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Undated picture of late Kurdish rapper Giwar Hajabi, also known as Xatar (right) with his mother Ghazal Paksarasht (left). Photo: Submitted
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The late Kurdish rapper Giwar Hajabi (Xatar) left behind dozens of unreleased tracks, according to his mother who spoke with Rudaw’s Diaspora program that aired on Friday.
Giwar Hajabi, known as Xatar, died suddenly on May 9.
His mother, Ghazal Paksarasht, reflected on his early years, describing him as driven by a desire to help others and deeply connected to the Kurdish cause.
“As a child he would draw pictures of the sky and say when I grow up I'll either become a rapper or an astronomer,” she said.
Paksarasht said they plan to release 60 of her son’s previously unreleased songs.
She recalled how her son became curious about his identity from a young age.
“We always watch football games - Spain or Italy, I don't know. He said ‘Why aren't we there? Why don't we have the Kurdistan flag?’”
Paksarasht, who was imprisoned in Iran in the 1980s, said their home was often visited by Peshmerga fighters and Kurdish political figures. Her brother was also killed in the struggle for Kurdish rights, which she said shaped Xatar’s political awareness.
His music rarely objectified women - something she said she addressed directly early in his career.
“Actually, from the beginning he made a song and brought some women and girls. I said ‘Zhiwo dear, we have struggled for women's rights, also for the oppressed Kurdish woman and we always wanted women to be respected. How are you doing this now?’ From then on he stopped and never mentioned it in his songs and raps and respected women,” Paksarasht said.
She added that he often helped those in need and was known for supporting female artists in Germany. She recalled one musician in particular who her son helped.
“She was working in a bad place. Giwar came and told her ‘You know what, I'll make you a famous and great singer, but you have to quit that job’ - meaning prostitution work. She agreed and quit that job and became a singer with her own income and became famous,” Paksarasht recalled.
Xatar was a father of two children aged six and three. “He always had his son in his arms. Same thing with his daughter. He cared a lot about his children,” his mother said.
Born December 24, 1981, in Sanandaj, western Iran (Rojhelat), Xatar was the son of Kurdish parents who later sought asylum in Germany. He began taking piano lessons as a child and, despite the challenges of growing up as an asylum seeker, went on to find success as a rapper and producer.
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