Meykhana

{{Short description|Azerbaijani literary and folk rap tradition}}

Meykhana ({{Langx|az|Meyxana}}) is a distinctive Azerbaijani literary and folk rap tradition, consisting of an unaccompanied song performed by one or more people improvising on a particular subject.{{cite book |title=Encyclopaedia of the Muslim World |last=Bahl |first=Taru |author2=Syed, M. H. |publisher=Anmol Publications PVT |isbn= 9788126114191 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MJTdr3JI46wC&pg=PA25 |page=25 |year=2003 }}[http://azeri.ru/papers/news-azerbaijan/25849/ Мейхана - это не «хулиганский жанр», а часть азербайджанского фольклора - режиссер Абдуль Махмудов] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014173823/http://azeri.ru/papers/news-azerbaijan/25849/ |date=2013-10-14 }} {{in lang|ru}} Meykhana is distinct from spoken word poetry in that it is performed in time to a beat.

Meykhana is often compared to hip hop music, also known as national rap among Azerbaijani residents, as it also includes performers that is spoken lyrically, in rhyme and verse, generally to an instrumental or synthesized beat.{{cite web|last=Aghayev|first=Shamil|title=МЕЙХАНА - ОНА И В ИЗРАИЛЕ МЕЙХАНА|url=http://gorskie.ru/kultura/trad10.htm|publisher=gorskie.ru|access-date=23 December 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100830232934/http://gorskie.ru/kultura/trad10.htm|archive-date=30 August 2010}} Performers also incorporate synthesizers, drum machines, and live bands. Meykhana masters may write, memorize, or improvise their lyrics and perform their works a cappella or to a beat.{{cite book|last=Kajar|first=Chingiz|title=Старый Баку|year=2007}}

Etymology

The name of this genre comes from the traditional Persian meykhane (tavern, pub), which itself originated from the Persian word mey (wine) and khane (house).{{cite book |title=Meykhana - The poetics of time and space |last=Zakaria |first=Zuzu |year=2012 |publisher= University of Oslo, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, Faculty of Humanities |url=https://www.duo.uio.no/handle/10852/34226 |page=4}} The professional performers of meykhana are known as the Söz Ustadı (Word Masters) in Azerbaijani, also called as the meykhana masters.{{cite web|last=Sariyeva|first=Irada|title=Yerin görünür, ay Nizami Rəmzi...|url=http://www.baki-xeber.com/new/2009/09/03/get=32925|access-date=23 December 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707205841/http://www.baki-xeber.com/new/2009/09/03/get=32925|archive-date=7 July 2011}}

History

=Soviet pressure (1940–1991)=

File:Aliaga Vahid.jpg widely known as popularising meykhana during Soviet period]]

Meykhana was performed among the youth of Baku settlements in the pre-Revolutionary time. Although during the Soviet period meykhana was banned, the poetry of Aliagha Vahid was often rhymed as a contemporary meykhana.{{cite book|last1=Nitzsche|first1=Sina A.|title=Hip-Hop in Europe|date=2013|publisher=LIT Verlag Münster|pages=470}}{{Cite web |url=http://meyxana.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=172&Itemid=56 |title=Meyxananin tarixi {{in lang{{!}}az}} |access-date=2009-04-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723210346/http://meyxana.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=172&Itemid=56 |archive-date=2011-07-23 |url-status=dead }}[http://www.baki-xeber.com/new/2009/06/22/get=29330 "Meyxana", ya "bədihə" sözü aləmi bir-birinə qatıb ] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707205524/http://www.baki-xeber.com/new/2009/06/22/get%3D29330 |date=2011-07-07 }} {{in lang|az}}[http://az.trend.az/news/culture/1138727.html Bədahətən deyilməyən meyxananı qəbul etmirik – meyxana ustaları] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812030941/http://az.trend.az/news/culture/1138727.html |date=2011-08-12 }} {{in lang|az}} This could be related to the meykhana's popularity among the residents of Baku and Absheron regions.{{cite web|title=Azerbaijan music|url=http://www.azembassy.bg/lang-en/about-azerbaijan/culture/azerbaijan-music.html|publisher=Azerbaijan Embassy in Bulgaria|access-date=23 December 2010}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

=Popular acceptance (1991–2001)=

After Soviet Union's downfall, meykhana found mainstream acceptance in Azerbaijan, though many fundamentalists still protested the genre, saying that it was still too liberal and in contrast to traditional national values. They claimed the musical genre still promoted sexuality, alcohol, drugs and Western consumer culture, but critics of the fundamentalist viewpoint stated that fundamentalists and meykhana musicians were ultimately seeking converts from the same population, the youth, who often had to choose where they belonged between the two cultures.[http://azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/43_folder/43_articles/43_meykhana.html Azerbaijan's Own Ancient Version of Rap Reappears]{{cite web|title=Мейхана – полная хана|url=http://day.az/news/showbiz/48398.html|publisher=Day.az|access-date=23 December 2010}}

