Himanshu Kumar Suri (born July 6, 1985), better known by his stage name Heems, is an American
rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
from
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Best known for being part of the
alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop (also known as alternative rap) is a subgenre of hip hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising " hip hop groups that refuse to confor ...
group
Das Racist
Das Racist was an American alternative hip hop group based in Brooklyn, composed of MCs Heems and Kool A.D. and hype man Ashok Kondabolu (a.k.a. Dapwell or Dap). Known for their use of humor, academic references, foreign allusions, and unconven ...
, Suri is also the founder of
Greedhead Music
Greedhead Music is an independent record label founded by Himanshu Suri of Das Racist. Initially, Suri founded Greedhead Music as a management and recording company in 2008 to manage Das Racist. Greedhead's first releases were the group's 2010 mi ...
, an independent record label. In 2012, Suri released his first solo mixtape, ''
Nehru Jackets
''Nehru Jackets'' is the first solo mixtape by rapping, rapper Heems, Himanshu. It was released on Himanshu's own Greedhead label on January 17, 2012.
''Rolling Stone'' named the song "Womyn" the 36th best song of 2012.
About
Himanshu released ...
'', on his Greedhead imprint and in conjunction with SEVA NY, a community-based organization from Queens of which Suri is a board member. In August 2015, Heems announced that
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
had bought his story rights for a potential sitcom, and that he was working on the pilot. He is currently a member of
Swet Shop Boys along with actor and rapper
Riz MC and producer
Redinho.
Early life
Born and raised in
Bellerose, Queens
Bellerose is a middle class neighborhood on the eastern edge of the New York City borough of Queens, along the border of Queens and Nassau County, Long Island. It is adjacent to Bellerose Village and Bellerose Terrace in Nassau County, from w ...
, New York, Suri graduated from
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School (pronounced ), commonly referred to among its students as Stuy (pronounced ), is a State school, public university-preparatory school, college-preparatory, Specialized high schools in New York City, specialized high school ...
in 2003, where he was the vice president of the student council when the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
happened two blocks away.
Suri then attended
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...
, where he studied economics.
After graduating from Wesleyan, Suri moved back to New York where he worked in the financial sector until finding success with
Das Racist
Das Racist was an American alternative hip hop group based in Brooklyn, composed of MCs Heems and Kool A.D. and hype man Ashok Kondabolu (a.k.a. Dapwell or Dap). Known for their use of humor, academic references, foreign allusions, and unconven ...
.
[
He is of Punjabi-]Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
descent.
Das Racist
In 2008, Suri formed Das Racist
Das Racist was an American alternative hip hop group based in Brooklyn, composed of MCs Heems and Kool A.D. and hype man Ashok Kondabolu (a.k.a. Dapwell or Dap). Known for their use of humor, academic references, foreign allusions, and unconven ...
with his college friend Victor Vazquez, known professionally as Kool A.D.[ Shortly thereafter, Suri's high school friend ]Ashok Kondabolu
Ashok Kumar Kondabolu (born 1985), also known by his stage name Dapwell (or Dap), is an American actor, writer, and internet personality from Queens, New York City. A graduate of Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, Kondabolu was first known for ...
joined as their hype man. 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
''Shut Up, Dude'' is the first mixtape by American hip hop trio Das Racist. It was released as a free download by Greedhead Music and Mishka on March 29, 2010.
Music videos
A music video was created for "Who's That? Brooown!". The video linked to ...
'' and ''Sit Down, Man
''Sit Down, Man'' is the second mixtape by American hip hop trio Das Racist. It was released as a free download by Greedhead Music, Mishka, and Mad Decent on September 14, 2010. It gained over 40,000 downloads in its first week of release. An albu ...
'', both of which earned them critical acclaim, including ''Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
''s designation of "Best New Music" as well as spawning tours across North America, Europe and Asia.
Solo career
While still with Das Racist, Suri released his first two mixtapes - ''Nehru Jackets'' and ''Wild Water Kingdom.'' After the break up of Das Racist at the end of 2012, Suri moved to Bombay to work on his first official album. In April 2014, he recorded for a commercial for Vitamin Water
Energy Brands, also doing business as Glacéau, is a privately owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company based in Whitestone, Queens, New York, that manufactures and distributes various lines of drinks marketed as enhanced water. Founded in May 1 ...
in Japan.[
In January 2012, Suri released his first solo mixtape, '']Nehru Jackets
''Nehru Jackets'' is the first solo mixtape by rapping, rapper Heems, Himanshu. It was released on Himanshu's own Greedhead label on January 17, 2012.
''Rolling Stone'' named the song "Womyn" the 36th best song of 2012.
About
Himanshu released ...
