With the disbanding of the satire-heavy hip-hop trio Das Racist in 2012, each artist has gone on to pursue their own musical path. After a spiritual trip through South Asia and two mixtapes, Himanshu Suri, known as Heems, is back with his new solo project, Eat Pray Thug.
Heems carries the spirit of Das Racist in his own music, maintaining the same quirky wordplay and array of production that made them culturally appealing to young hip-hop fans. The biggest influence on Eat Pray Thug comes from Suri’s journey across South Asia and India. The trip served spiritual purposes in reconnecting Suri to his Indian heritage, which is the basis for Eat Pray Thug. The underrepresentation of multiple cultures in hip-hop is apparent, which is why Heems feels like a breath of fresh air. Rarely can you find American music that tailors to the struggles of Indian-Americans, and Heems’ style of self-parody and satirical slamming is a perfect match for this unexplored perspective; Heems described this as "post 9/11 dystopian brown man rap."
While the foundation of Das Racist was representative of their ethnicity, it was never the focus. The group’s enthusiasm and energy while simultaneously parodying popular hip-hop culture creates a sweet irony that was a staple of what the trio was all about. With Heems now able to tackle his own endeavors, Eat Pray Thug has a larger focus on ethnic issues. Heems digs deep with his personal struggles, as highlighted in “Flag Shopping,” where he explains the feeling of living in a post 9/11 America, and the attacks he endured, such as, “the neighbors throwing rocks at our house."
Heems carries the best of Das Racist into his solo project, while bringing his dark and deeply rooted issues out to the surface as well. It’s fun, it’s sarcastic and it’ll get you dancing, but the extra ethnic introspect adds a new layer to Heems’ repertoire, making Eat Pray Thug an entertaining bundle of things both old and new.
Rating: B
