VOA标准英语2012--Iranian-American Rapper Shatters Stereotypes

 

Iranian-American Rapper Shatters Stereotypes²

Azad Right is not a traditional rapper. At 24 years old, he has a political science degree and is Iranian-American.

“Being on stage is the best part about this," he says, "being able to see these kids and these people’s reactions to your music, the stuff you spent a year making and you see people [say] 'This is really really good, I can relate to this.' That’s what makes me tingle³."

The performer's real name is Azad Naficy and he's the son of the famous Iranian poet and political exile, Majid Naficy. Right grew up watching people listen to his father's poetry readings around the world, something that had a big influence on him.

“Being able to see the reaction people gave him," he says, "that’s one of the reasons I always want to go on stage and express my feelings.”

But, as an Iranian-American, expressing himself through rap has its challenges.

"I've seen a lot of comments on the YouTube videos and on the blogposts like 'Yo, this kid, when I first saw him, his image on the site, I didn't expect him to rap.'"

In the U.S., hip-hop and rap are mostly dominated by African-Americans and Latinos. Right is trying to break that stereotype¹.

“I don’t think there should be any culture, any heritage, that doesn’t have a representative in that industry,” he says.

Two of the people helping⁴ Right overcome those cultural boundaries are former classmates who are now his producers.

“I don’t think the world has ever seen anything like us," says producer Jonathan Marquez, who is of Puerto Rican and Guatamalan descent.

Co-producer Omid Adami, also an Iranian-American, says the team's mixed ethnicities are already breaking barriers.

“This generation is much more accepting of people like us," Adami says. "I feel like once our music does reach the masses, it’ll be much more appreciated. We’ll definitely pave the way for a lot of people like us who didn’t really think it was possible.”

For Right, his name symbolizes⁵ what's possible. The name "Azad" means freedom in Farsi.

“It’s something my parents didn’t have,” he says.

Freeing the music industry of cultural bias⁶ is one of those things he believes is possible.

Thought also went into how he came up with the rapper name "Right."

“I always liked to write," he says. "I didn’t like the way w-r-i-t-e looked. One day we were just sitting and just switched it to r-i-g-h-t. 'Your music is positive; it looks better.'”

His dream is to succeed at what he loves - writing and performing his words on stage. 

1 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。

2 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 tingle   

vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动

参考例句：

• The music made my blood tingle.那音乐使我热血沸腾。
• The cold caused a tingle in my fingers.严寒使我的手指有刺痛感。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 symbolizes   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The use of light and dark symbolizes good and evil. 用光明与黑暗来象征善与恶。
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace. 她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。