,'' on his own Greedhead imprint. ''Nehru Jackets'' was released in collaboration with SEVA NY.[ Guests on ''Nehru Jackets'' include Despot, ]Danny Brown
Daniel Dewan Sewell (born March 16, 1981), better known by his stage name Danny Brown, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He has been described by MTV as "one of rap's most unique figures in recent memory".
In 2010, after amassing ...
, and Childish Gambino
Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American entertainer, writer, director, and producer. After working in Derrick Comedy while studying at New York University, Glove ...
. The album has received positive reviews, including a score of 8/10 from ''Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
''.
Heems's second mixtape, '' Wild Water Kingdom,'' was released on November 14, 2012, also on the Greedhead label. It features production from Harry Fraud
Rory William Quigley (born January 26, 1987), known professionally as Harry Fraud, is an American record producer. Primarily a hip hop producer, Fraud began producing at an early age and began interning at a recording studio after graduating hig ...
, Keyboard Kid, Crookers
Crookers is the musical project of Italian DJ and producer Francesco "Phra" Barbaglia.
Crookers was originally a duo consisting of Phra and fellow producer Bot, who worked together from 2003 to 2012. When the two artists met, both were trying to ...
, Beautiful Lou, Le1f
Khalif Diouf, known by his stage name Le1f (), is an American rapper and producer. He also founded the record label Camp & Street, with Boody, DonChristian, and Chaz Requina. As a gay rapper he's garnered attention for his musical and perform ...
, and Lushlife
Raj Haldar (born August 1, 1981), better known by his stage name Lushlife, is an American rapper and record producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the co-author of '' P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever''. He is one half ...
.[ Guests on ''Wild Water Kingdom'' include Childish Gambino and ]Lakutis
Aleksey Weintraub (born July 15, 1985), better known by his stage name Lakutis, is an American rapper from New York. He has collaborated with Das Racist, Hot Sugar, and Kitty. He has also toured with Le1f and Antwon.
Early life
Lakutis was b ...
.
His debut solo album, ''Eat Pray Thug
''Eat Pray Thug'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist Heems. It was released on Megaforce Records on March 10, 2015. Music videos were created for "Sometimes", "Damn, Girl", and "Pop Song (Games)".
Critical reception
At Metacriti ...
,'' was released on March 10, 2015, on Greedhead/Megaforce Records
Megaforce Records is an American independent record label founded in 1982 by Jon Zazula and his wife Marsha Zazula to release the first works of Metallica, and devoted primarily to hard rock and heavy metal. It has offices in New York City (w ...
. The album was recorded in Bombay and Brooklyn and includes collaborations with Dev Hynes
Devonté Hynes (born David Joseph Michael Hynes, 23 December 1985), also known as Blood Orange and formerly Lightspeed Champion, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and director based in New York City. From 2004 to 2006, Hynes was ...
(aka Blood Orange), Rafiq Bhatia
Rafiq Bhatia (born 21 August 1987) is an American musician, composer, guitarist, and producer. He is the guitarist and fellow producer of the American experimental rock band Son Lux, having been a touring member prior.
As a solo artist, he has r ...
, Gordon Voidwell, Boody B, and Harry Fraud. Heems has referred to the album as "9/11 and Heartbreak."[ The first single, "Sometimes," was released on January 8, 2015.][
]
Greedhead Music
To manage Das Racist, Suri founded his own record label, Greedhead Music
Greedhead Music is an independent record label founded by Himanshu Suri of Das Racist. Initially, Suri founded Greedhead Music as a management and recording company in 2008 to manage Das Racist. Greedhead's first releases were the group's 2010 mi ...
, as a management and recording company in 2008. Greedhead's first releases were the group's 2010 mixtapes. Das Racist's first commercially available album, ''Relax
Relax may refer to:
Aviation
* Roland Z-120 Relax, a German ultralight aircraft design for the 120 kg class
Music Albums
* ''Relax'' (Blank & Jones album), 2003
* ''Relax'' (Das Racist album), 2011
Songs
* "Relax" (song), a 1983 song by Fran ...
'', was also the first commercial release on the Greedhead imprint. Greedhead has since released solo mixtapes by Kool A.D. ('' The Palm Wine Drinkard'') and Heems (''Nehru Jackets
''Nehru Jackets'' is the first solo mixtape by rapping, rapper Heems, Himanshu. It was released on Himanshu's own Greedhead label on January 17, 2012.
''Rolling Stone'' named the song "Womyn" the 36th best song of 2012.
About
Himanshu released ...
''), as well as Keepaway's ''Black Flute'', Lakutis' ''I'm in the Forest'',[ Le1f's ''Dark York'', and Big Baby Gandhi's ''Big Fucking Baby''.]
