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Himanshu Suri
Suri on stage in Atlanta, GA, 2011
Suri on stage in Atlanta, GA, 2011
Background information
Born1985
OriginQueens
GenresAlternative hip hop
OccupationMusician
Years active2008–present
LabelsGreedhead Music

Himanshu Kumar Suri aka Heems is an American rapper from Queens, New York. Best known for being part of the alternative hip hop group Das Racist, Suri is also the founder of Greedhead Music, an independent record label. In 2012, Suri released his first solo mixtape, Nehru Jackets on his Greedhead imprint and in conjunction with SEVA NY, a community-based organization from Queens of which Suri is a board member. Suri has also written about music and all things South Asian for the Village Voice, Death and Taxes magazine, Fuse, Stereogum and Alternet.[1] Suri recently featured on Misteur Valaire's current album, Bellevue, on the track "Life Gets Brutal".

Early life

Born and raised in Flushing, Queens, New York, Suri graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 2003, where he was the vice president when the September 11 attacks happened two blocks away.[2][3] Suri then attended Wesleyan University where he studied economics.[4] After graduating from Wesleyan, Suri moved back to New York where he worked in the financial sector until finding success with Das Racist.[4]

He is of Punjabi-Indian descent.[5]

Das Racist

Main article: Das Racist

In 2008, Suri formed Das Racist with his college friend Victor Vazquez.[2] Shortly thereafter, Suri's high school friend Ashok Kondabolu joined as their hype man.[6] Das Racist first found success on the internet with their 2008 song "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell", and then quickly established themselves within the underground rap scene with their 2010 mixtapes Shut Up, Dude and Sit Down, Man, both of which earned them critical acclaim, including Pitchfork's designation of "Best New Music" as well as spawning tours across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Greedhead Music

Main article: Greedhead Music

To manage Das Racist, Suri founded his own record label, Greedhead Music, as a management and recording company in 2008.[7] Greedhead's first releases were the group's 2010 mixtapes. Das Racist's first commercially-available album, Relax, was also the first commercial release on the Greedhead imprint. Greedhead has since released solo mixtapes by Kool A.D. (The Palm Wine Drinkard)[8] and Heems (Nehru Jackets)[9] as well as Keepaway's Black Flute,[10] Lakutis's I'm in the Forest, Le1f's "Dark York", and Big Baby Gandhi's Big Fucking Baby, and NO1 2 LOOK UP 2.[11]

Activism

Suri has been a vocal advocate of the South Asian community in New York. In January 2012, Suri joined the board of directors of the Queens-based community organization SEVA.[12] Suri plans to work with SEVA to develop a community center with a recording studio for local youth.[13] Suri has worked extensively with SEVA to push for more equitable redistricting in Queens.[14] Suri has publicly supported Reshma Saujani's bid for New York City Public Advocate, saying, "We will probably have the highest South Asian voter turnout ever this year because of her on the ballot and the resources she will be putting in it. This is the most qualified and well resourced candidate from the [South Asian] community ever."[15]

Nehru Jackets

Main article: Nehru Jackets

In January 2012, Suri released his first solo mixtape, Nehru Jackets, on his own Greedhead imprint.[9] Nehru Jackets was released in collaboration with SEVA NY.[9] Guests on Nehru Jackets include Despot, Danny Brown, and Childish Gambino.[16] The album has received positive reviews, including a score of 8/10 from Spin.[17]

Wild Water Kingdom

Main article: Wild Water Kingdom (album)

Heems's second mixtape, Wild Water Kingdom, was released on November 14, 2012, also on the Greedhead label.[18] It features production from Harry Fraud, Keyboard Kid, Crookers, Beautiful Lou, Le1f, and Lushlife.[18] Guests on Wild Water Kingdom include Childish Gambino and Lakutis.[19]

Debut Album

In October 2013, Heems announced that he was working on a new album scheduled for 2014 release.[20]

Twitter

Suri has also received attention for his activity on Twitter. In the aftermath of the death of Osama bin Laden, Suri collected and retweeted racist tweets, drawing attention to the prevalence of xenophobia and islamophobia in the celebratory national mood.[21][22] In January 2011, Rolling Stone magazine named Suri #11 on its list of "50 Top Tweeters in Music".[23]

In 2012, a successful online petition was created by two fans after Suri said he may quit Twitter[24]

References

  1. ^ "Artists/Performers/Publishers 2011". Goa Arts and Literary Festival. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  2. ^ a b Vivek Menezes (October 2011). "Mic Check". The Caravan. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
  3. ^ Benjy Sarlin (September 8, 2011). "The Soldier and the Rap Star: A Tale of Two Post-9/11 Students". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
  4. ^ a b Usinger, Mike (January 20, 2011). "Das Racist's Himanshu Suri drops out for indie rap". Straight.com. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
  5. ^ http://evan-chwalek.blogspot.com/2012/01/heems-nehru-jackets.html
  6. ^ Jon Caramanica (September 13, 2011). "Order Moves in on Chaos, as Rappers Go Legit". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
  7. ^ The Fader (December 2011/January 2012). "Labels to Watch". The Fader. Retrieved 2012-02-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Phillip Mlynar (January 9, 2012). "Hive Five: A Greedhead Records Primer". MTV Hive. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  9. ^ a b c Channing Kennedy (January 17, 2012). "Das Racist's Himanshu Suri: Rapper, Jokester, Community Organizer?". Colorlines. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
  10. ^ Ian Cohen (January 9, 2012). "Keepaway: Black Flute (Greedhead, 2012)". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  11. ^ Mike Ramos (December 1, 2011). "Lakutis' I'm In the Forest EP and Other Reasons You Should Really Be Paying Attention to Greedhead Music". Line Out. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  12. ^ Irving Dejohn (January 15, 2012). "Queens rapper adds star power to redistricting battle". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  13. ^ Hunter Walker (January 11, 2012). "Redistrict Remix: Gerrymandering Issue Taken Up By Queens Rapper and Punjabi Proteges". New York Observer. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  14. ^ Colin Campbell (August 21, 2012). "Das Racist Rapper Seeks to Influence City Council Redistricting". Politicker Network. Retrieved 2012-09-06.
  15. ^ Colin Campbell (April 3, 2013). "Das Racist Rapper Endorses Reshma Saujani for Public Advocate". Politicker. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  16. ^ Marc Hogan (January 17, 2012). "Das Racist's Heems Drops 'Nehru Jackets' Mixtape". Spin. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
  17. ^ Brandon Soderberg (January 2012). "Himanshu 'Nehru Jackets'". Spin. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
  18. ^ a b Evan Minsker and Carrie Battan (November 14, 2012). "Download the New Mixtape From Das Racist's Heems, Wild Water Kingdom". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2012-11-14.
  19. ^ Chris Martins (November 14, 2012). "Das Racist's Heems Teases New Album, Defends 'Relax' in Reddit AMA". Spin (magazine). Retrieved 2012-11-14.
  20. ^ Lukas Trs (October 18, 2013). "Heems Announces New Album For 2014". HipHopLT.com. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
  21. ^ Charlie Morrigan (December 11, 2012). "10 Great Das Racist Moments". Thought Catalog. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  22. ^ Sara Imjan (May 2, 2011). "@Heems:Curating Post-Bin Laden Bigotry". Turnstyle News. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  23. ^ Amos Barshad (January 21, 2011). "50 Top Tweeters in Music". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  24. ^ http://twitition.com/ajaqd

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