With his 8-track album titled Bandrollü EP, which he released in recent weeks
We had a very sincere and enjoyable interview with Zahriyan, who treats his listeners to a rap feast. In this interview, where we discussed his officially released EP album and his future projects, Zahriyan answered our questions about himself and many other topics with complete sincerity…

We would like to thank Zahriyan in particular, as well as Obedience and Haste, who accompanied us in the interview.
We thoroughly enjoyed and had fun during the interview. Now we are presenting this enjoyable interview exclusively to you, the members of Suikast.De. We hope that you will find the answers you hoped for to your questions and that you will enjoy reading it.
Enjoy your reading.

BeX: First of all, congratulations on your new album, Cenk. Did you receive the level of interest you expected from your listeners with this album?

Zahriyan: I received the level of interest I expected from the album. In fact, on the very first day I released the album online, my website, zahriyan.net, exceeded its daily traffic limit of over 18,000 people and crashed, becoming unusable for a while. I want to thank everyone for this overwhelming interest.

BeX: There must be a reason why the album is called "Bandrolled EP," can you explain it?

Zahriyan: There are so many rappers and albums out there that don't even reach the level of underground music. Everyone is chasing the fantasy of being a rap star. After finishing this album, Beatmachine and I thought, "Let this be the officially licensed version of underground music," and decided to name it Bandrollü EP (Officially Licensed EP). This might seem arrogant to some. We strongly suggest they compare our work and other works to someone who knows music well 🙂…Joking aside, we stand behind the overall quality of the album. We hope listeners have noticed that too.

BeX: Can you share an interesting or funny story that comes to mind from the making of this album? As far as you remember :)

Zahriyan: Actually, this album was a lot of fun during both the recording and production phases. We were constantly laughing, so it would take too long to describe each one. For example, skits that listeners only hear for 10 seconds were recorded for about 3-4 hours because we couldn't even read them properly due to laughter :)

Obedience: One day I went into the studio. Makina had already made the beat for "thanx 4 add in," and Ceky was writing the lyrics. Suddenly, he said, "Hey buddy, let's do this track together." Makina came up with an idea, saying it should be a track against the idiots in the virtual world, and in an hour, this amazing track came out. After the skits that followed, we were laughing so hard our stomachs hurt until evening 🙂

BeX: So, Ceky, what is the purpose of the song "What's Your Answer?" on the album? Could listeners perceive it as a reference to someone?

Zahriyan: Yes, there are some people on certain platforms and websites who are personally targeting us. I responded to them with sharp language. After all, they all know our address. Let them send their responses or meeting points to my address 🙂

BeX: I know you very well and I'm asking this as someone who knows your lifestyle well. What would you like to say about people who call themselves gangsters in the industry and use words like "gangsta" and "nigga" in their songs?

Zahriyan: First of all, everyone needs to understand this very clearly! In Turkey, there is no such term as "black" or "gangsta," and there never can be. If I use the word "gangsta" in my songs, I only use it against those parasites who call themselves gangstas. I never said I was a gangsta, I'm not a gangsta, I'm a hooligan 😉

BeX: Cenk, going back to the album, is there a track that you consider your favorite, one that stands out from the others?

Zahriyan: I can't choose just one. But the one that I feel closest to my own personality is the school bus :)

BeX: The lyrics of the song "Don't Tell My Mother" are really moving. Is there a story behind this song?

Zahriyan: The story behind this song is very old; it's from a critical period in my life where I lived through many things and struggled. I poured some of the things I wrote in my heart into this song. I wrote the lyrics in 2005. I had prepared them for a different project. However, I abandoned that project and decided to use them in my own album, and since then I've been saving those lyrics for the most suitable beat, and I settled on this beat.

Palaş: Cenk abi already had the lyrics ready for this beat. I was very impressed when he sang it live to the beat. I tried to express the events I've seen and experienced around me in this song, accompanying Cenk abi. I hope listeners liked it.

BeX: Do you have any plans to shoot music videos for one or more tracks from the album in the future?

Zahriyan: We're currently in the process of moving our studio, so we have more important things to do than the music video, but we're planning to shoot a video for "School Bus" or "thanx 4 add" as soon as we get the chance.

BeX: Considering the quality of the underground scene, you're far above it with your officially licensed EP album, but why do you think audiences are always fixated on certain artists?

Zahriyan: What those people call the masses is something made up of young people aged 0-16 whose identities and personalities haven't yet fully formed, and there are people among them who love me very much, and I love them very much too because I was once that age myself. I felt what they felt, but I chose everyone from 7 to 70 as my target audience, not just them. Therefore, Zahriyan's works will always be very diverse.

BeX: Looking at the album, the production is extremely high quality. Beatmachine must have had an influence on you and your work. Would you like to say something about that?

