First female rapper debuts in Afghanistan

Firooz's first —and so far only — song was arranged by well-known Afghan singer and composer Fared Rastagar, who recently returned from living in Germany and has a recording studio in Kabul.

"I admire Sosan for her courage and appreciate the support of her family," Rastagar said. "Rap is needed here," he said. "We need to bring changes in all parts of life including music."

It might be a long road to stardom for Firooz.

She lives with her family in a mud brick house in a poor neighborhood in north Kabul. She uses an old desktop computer to write her music, but sometimes it doesn't work. She received an electronic keyboard as a gift from one of her supporters. She doesn't have the money to make CDs or a more elaborate music video.

All she knows is that rap music allows her to express the pain and sorrow of her only two decades of life.

"When war started in our country, there were bullets, artillery, rockets. All our trees were burned down. The war forced us to leave our country," she raps. "We are hopeful for the future in our country. And we request that our neighboring countries leave us alone."

Associated Press Writer Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.

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YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Gwi7SNiTx0