Heems | |
|---|---|
 Heems performing on stage inAtlanta, Georgia, 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Hima |
| Born | Himanshu Kumar Suri (1985-07-06)July 6, 1985 (age 40) |
| Origin | Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation | Rapper |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels |
|
| Member of | Swet Shop Boys |
| Formerly of | Das Racist |
Himanshu Kumar Suri[1] (born July 6, 1985),[2] better known by his stage nameHeems, is an Americanrapper. Suri came to prominence as a member of thealternative hip hop groupDas Racist, with whom he released two mixtapes and one album. Suri has also founded independent record labelsGreedhead Music and Veena Sounds, and has released three solo albums and two mixtapes. With English musiciansRiz MC andRedinho, Suri formed the groupSwet Shop Boys in 2014.[3]
Born and raised inBellerose, Queens, New York, he is ofPunjabi-Indian descent.[4] Suri's father moved toFlushing, Queens, in 1978.[5] Suri graduated fromStuyvesant High School in 2003, where he met Das Racist band memberAshok Kondabolu,[6] and was the vice president of the student council when theSeptember 11 attacks happened two blocks away.[7][8] Suri then attendedWesleyan University, where he studied economics and met Das Racist co-founderKool A.D.[9][10] After graduating from Wesleyan, Suri moved back to New York where he worked in the financial sector until finding success with Das Racist.[10]
In 2008, Suri formedDas Racist with his college friend Victor Vazquez, known professionally asKool A.D.[7] Shortly thereafter, Suri's high school friend Ashok Kondabolu joined as their hype man.[11] 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 mixtapesShut Up, Dude andSit Down, Man, both of which earned them critical acclaim, includingPitchfork's designation of "Best New Music" and national tours.[12][13]
While still with Das Racist, in January 2012, Suri released his first solo mixtape,Nehru Jackets, on his ownGreedhead imprint.[14]Nehru Jackets was released in collaboration with SEVA NY.[14] Guests onNehru Jackets includeDespot,Danny Brown, andChildish Gambino.[15] The album has received positive reviews, including a score of 8/10 fromSpin.[16] Heems's second mixtape,Wild Water Kingdom, was released on November 14, 2012, also on the Greedhead label.[17] It features production fromHarry Fraud, Keyboard Kid,Crookers, Beautiful Lou,Le1f, andLushlife.[17] Guests onWild Water Kingdom include Childish Gambino andLakutis.[18]
After the break up of Das Racist, at the end of 2012, Suri moved toMumbai to work on his first official album, and performed solo in India.[19][20] In April 2014, he recorded a Japanese commercial forVitamin Water.[20] His debut solo album,Eat Pray Thug, was released on March 10, 2015, jointly with Greedhead andMegaforce Records. The first single, "Sometimes," was released on January 8, 2015.[21] The album was recorded in Mumbai and Brooklyn, and includes collaborations withDev Hynes (aka Blood Orange),Rafiq Bhatia, Gordon Voidwell, Boody B, and Harry Fraud. Heems has referred to the album as "9/11 and Heartbreak."[21] In August 2015, Heems announced thatFox had bought his story rights for a potential sitcom, and that he was working on the pilot.[22]
Barring a few features, after an eight year hiatus from music, in 2024, Suri released two albums — both on his new record label Veena Sounds, and jointly withMass Appeal India[23] —Lafandar with Chicago-based producer Lapgan (which has features fromKool Keith,Open Mike Eagle,Quelle Chris,Your Old Droog,Saul Williams,Blu,Sid Sriram,Cool Calm Pete and Sonnyjim) andVeena, with production and features from Sid Vashi,Vijay Iyer, Ram Dulari, Lapgan, Cool Calm Pete,Mr. Cheeks and Navz-47.[24][25]
To manage Das Racist, Suri founded his own record label,Greedhead Music, as a management and recording company in 2008.[26] 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)[27] and Heems (Nehru Jackets),[14] as well as Keepaway'sBlack Flute,[28] Lakutis'I'm in the Forest,[29] Le1f'sDark York,[30] and Big Baby Gandhi'sBig Fucking Baby.[29] The label has been defunct since 2015.[31]
Suri has been a vocal advocate of theSouth Asian community in New York. In January 2012, Suri joined the board of directors of the Queens-based community organization SEVA.[32] Suri plans to work with SEVA to develop a community center with a recording studio for local youth.[33] Suri has worked extensively with SEVA to push for more equitable redistricting in Queens.[34] Suri has publicly supportedReshma Saujani's bid forNew 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."[35]
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 theWhitney Museum of American Art's Biennial celebration, curated by California artistMartin Kersels.[36] In April 2013, Suri returned to the Whitney as part of theBlues for Smoke exhibit, an interdisciplinary exhibition that explored "a wide range of contemporary art through the lens of the blues and blues aesthetics."[37] He performed alongside formerDas Racist memberAshok Kondabolu (Dapwell),Greedhead rapperLe1f, and psych-dance bandPrince Rama.[38][39] In February 2015, Heems curated an art exhibition at the Aicon Gallery in anticipation of his new album,Eat Pray Thug.[40] The exhibition contained a wide variety of South Asian artists as well as events and performances throughout its month-long run, including artists such asThe Kominas,Riz Ahmed (Riz MC), and Heems himself.[41]
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.[42] In 2013, Heems made hisacting debut along withR&B artistKelis in "Brazzaville Teen-Ager," ashort film which starred and was written and directed byMichael Cera.[43] In 2015, he played a supporting role as rascally ad agency employee named Reny inBenjamin Dickinson'sCreative Control,[44] which premiered at SXSW 2015, where Heems also performed. Suri starred inTanuj Chopra's 2016 filmChee and T, which premiered at theLA Film Festival.[45]
Suri has also received attention for his activity onTwitter. In the aftermath of thedeath of Osama bin Laden, Suri collected and retweeted racist tweets, drawing attention to the prevalence ofxenophobia and Islamophobia in the celebratory national mood.[46][47] In January 2011,Rolling Stone magazine named Suri #11 on its list of "50 Top Tweeters in Music".[48]
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