Political controversy has never ceased to surround the artistic career of Iranian rapper Amir Hossein Maghsoudlou, known by his fans as Amir Tataloo. On March 24, the 35-year-old rapper created a fresh backlash of furious reactions during his latest performance at a Tbilisi concert attended by hundreds of Iranians. Tataloo apparently smoked marijuana on stage and even encouraged his fans to do so.

The unconventional behavior also drew the ire of many Georgians, who staged a protest outside of the Iranian Embassy in Tbilisi. In an official statement, the embassy expressed regret at what happened, declared that it had no role in organizing the event and made it clear that "the person in question" was facing legal charges at home.

Once a banned underground rapper, Tataloo turned into the apple of the eye of the powerful hard-liners overnight after he sang on a warship in praise of Iran's armed forces.

While broadly condemned on social media, Tataloo's Tbilisi show reopened an older file. Reformists found the case another embarrassment for rival conservatives, who once threw their backing behind him despite the apparent contradictions in his conduct with the basic religious principles promoted by Iran's conservatives. Ebrahim Raisi, the camp's candidate in the 2017 presidential elections, raised eyebrows after a video was released showing his brief exchange with Tataloo, as the latter endorsed the current chief justice. The gesture was seen as an attempt by Raisi's campaign to win votes from among Tataloo's Instagram followers, who exceeded 5 million back then.