Mashadibaba Aydamirov

Baba Bilal ogly Aydamirov, also known as Mashadibaba, (Azerbaijani: Məşədibaba Aydəmirov, born February 13, 1971 in Mastaga, Baku, Azerbaijani SSR, USSR - January 10, 2011 in Mashtaga, Baku, Azerbaijan) was a legendary performer of Azerbaijani meykhana music. He was an accomplished poet who later took up performing meykhana for money and became a major figure in the meykhana world.

Biography

Mashadibaba started to perform meykhana in 1984, in his late teens.^[1] Before performing, Mashadibaba wrote poems and songs, and only later took to meykhana due to the financial difficulties since meykhana was a rather lucrative activity at the time. He, with his friend Elchin, who was also a distinguished performer, rose to prominence in the early 1990s. Rumors have it that Mashadibaba was consuming huge amount of alcohol at the time. He served six years in prison after being accused of killing Elchin Mashtaghaly.^[1] As a result, drinking spree-related nervous breakdown, though, brought the performer to depression.^[2] By this time Mashadibaba had been suffering from alcoholism.^[3] With the deterioration of health and alcoholism also came the divorce with his wife. Mashadibaba underwent another nervous breakdown after it and became increasingly reclusive and outrageous. His performing abilities also deteriorated. As a result, he committed suicide by self-immolation on 10 January 2011.^[4]

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