Origin Baku, Azerbaijan Years active 2007 – 2012 | Genres Hip Hop, Political Rap | |
Past members Qaraqan
Promete
AiD
Feck
ErranT
Felon De Jure
Dervish
Jamal Ali
az-ya (Royal Pashayev) | ||
H.O.S.T. was an influential Azerbaijani hip hop group, based in Baku.
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The group's name derives from abbreviature letters of classical elements in Azerbaijani language, which means hava (air), od (fire), su (water) and torpaq (earth).
The group was active for five years and released seven studio albums. The group disbanded in 2012, after each member went down his own path, though some have briefly worked together.
One of the founders of group and producer Royal Pashayev also known as az-ya is an art director, journalist with bachelor's degree. He known for his idealogical side of H.O.S.T group, one of the main thinker, creator of all visual identity.
Political situation and arrests
H.O.S.T were being intimidated by national security service of Azerbaijan Republic. Agents in the Azeri exclave of Nakhichevan and Baku. Fifteen youth were detained for eight hours by National Security Ministry operatives and instructed not to listen to the band’s music which they reportedly claimed was “subversive.”
The band too has not been spared from unwanted attention from the authorities. Although it released its first album in 2007, H.O.S.T has not been able to sell it openly in Azerbaijan. Instead, the music has been distributed freely from person to person. H.O.S.T too has also been detained and warned not to write any more “anti-State” songs while the police are known to demand fans they encounter delete the band's music off their mobile phones.