Like the founders of rap, he uses his platform to advocate for overlooked voices. That's what makes their music, and Heems especially, unique: If Iggy Azalea refuses to believe that hip-hop is always racial, Heems always has that in mind.īut Heems is the sort of voice the hip-hop debate ignores. It's unsurprising, as Suri and Vasquez met in a Wesleyan dormitory for students of color interested in social justice. They wrote “NYC Cops” in 2012, a tribute to the Strokes anthem, where they eulogize those that were killed by the NYPD. Heems and his band members are whip-smart and conscientious, and they have been taking well-aimed shots at consumerism and white supremacy since 2008.Īlthough many Americans seem to have just realized that there's still racism in this country, and are finally speaking up against police brutality and the nonstop killing of black and brown bodies, Das Racist has always been on the ball.
#IS IGGY AZALEA WHITE OR MIXED PLUS#
(Victor Vasquez), plus their hype man Dapwell, or Ashok Kondabolu. Their wacky allusions lead Das Racist to be relegated to the genre joke rap, but this classification is unfairly myopic. They were made up of MCs Heems (Himanshu Suri) and Kool A.D. The group no longer makes music together, but they still collaborate on each other’s projects. A South Asian rapper from Queens, he was originally part of hip-hop collective Das Racist. You probably haven't heard of Heems, but you've heard his music. And no one better exemplifies the need to acknowledge the diversity of rappers better than Heems. Hip-hop is a black art form, but it is also an art form that can be practiced respectfully by white artists and non-black people of color, the latter of which are largely ignored by the mainstream. Although Macklemore has acknowledged the privilege that lead to his meteoric success, Azalea’s refusal to do so is deeply troubling. Lamentably, white privilege goes hand-in-hand with the music industry, as it continues to reward musicians like Azalea and Macklemore in favor of black artists who originated the music.
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