Murda in the music video for his song “Eh Baba”.
Photo: Youtube, Murda / YouTube. All rights reserved.
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Dutch-Turkish rapper Murda has been sentenced to four years and two months in prison in Turkey. According to the Istanbul court, the 38-year-old rapper glorified drug use in his music.
In particular, his song “Eh Baba”, released in 2020, was not well received by the jury, who said the song downplayed the use of cannabis. The song translates as: “I built myself a joint and lit it / Man, he grabbed me”. Otherwise, however, the song is not about drug use, but rather about fast cars, luxury clothes and women.
The successful musician’s lawyer announced that he would appeal the verdict. Murda will not start his detention anyway – he is currently in the Netherlands. On Instagram he called the verdict “very sad”. In recent years, under the Islamic conservative government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish authorities have increasingly cracked down on artists.
Murda: One of the most popular rappers in Turkey
Born in the Netherlands with Turkish roots, he is one of the most successful musicians in Turkey. The music video for the song “Eh Baba” criticized by the court has over 100 million views. He achieved greater fame in 2014 with the hit “That Doen We Niet Meer“. Then in 2020 he released a collaboration album with Turkish rapper Ehzel called “Made in Turkey”, which has had over 500 million streams to date. But Murda also tried his hand at music outside of music. In 2010 he played the leading role in the Dutch film “Gangsterboys”, later he was a juror on “The Voice of Turkey: Rap”.
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