Yaser Bakhtiari (Persian: یاسر بختیاری; born 1982 in Masjed Soleyman), better known by his stage name Yas (یاس), is an Iranian rapper. Yas is one of the most popular rappers in Iran and Middle East. He is also known for his Faravahar pedant, a symbol of Iranian nationalism and Zoroastrianism, that he wears most of the time. On December 21, 2011 Yas was chosen by the voters as the Artist of the Week in MTV IGGY Entitled Tehran’s Hard-Hitting MC.
Yas is one of the founders of Persian rap, and in 2013 he became the first Persian rap artist to be allowed to perform in Iran.
Yas first began to listen to rap music at the age of 16 when his father returned from his business trip in Germany and brought him the latest Tupac album and other hip hop songs and he was heavily influenced by them. After the sudden death of his father, he was faced with the responsibility of becoming the primary caretaker of his household with his father's debts to pay. Yas was forced to leave his college ambitions behind and begin to work and support his entire family. It was at this time that he began to write poetry which soon turned into lyrics for his music.