New performers emerged in this era with their distinctive takes on meykhana: Aghasalim Childagh, Kabir Azeri, Aghamirza Mammadov, Aghakarim Novruzov, Elchin Mashtagaly and Mashadibaba Aydamirov started the meykhana wave, combining Azerbaijani national music-influenced meykhana music with electronic music. Nizami Ramzi was first meykhana master to be ever performed in national television and in popular movies.{{cite web|title=Nizami Rəmzi|url=http://www.adam.az/az.php?subaction=showfull&id=1239856220&archive=&start_from=&ucat=21,54&category=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706131413/http://www.adam.az/az.php?subaction=showfull&id=1239856220&archive=&start_from=&ucat=21,54&category=|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 July 2011|publisher=adam.az|access-date=23 December 2010}}

=Contemporary mainstream meykhana (2001–present)=

As the 90s progressed, meykhana's sound became more standardized as newer performers drew inspiration for the same collective set of influences that included Aydin Khirdalanli, Rashad Daghly, Elshan Khazar, Vahid Gadim, Mahir Ju'rat, Oktay, Vugar Mashtagaly and Namig Mana. Namig Garachukhurlu, in particular, with its romantic dissonance and duos with Azerbaijani pop singers like Aygun Kazimova, created the sonic template for a new movement, which became known as popular music-meykhana songs.{{cite web|last=Jabbaroglu|first=Javid|title=Əməkdar meyxanaçı|url=http://www.bizimyol.az/?mod=news&act=view&nid=22589|access-date=23 December 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706130913/http://www.bizimyol.az/?mod=news&act=view&nid=22589|archive-date=6 July 2011}} However, this produced division among meykhana performers. The fundamentalist meykhana performers decided to keep the classical style which they have used through last decades, while the new wave of meykhana performers decided to combine meykhana with different musical genres.{{cite web|last=Sariyeva |first=Irada |title="Meyxana", ya "bədihə" sözü aləmi bir-birinə qatıb |url=http://www.baki-xeber.com/new/2009/06/22/get=29330 |access-date=23 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707205524/http://www.baki-xeber.com/new/2009/06/22/get%3D29330 |archive-date=7 July 2011 }}{{cite web|last=Imamaliyeva|first=Turkan|title=Нельзя позорить мейхану дуэтами с эстрадными певцами - мейханачы Агамирза|url=http://www.trend.az/print/1137685.html|publisher=trend.az|access-date=23 December 2010}}

With the increased popularity of meykhana in the 1990s and the 2000s, television channels started broadcasting and creating meykhana tournaments. The television programs such as De, Gəlsin! (Say, Come On!) in ANS TV led meykhana to popularize even more among local residents and demand for meykhana increased significantly in Azerbaijani weddings.{{cite web|last=Yenisey|first=Aqshin|title=Milli nikah mərasimi, yoxsa "Toy bezpravil"?|url=http://www.milli.az/news/society/25459.html|access-date=23 December 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101114064636/http://www.milli.az/news/society/25459.html|archive-date=14 November 2010}}{{cite web|last=Vuqarli|first=Vuqar|title=Конкурс мейханы стал яблоком раздора между ANS и АТV?|url=http://day.az/news/showbiz/126621.html|access-date=23 December 2010}}

Derivatives and offshoots

The most known type of meykhana is verbal exchange (deyişmə), where some phrase or sentence forms a rhyme with the following couplets.[http://az.trend.az/news/culture/933041.html Xəsis dövlətliləri görən gözüm yoxdur – Namiq Məna] {{in lang|az}}

Censorship of meykhana

Throughout the course of meykhana music's development and commercialization in Azerbaijan, there have been many attempts to stifle the art form.[http://www.day.az/news/showbiz/48398.html Мейхана – полная хана] {{in lang|ru}}{{cite web|last=Sariyeva|first=Irada|title=Meyxana ümummilli, ya məhəlli janrdır?|url=http://www.baki-xeber.com/new/2009/07/30/get=31233|access-date=23 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100909093757/http://www.baki-xeber.com/new/2009/07/30/get=31233|archive-date=9 September 2010|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} From lyrical content to the album cover images, meykhana has been a controversial music. Religious identity and transnationalism function to define the complexities of Azerbaijani identity in world. This complex identity is expressed through meykhana and is often contested and censored in many cultural contexts.[http://www.azadliq.org/content/article/1883974.html Meyxananın zövq prezumpsiyası] {{in lang|az}}[http://day.az/news/culture/150051.html Азербайджанский писатель Акрам Айлисли: «Мейхана в роли поэзии – это уже катастрофа» ] {{in lang|ru}}

