Iranian rapper Tataloo once supported a tough presidential candidate. Now he is facing execution
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (AP) – The tattoo covering the face of Iranian rapper Tataloo stands out in the 37-year-old grey prison uniform, the 37-year-old who is waiting for execution, his own rise, falls, traces the chaos of the last decade of Iranian politics.
Tataloo's full name is Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, who was convicted of “insulting Islamic sanctions” and faces death penalty. It's a far cry from his once support for a tough Iranian presidential candidate.
Tataloo's music is popular among the youth of the Islamic Republic because it challenged Iran's theocratic politics when it opposed the opposition from the country's government.
The lyrics of the rapper are becoming increasingly politicized, following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 and the subsequent wave of national protests. He also appeared in music videos criticizing the authorities.
“When you show your face in a music video, you’re saying, ‘Hey, I’m here, I don’t care about your restrictions,” said Ali Hamedani, a former BBC reporter who interviewed the rapper in 2005.
The Iranian Supreme Court upheld his death penalty last month.
“This ruling is now confirmed and ready to be enforced,” Justice spokesman Asghar Jahangir told reporters at a press conference last month.
The activists reportedly condemned his imminent execution and expressed concern about his safety after he tried to commit suicide in prison.
From music videos about warships to exile
Tataloo started his music career in 2003, part of Iranian music underground music that combines Western-style rap, rhythm and blue and rock with Porsey lyrics. His first album was released in 2011 with a polarized audience, although he never performed publicly in Iran, and his Ministry of Culture and Islamic Directing controls all concerts.
Tataloo appeared in a music video supporting Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps and Tehran's nuclear program in 2015, and the West has long targeted the Islamic Republic, which could enable the Islamic Republic to develop atomic bombs. Although he never discussed the motivation behind this, it seems that the rapper hopes to win favor with theocratic politics, or perhaps a travel ban on him.
In the video of “Energy Hasteei” or “Nuclear Energy”, Tataloo sang an electric ballad in front of the rifle-wielding guards, and later boarded the Iranian frigate Damavand in the Caspian Sea. The ship later sank in a 2018 storm.
“This is our absolute right: to have an armed Persian Gulf,” Tatalu sang.
Tataloo even endorsed hardline Ebrahim Raisi in 2017. That year, the two were part of Raisi's presidential election against the relatively modest Hassan Rouhani. Raisi later won the presidency in 2021 but was killed in a 2024 helicopter crash.
Famous in Turkey, Iranian prison
In 2018, Tataloo faced legal problems in Iran – was allowed to leave the country for Türkiye, where many Persian singers and performers held generous concerts.
Tataloo held live video conferences when he became famous on social media, where he was known for tattoos covering his face and body. These include the flag of Iran, which is the image of his mother, adjacent to the key and heart.
Instagram disabled his account in 2020 after calling on minor girls to join his “team” for sex. He also admitted to drug use.
“Although a controversial rapper, the fan base in Iran is known as 'tatalities',” said Holly Dagres, a senior researcher at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “For years, they have provided him with a message of solidarity and even declared his release for the rapper to be detained on separate charges.”
Tataloo's rebellious music resonates with young people who have deprived of their selections when trying to find a job, get married and start an adult life in Iran. He also increasingly challenged Iran's theocratic politics in the lyrics, especially after Amini was arrested for suspected no hijab after her death.
His collaboration “Enghelab Solh” (Farsi's “Peaceful Revolution”) convened the name of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“We don't want tear gas because everyone has tears in their eyes,” he said.
But the music stopped Tataloo in late 2023.
Death penalty solicitation
The criminal court in Tehran initially sentenced to five years in prison for blasphemy. The Supreme Court of Iran rescinded the ruling and sent its case to another court, which sentenced him to death in January. The rapper has faced a decade in prison for a series of independent beliefs, including promoting prostitution and moral corruption.
“Tataloo has serious risk of execution,” Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, head of Iran’s human rights advocacy group, said in a statement. “The international community, artists and the public must take action to prevent his execution.”
Tataloo earlier expressed remorse during the trial.
“I must have made mistakes, and many of my actions were wrong,” he said. “I apologize for the mistakes I made.”
His uncle said Tatalo got married on death row. Last month, Tataloo was reportedly attempting suicide but survived.
Abbas Milani, an Iranian expert at Stanford University, said his death penalty was politically a political moment for Iran.
He said the Islamic Republic is “trying to see if it can reach a deal with the United States through its nuclear program and lift sanctions.” He added that the anger that attracts Tataloo fans is “a headache they don't need.”
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Editor's Note – This story includes discussions about suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, you can get the suicide and crisis lifeline in the United States by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat on 988lifeline.org.
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The Associated Press's Jon Gambrell in Vienna and Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran contributed to the report.
