For a fact, we know that the desi underground scene is deep and growing exponentially. In fact the way in which the underground is growing, underground artists are the ones that can shape the future of Hip Hop. However, we’ve already witnessed the growth of a lot of impressive desi artists from around the globe. One of those artists is Bangladeshi-American rapper – Anik Khan.
Anik Khan was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh. On the other hand, his father had bureaucratic roots and was involved in the Bangladesh Liberation War. Anik was only four-years-old when his family moved to the United States. Moving from Dhaka to Astoria, Queens, New York was a big move for him. Anik even established Khanfidénce and was on the verge of getting signed under Def Jam. In fact, Khanfidénce was an ode for teaching himself charisma and confidence against bullying. Def Jam’s director of brand partnerships and strategic marketing – Fadia Kade was his manager.
Still, Anik never dropped anything under his name until the I Don’t Know Yet EP which came out in the July of 2015. The EP included tracks like “Shadows” and “The Knowing”. “Too Late Now” came out in the February of 2016 and was produced by Jarreau Vandal. Anik’s level of musicality is different from the usual. To celebrate his success, we’d like you to have a look at five of his best works so far. So, without any further ado, lets get right into it.
Habibi
“Habibi” came out in the April of 2017 and instantly earned the attention because its a musical masterpiece. The word “Habibi” literates to a friend, lover or to a loved one, in general. Since the origin of the word is from Arabic, musicality had to match the traditional sound of the middle-east. As you guys might have already guessed, “Habibi” is an impressive fusion of middle-eastern sounds, hip-hop and r&b compositions. Anik co-produced “Habibi” with aywy. Raj Makhija did the additional production & mixing of the track. However, “Habibi” was engineered by Brian Nichollas for Tatsuya Sato who later mastered it.
Stream the audio of “Habibi” by Anik Khan here:
Mantra
If you’re into on-point lyricism and headbangers, “Mantra” is gonna be your jam. “Mantra” came out in the October of 2015 with a music video directed by Jordan Riggs. Anik Khan co-directed and conceptualised “Mantra” and what came out fits perfect with the audio. Ali Reza gave the visuals a classic touch by adding some dope video effects. The audio of “Mantra” is one of a kind. Amon Abdallah produced “Mantra” brilliantly. Additional vocals of Abir Haronni is a cherry on the icing. The snare-breakdown towards the outro will grab your attention for sure.
Watch the music video of “Mantra” by Anik Khan here:
Shadows
“Shadows” was featured on the I Don’t Know Yet EP which came out in the July of 2015. Anik talks about his origin as a Bengali immigrant in the United States and describes it as his shadow. The intro kick starts with Anik saying “The older I get, the more I realize I don’t know sh*t. I don’t think there is nothing wrong with that. I mean, that’s the most beautiful part about it – The willingness to learn”. Basically, there is nothing in being imperfect. He further explains his origin before transitioning into the classic New York-Boom Bap instrumental produced by EOM. Kathryn Christie dubbed the additional vocals. The video of “Shadows” was done by Jordan Riggs.
Watch the video of “Shadows” by Anik Khan here:
Nomad Man
You already know what the reference of this title is. A Bengali boy living in the foreign land to earn a fortune is what the track is all about. You might think that its similar to “Shadow Man” but there’s really a very little difference. “Nomad Man” features the classic Queens-vibe in terms of musicality and Anik didn’t spare no mercy on the instrumental. The way Superville added that bass line and has used the Trumpet sounds is music to our ears. Brady Watt, Charles Holt and Kafele Bandele recorded live instruments for the beat. Jordan Riggs is credited on this one for the video as well. The track came out in the July of 2015 and has been on our list of Anik’s excellent works ever since.
Watch the music video of “Nomad Man” here:
Cleopatra
Anik wrote this track smartly. Comparing your loved one with Cleopatra is a forgotten trend. In fact, “Cleopatra” has been composed very beautifully. The track also features a couple of samples from the song “Jiya Jaley”. “Jiya Jale” was composed by A.R. Rahman for the the Bollyood flick – Dil Se. Melo-X and Anik co-produced this track. However, Mike Cervantes mastered the track mixed by Raj Makhija to create this banging sound. Its R&B to the fullest. The track came out in the December of 2016 and is still young.