PROMO: Dhani Jones Heads to NYC to Meet Up With Heems 

Get to know the multifaceted, multitalented rapper Heems in the latest episode of 'Blend Out With Dhani Jones.’

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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On the latest episode of Blend Out With Dhani Jones, Jones returns to New York to meet up with rapper Himanshu Suri, better known as Heems. He is a Queens native who has described his work as "post-9/11 dystopian brown man rap."

That’s quite a lot to wrap your head around, but as you get to know Heems, you realize how legitimate the statement is.

Like most artists, Heems’ work is heavily influenced by his background, both in a cultural and musical sense. Heems himself is of Indian-American descent. He went to high school at Stuyvesant High in NYC. Despite being popular enough to get elected school president, Heems’ experience changed rather dramatically when the World Trade Center was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, just days into his junior year—and just blocks from Stuyvesant High. Among his high school classmates at the time were dudes who would go on to become members of the group MGMT. So, when you put the pieces together, it makes a lot of sense that, at this very crucial time in his life, music and politics were irreversibly linked for Heems.

That marriage still exists and, as Jones quickly discovers, Heems is about as complex as any rapper you’ll ever come across. Lucky for Jones, he’s also about as excellent a cook as any rapper has ever been. Heems invites Jones to his house for an all-out Indian food feast, and the two chow on everything from “butter chicken” to sautéed okra—but not before Heems shows Jones his extensive book collection featuring works from acclaimed authors and academics alike.

Calling Heems a “Renaissance Man” is almost underselling it. But as you’ll see in the video above, presented by Grand Marnier, one thing is for sure: This is a guy who most definitely blends out in very many ways. 

 

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