Meykhana started to circulate on a larger mainstream scale, via cassette tape sales, TV exposure, and radio play, adding to the national economy. However, as the music mainstreamed, its audio and visual content became more tamed by the government in hopes to reach a larger audience. In essence, the government attempted to "clean up" meykhana's content and image to adhere to the religious beliefs instilled in Azerbaijani culture.[http://www.sherg.az/2009/04/04/get=16109 Meyxana fars, yoxsa türk folklorudur?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706131244/http://www.sherg.az/2009/04/04/get=16109 |date=2011-07-06 }} {{in lang|az}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20110707205131/http://www.baki-xeber.com/new/2009/10/21/get=34993 Televiziyalardan meyxana proqramları yığışdırılır] {{in lang|az}}

Delivery

To successfully deliver a meykhana, a meykhana master must also develop vocal presence, enunciation, and breath control. Vocal presence is the distinctiveness of a meykhana master's voice on record. Enunciation is essential to a flowing meykhana couplets; some meykhana masters choose also to exaggerate it for comic and artistic effect. Breath control, taking in air without interrupting one's delivery, is an important skill for a meykhana performer to master.{{cn|date=February 2024}}

Meykhana couplets are always delivered with melody. The ability to compose quickly, meaningful and clearly meykhana couplets is regarded as an important sign of skill.{{cite web|title=Meyxana fars, yoxsa türk folklorudur?|url=http://www.sherg.az/2009/04/04/get=16109|publisher=sherg.az|access-date=23 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706131244/http://www.sherg.az/2009/04/04/get=16109|archive-date=6 July 2011|url-status=dead}}

Social impact

The nationwide popularity of meykhana music meant that it became a major influence on culture, fashion and social attitudes. Different subgenres of meykhana were adopted by, and became central to, the identity of a large number of sub-cultures. These reforms also laid the foundation of the modern Azerbaijani hip hop, who adopted meykhana style, respectively in the 1990s.[http://azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/91_folder/91_articles/91_dayirman.html Dayirman - Rap Music for a New Generation ] Since its early development meykhana has been associated with rebellion against social and political norms, most obviously in early meykhana music's rejection of a government dominated culture, the counter-culture's rejection of consumerism of all forms of social convention.[http://www.cacianalyst.org/?q=node/1923/print DAYIRMAN: COMBINING RAP, TRADITION, AND FRUSTRATION IN AZERBAIJAN]

On 30 May 2012, an anti-Putin Twitter message started trending worldwide after opposition activists posted a hashtag "Putin, who are you? Come on, get out of here" (#путинтыктотакойдавайдосвидания), inspired by a meykhana in the Astara region of Azerbaijan ("Ty kto takoy? Davay, do svidaniya!"). It became an internet meme and made worldwide trends.{{cite web|title=Video Inspires Anti-Putin Twitter Trend|url=http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/video-inspires-anti-putin-twitter-trend/459562.html|work=The Moscow Times|access-date=31 May 2012}}{{cite web|title="Путин, ты кто такой? Давай, до свидания": фраза стала мировым хитом Twitter|url=http://www.newsru.com/russia/30may2012/twitter.html|work=Newsru.com|access-date=31 May 2012|language=ru}}{{cite web|title=Посвященный Путину хэштег вышел на лидирующие позиции в рейтинге тегов Twitter|url=http://news.ng.ru/2012/05/30/1338368924.html|work=Newsng.ru|access-date=31 May 2012|language=ru|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711145242/http://news.ng.ru/2012/05/30/1338368924.html|archive-date=11 July 2012}}{{cite web|title=Фраза "Путин, ты кто такой? Давай, до свидания" стала мировым хитом Twitter|url=http://piter.tv/event/Fraza_Putin_ti_kto_tak/|work=Piter.tv|access-date=31 May 2012|language=ru}} In June 2012, Russian rapper Timati with other rappers made a diss track "Davaydosvidaniya" about Philipp Kirkorov after sampling from this song.{{cite web|script-title=ru:Тимати ответил всему шоу-бизнесу|url=http://www.dni.ru/showbiz/2012/6/13/235219.html|work=dni.ru|access-date=13 June 2012|language=ru}}{{cite web|script-title=ru:Тимати раскритиковал шоу-бизнес|url=http://www.internovosti.ru/text/?id=57703|work=internovosti.ru|access-date=13 June 2012|language=ru}}

Notable performers

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20190906043128/http://meyxana.net/ Meyxana.Net]
[http://dеgеlsin.com Dеgеlsin.Com]{{Dead link|date=April 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20060514032211/http://meyxana.iatp.az/meyxana/ Meyxana.iatp.az]

Category:Culture of Azerbaijan

Category:Azerbaijani inventions

Category:Music of Azerbaijan

Category:Azerbaijani styles of music

Category:Verse contests