into an old high rise apartment building 13 stories tall. I trust them so I was not really thinking as a followed them into the apartment of a Russian teenager. Inside he had a make shift recording station. Everyone had there own part of the rap to record which was “technoized”. We weren’t the only ones recording that day. Over the three hours we where at the “studio” people came in and out, all working on their own stuff.

            My second encounter with Turkmen rap was far more enjoyable because a) I didn’t have to rap and b) I didn’t have to rap. The same group of teens I meet at the Russian’s apartment had organized a showcase at the local cultural center. The group took turns raping and singing. The house was not packed, most of the time the performer was drowned out by the music, and random people walked randomly across stage but it was incredible. They had stage presence, charisma, and heart. You could tell that they really loved performing.  

            If you ever come to Turkmenistan you most likely will never encounter the experiences I have described here. It is not shown on the television or visible as you walk the streets but its here and for many Turkmen teens it is the only way accessible for them to express their individuality among the monotony of Turkmenistan. So to rap it all up…

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