Zahriyan: Serdar and I have been like brothers for 7 years, both in our work and in real life. The biggest factor in my name and the music I make reaching this level is definitely Beatmachine. Our bond isn't limited to music alone. That's why we're much more successful in the projects we do together. If Beatmachine couldn't produce these high-quality instrumentals, my passion wouldn't emerge, and we wouldn't have this level of quality work.

BeX: Besides İtaat, the album also features Telaş and Karaltı Mastral, whom you supported. Would you like to say something about them?

Zahriyan: Itaat is the only person I've worked with and enjoyed the most so far. His style and musical understanding align so well with what I envision, so we're creating great things together, and I believe he'll go far in the future.
The volcano has a different color; we're all dark-skinned, and it's yellow 😀 ...
Telaş is my stage partner. Although he's new to the SNKRN group, he's a very important brother to me because we share valuable things. Telaş is very talented, and we'll all see what kind of rapper he'll become in the future.
Karaltı…Ooooo =) I call him the youngest and most talented beatmaker in Türkiye. I also love his rap vocals. Just looking at Alihan, you understand that music is food for the soul =)

Zahriyan: We are a very good and strong team. We get along very well with each other, and everyone will see that soon.

BeX: What do you mean?

Zahriyan: Actually, I wasn't planning to reveal this at the beginning of the interview, but I'm revealing it now. The track called "4x4" on the album isn't actually a track from my album in any way. It's the introductory song for our next project. Makine, Karalı, İtaat, and I—four people in total—are preparing an EP consisting of four 4-minute songs. We'll be sharing it with listeners very soon. You're probably wondering about the fourth "4" here =) That's the number of corners you'll enjoy while listening to the album 😀
We're preparing a really fun album, it's almost ready.

BeX: So Cenk, are you considering a licensed album project in the future? But this time with the original license =)

Zahriyan: I'll be back with a licensed project very soon. I'm not someone who releases many albums online anyway. I'll continue to do underground work from time to time. People should know that a license is just a gateway. It doesn't change your artistic personality or quality. A license only increases the price, not the quality, and that's the result of your hard work.

BeX: So, can you tell us about the album's concept?

Zahriyan: As I said, the banderol only increases the price, and if people making Turkish rap want to raise their prices, they should do work that will make an impact on the market. Many people still cling to outdated ideas, acting as if they don't want to get out of their situation and think they're fooling everyone, but they're still the same. I'm not like those people. Just as I'm constantly developing and changing, music isn't standing still either; it's changing too. We have to keep up with that. In many parts of the world, rappers can make a living solely from this work. Why can't we?

Many of our listeners are everywhere shouting "Damn pop artists, die of pop artists" and wearing anti-pop t-shirts, but for some reason they don't want the artists they listen to to make money. It seems they want us to suffer.

And I no longer want to listen to people in Turkish rap who are constantly melancholic, always complaining about being oppressed or saying things like "I'll devour you all," and constantly swearing. Everything is beautiful in its place. In the licensed market, you have to act like a licensed artist, and in the underground market, you have to act like an underground artist. Because I do this as a truly professional job, and I know my listeners will understand me. But rest assured, Zahriyan will maintain the same quality as the licensed EP and only raise the bar.

BeX: What are your thoughts on the recent diss tracks and lawsuits, Ceky?

Zahriyan: In this case, the defendant Sansar Salvo is a close friend of mine, but the matter between these two is entirely personal. It doesn't concern me or the SNRKN members. Therefore, I have nothing to say about it. People shouldn't complicate things like this. These court cases are already upsetting enough. I hope Ekincan gets out of this situation soon.

BeX: If Zahriyan ever encounters a diss track, what would his reaction and attitude be?

Zahriyan: If the person who dissed me is, in my opinion, a useless individual, I'm not stupid enough to let that idiot profit from my name. If one day someone I take seriously disses me, then we'll see how things get chaotic 🙂

BeX: Cenk, if we move on to other topics, for example, there are things people definitely want to know about you. What would you like to say about these recent developments in our country?

Zahriyan: I'm just a musician and I'm not interested in politics. I'm simply trying to show more respect than necessary to our Atatürk, who entrusted this country to us, that's all.

Zahriyan: Alright, I'll take over the interview now... Tell me, Mr. Bex, when is your website's new design coming out? =)

BeX: Oh, why did you suddenly bring this up, Ceky? :) Almost there, very soon 😉

Zahriyan: Since I've taken over the interview, I'll finish it... I've been a huge follower and supporter of Assassination since its inception. This site and you all have made a huge contribution and provided great support in bringing Zahriyan to where he is today. Thank you very much to you and the SND family for this interview. I wish you continued success.

SNKRN Music will be opening in its new location very soon. All SDN members and Turkish Rap fans, please continue to follow us. My final words to the listeners: “As long as you are here, we will continue to be here. Respect and Love.”