Turkish Stars and “88 Bars” (video)

An all-star line up of Turkish rappers delivers an old-school hip-hop throwback with “88 Bars”, a mid-tempo shuffle that features the talents of Rahdan, Ados, Adil and others. Recalling the days when ghettoblasters ruled and the iPOD could only have been the designs of science-fiction, “88 Bars” gives us a generous sampling of Turkey’s top MCs and features some nifty DJ cuts courtesy of Güney Uğurlu. Rahdan Vandal, whose normally meditative approach to rapping has produced some of the most haunted hip-hop to come out of Turkey, toughens up on his cameo for some terse verbal exchanges. The lone female in the bunch, Derya, is a particular standout; her cool-to-the-touch delivery brings to mind the streetwise sass of Neneh Cherry.