When you hear "Unarmed Forces," don't picture the hippies of yesteryear, spreading across meadows and fields singing peace songs. And don't immediately dismiss them as "anarchists." Think about it. You won't earn your weight in gold, but something will happen.
I went to interview Silahsız Kuvvet, thinking of them as one of the rap groups slowly emerging from the underground. But only one person showed up. “Where are the others?” I asked. “They’re all me,” he replied. “I’m a group. The group is me!” If I weren’t ashamed, I’d call him the Che Guevara of the modern world, but I won’t; you, dear readers, can decide what he is and how he came to be. Details and clues are hidden below.

Of course, the first question is: why Unarmed Forces?
Actually, this is a policy. Every rapper should have their words as their weapon. Rap music is protest music. It's like saying "unarmed force" instead of "armed force." It's a somewhat radical name. The album title is "My Words Are My Weapon." There's nothing else to it. I want to be an unarmed force.
Is there any anti-militarism involved?
At first glance, the name might seem like something against the state, but it's actually against injustices, distorted urban planning, and the deception of people. All of these were major factors in the creation of the name. Of course, it was also designed to reach a wider audience with rap music.
Are you unhappy that people persistently confuse rap and hip hop?
Hip hop is the name of a rhythmic culture. It includes DJing, MCing, graffiti, breakdance, and respect. Rap is one of its subgenres; a hard-hitting, completely critical, and protest-oriented genre of music.
These songs came from the ghettos. Can we say that our ghetto music is arabesque?
I always say this: hip hop that emerged from American ghettos is like arabesque music that emerged from Turkish ghettos. In very old rap songs, they talked about children sleeping next to broken glasses, just like in arabesque music, where they say, "Let this world go to hell, what are we doing here?" You can make that kind of comparison. The origin of arabesque music is entirely Eastern culture. In Arabia, too, people live in squalor in ghettos.
Could rap or hip-hop one day replace arabesque music?
They can. We already use arabesque music in the background. We're talking about the same things, and people like the motifs in arabesque. Hip hop is already a synthesis of music. I'm absolutely against people making their own music in hip hop. Up until now, all the groups have created their music by sampling from others.
Who are you sampling from?
Generally, I admire certain artists. For example, Orhan Gencebay… I greatly admire his music and knowledge of musical notation. Besides him, Secret Garden, James Brown, Public Enemy… As for Turkish motifs, I mostly use folk songs. Silahsız Kuvvet (Unarmed Force) is a rap version of folk songs. I prepared my first album from folk songs. We took the same songs and added hip-hop and rapping to them.
How long have you been involved in music?
Since '82. I started playing in clubs in '85. Now club culture has turned into drugs and women. They say hip-hop artists love drugs, but there's something called Zulu Nation, for example. There are no drugs or alcohol there. Anyway, when my father bought a computer in '97, it somehow became my studio.
Is the reason for choosing Hammer music to remain underground?
I never considered working with big companies. They're always so focused on appearances. They'd say things like, "Come on, let's operate on your nose, put on these glasses," and so on. I'm against that kind of sculptural, artist-like approach. Hammer Music accepts people directly, just as they are.
What is your opinion on the rap music made by Turks in Germany?
In my opinion, there's no Turkish rap in Germany. They're trying to promote nationalism. My family has lived there for 30 years, and they've never been harassed by skinheads. And they live in the area that Cartel and others mention in their songs. Of course, they'd get angry if a Turk spat on the ground and wiped their nose. Cartel says Germans are oppressing them, but in their music video, Erci E is driving a Mercedes. That's not hell. I don't even have a bicycle, so this place must be hell. They need to represent rap properly. Just like rock has a philosophy, rap also has a philosophy.
Tell me a little about the words too.
It's very realistic. For example; "I'm stuck where I am / you've bowed down to your false kings / to live hell in your paradise / what a terrible fate, bad destiny has struck you with a stake / you're like snow melting away lost in your thoughts / come on, lift your head and look at them a little / you'll see your greatness will never show them mercy."
Who are "they" you're referring to?
The state. Everything stems from there, anyway. If it provides good opportunities for its people, everyone will make good music. Pop music. There's nothing positive around here. Turn on the news, you'll see. In fact, one of my sayings is that even watching the news is forbidden for us now. I say, "My wound bleeds when I look at the newspapers."
Who are the Unarmed Forces?
* Of course, he has a name. But since the rap and hip hop community generally uses nicknames, his name is irrelevant. His nickname is; Mic Check.
* She studies Persian Language and Literature at Istanbul University. She is 25 years old.
* He wants more children to listen to the music he makes. He believes they will spread this culture.
* He helps people who want to make rap music. He creates demos for them in his home studio. He asks those who need help to get in touch with him.
* He thinks that rap music made in America has become corrupted lately. He especially dislikes it because it glorifies drugs. He tells young people, "Don't listen to them." But apparently, they can listen to Eminem. There's nothing wrong with that.