Activism
Suri has been a vocal advocate of the South Asian
South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, ...
community in New York. In January 2012, Suri joined the board of directors of the Queens-based community organization SEVA. Suri plans to work with SEVA to develop a community center with a recording studio for local youth. Suri has worked extensively with SEVA to push for more equitable redistricting in Queens. Suri has publicly supported Reshma Saujani
Reshma Saujani (born November 18, 1975) is an American lawyer, politician, civil servant, and the founder of the nonprofit organization Girls Who Code, which aims to increase the number of women in computer science and close the gender employme ...
's bid for New York City Public Advocate
The office of New York City Public Advocate (President of the City Council) is a citywide elected position in New York City, which is first in line to succeed the mayor. The office serves as a direct link between the electorate and city government ...
, 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 outh Asiancommunity ever."
Art
In addition to his musical career, Suri also maintains a longstanding relationship with the art scene, especially in New York City. In 2010, Das Racist performed as a part of the Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), ...
's Biennial celebration, curated by California artist Martin Kersels. In April 2013, Suri returned to the Whitney as part of the ''Blues for Smoke'' exhibit, an interdisciplinary exhibition that explored "a wide range of contemporary art through the lens of the blues and blues aesthetics." He performed alongside former Das Racist
Das Racist was an American alternative hip hop group based in Brooklyn, composed of MCs Heems and Kool A.D. and hype man Ashok Kondabolu (a.k.a. Dapwell or Dap). Known for their use of humor, academic references, foreign allusions, and unconven ...
member Ashok Kondabolu
Ashok Kumar Kondabolu (born 1985), also known by his stage name Dapwell (or Dap), is an American actor, writer, and internet personality from Queens, New York City. A graduate of Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, Kondabolu was first known for ...
(Dapwell), Greedhead rapper Le1f
Khalif Diouf, known by his stage name Le1f (), is an American rapper and producer. He also founded the record label Camp & Street, with Boody, DonChristian, and Chaz Requina. As a gay rapper he's garnered attention for his musical and perform ...
, and psych-dance band Prince Rama
Prince Rama (previously Prince Rama of Ayodhya) was a two-piece "now age" psych- dance band based in Brooklyn, New York, founded by sisters Taraka Larson and Nimai Larson.
Discovered by Animal Collective's Avey Tare in a Texas dive bar in 201 ...
. In February 2015, Heems curated an art exhibition at the Aicon Gallery in anticipation of his new album, ''Eat Pray Thug
''Eat Pray Thug'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist Heems. It was released on Megaforce Records on March 10, 2015. Music videos were created for "Sometimes", "Damn, Girl", and "Pop Song (Games)".
Critical reception
At Metacriti ...
''. The exhibition contained a wide variety of South Asian artists as well as events and performances throughout its month-long run, including artists such as The Kominas
The Kominas are a punk rock band formed in 2005 by two Pakistani-Americans from Worcester, Massachusetts. In over ten years, the band has experienced a number of line-up changes and self-released albums.
Musical style
Their dance-oriented so ...
, Riz Ahmed
Rizwan Ahmed (; ; born ) is a British actor and rapper. As an actor, he has won an Emmy Award and has received nominations for a Golden Globe and three British Independent Film Awards, and as a rapper he has won an Academy Award for the short ...
(Riz MC), and Heems himself.
Film
In 2012, Suri joined an all-star cast of New York musicians in Amrit Singh's documentary short, ''Dosa Hunt'', on a quest to find the best dosa (a traditional South Indian dish) in town. In 2013, Heems made his acting
Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode.
Acting involves a broad r ...
debut along with R&B artist Kelis
Kelis Rogers-Mora (; born August 21, 1979), known mononymously as Kelis, is an American singer, songwriter and a professionally trained chef. At age 14, she was admitted to New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Perform ...
in "Brazzaville Teen-Ager," a short film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
which starred and was written and directed by Michael Cera
Michael Austin Cera (; ; born June 7, 1988) is a Canadian actor and musician. He started his career as a child actor, voicing the character of Brother Bear on the children's television show ''The Berenstain Bears (2003 TV series), The Berenstain ...
. In 2015, he played a supporting role as rascally ad agency employee named Reny in Benjamin Dickinson's ''Creative Control'', which premiered at SXSW 2015, where Heems also performed. Suri starred in Tanuj Chopra
Tanuj Chopra is an American film-maker. His debut feature film '' Punching at the Sun'' (2006) was screened at the Sundance Film Festival and was also nominated for the Humanitas Prize. He has directed Netflix web series Delhi Crime 2 whose fi ...
's 2016 film ''Chee and T'', which premiered at the LA Film Festival
The LA Film Festival was an annual film festival that was held in Los Angeles, California, and usually took place in June. It showcased independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, as well as web series, music videos, episod ...
.
Twitter
Suri has also received attention for his activity on Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
. In the aftermath of the death of Osama bin Laden
On May 2, 2011, Osama bin Laden, the founder and first leader of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was shot several times and killed at his compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, by United States Navy SEALs of the U.S. Nava ...
