Iranian rapper Tataloo once supported a hard-line presidential candidate. Now he faces execution

The tattoos covering Iranian rapper Tataloo’s face stand out against the gray prison uniform the 37-year-old now wears as he awaits execution, his own rise and fall tracing the chaos of the last decade of Iranian politics

The tattoos covering Iranian rapper Tataloo’s face stand out against the gray prison uniform the 37-year-old now wears as he awaits execution, his own rise and fall tracing the chaos of the last decade of Iranian politics.

Tataloo, whose full name is Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, faces a death sentence after being convicted on charges of “insulting Islamic sanctities.” It’s a far cry from when he once supported a hard-line Iranian presidential candidate.

Tataloo’s music became popular among the Islamic Republic’s youth, as it challenged Iran’s theocracy at a time when opposition to the country’s government was splintered and largely leaderless.

The rapper’s lyrics became increasingly political after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini and the subsequent wave of nationwide protests. He also appeared in music videos which criticized the authorities.

“When you show your face in a music video, you are saying, ‘Hey, I’m here, and I don’t care about your restrictions,’” said Ali Hamedani, a former BBC journalist who interviewed the rapper in 2005. “That was brave.”