, Suri collected and retweeted racist tweets, drawing attention to the prevalence of xenophobia and Islamophobia in the celebratory national mood. In January 2011, ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' magazine named Suri #11 on its list of "50 Top Tweeters in Music".
Discography
Studio albums
* ''Eat Pray Thug
''Eat Pray Thug'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist Heems. It was released on Megaforce Records on March 10, 2015. Music videos were created for "Sometimes", "Damn, Girl", and "Pop Song (Games)".
Critical reception
At Metacriti ...
'' (2015)
Mixtapes
* ''Nehru Jackets
''Nehru Jackets'' is the first solo mixtape by rapping, rapper Heems, Himanshu. It was released on Himanshu's own Greedhead label on January 17, 2012.
''Rolling Stone'' named the song "Womyn" the 36th best song of 2012.
About
Himanshu released ...
'' (2012)
* '' Wild Water Kingdom'' (2012)
Guest appearances
* Small Black
Small Black is an American indie band from Brooklyn, New YorThey are currently signed to the George Clanton, 100% Electronica record label. The band consists of Josh Kolenik (lead vocals/guitar), Ryan Heyner (guitar/keyboards), Juan Pieczanski (ba ...
- "Two Rivers" and "Sunday Son" from ''Moon Killer'' (2011)
* Lushlife
Raj Haldar (born August 1, 1981), better known by his stage name Lushlife, is an American rapper and record producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the co-author of '' P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever''. He is one half ...
- "Hale-Bopp Was the Bedouins" from ''Plateau Vision
''Plateau Vision'' is a solo studio album by Lushlife. It was released on Western Vinyl on April 17, 2012. It includes guest appearances from Styles P, Heems, Shad, and Cities Aviv. Music videos were created for "Still I Hear the Word Progress" an ...
'' (2012)
* Meyhem Lauren
Meyhem Lauren (born May 14, 1983) is an American rapper from Queens, New York. He is a founding member of the Smart Crew collective. He has collaborated with the likes of DJ Muggs, Alchemist, and Harry Fraud. He stars in '' Fuck, That's Deliciou ...
- "Special Effects" and "Juevos Rancheros" from ''Respect the Fly Shit'' (2012)
* Meyhem Lauren - "Carvel" from ''Mandatory Brunch Meetings'' (2012)
* Weekend Money - "Yellow" from ''Naked City'' (2012)
* Hot Sugar - "56k" from ''Midi Murder'' (2012)
* Hot Sugar - "Born 2" from ''Made Man'' (2013)
* Misteur Valaire
Valaire, formerly known as Misteur Valaire, are a French Canadian electropop group based in Sherbrooke, Quebec and later Montreal.
History
The five members of Misteur Valaire met in elementary school. They all had classic jazz musical training bef ...
- "Life Gets Brutal" from ''Bellevue'' (2013)
* Maffew Ragazino - "Jackson Pollock" from ''Brownsville's Jesus'' (2014)
* Antwon
Antonio Williams (born October 25, 1986), better known by his stage name Antwon, is an American rapper based in San Jose, California. In 2013, he was included on '' Complex''s "15 Unsigned Rappers Who Should Get a Deal After SXSW" list. He was al ...
- "KLF ELF" from ''Heavy Hearted in Doldrums
''Heavy Hearted in Doldrums'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Antwon. It was released on May 6, 2014. It features guest appearances from Lil Ugly Mane, Sad Andy, Wiki, Heems, Lakutis, and Andre Martel. Music videos were created for "D ...
'' (2014)
* Meyhem Lauren & Buckwild - "Narcotics Anonymous" from ''Silk Pyramids'' (2014)
* Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 2006 and currently signed to Columbia Records. The band was formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer Chris Tomson, ...
- "Step (Wintertime Remix)" (2014)
* Nick Catchdubs - "Full House" from ''Smoke Machine'' (2015)
* Sonnyjim - "Al Jazeera" from ''Mud in My Malbec'' (2016)
* Your Old Droog
Dmitry Kutsenko, better known as Your Old Droog, is a Ukrainian-born American rapper and producer from Brooklyn, New York. He first gained public attention in June 2014 when online rumors were circulated that his self-published debut EP was act ...
- "Bangladesh" from '' Packs'' (2017)
* Your Old Droog - "The Simpsons" from ''Yodney Dangerfield'' (2022)
See also
* Indians in the New York City metropolitan region
Indians in the New York City metropolitan area constitute one of the largest and fastest-growing ethnicities in the New York City metropolitan area of the United States. The New York City region is home to the largest and most prominent Indian ...
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Living people
1985 births
People from Queens, New York
Rappers from New York City
American people of Punjabi descent
American male singers of Indian descent
American rappers of Asian descent
Stuyvesant High School alumni
Wesleyan University alumni
21st-century American rappers
21st-century American male musicians