Heems
Wild Water Kingdom [Mixtape]
Release Date: Nov 14, 2012
Genre(s): Rap
Record label: Greedhead Music
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Album Review: Wild Water Kingdom [Mixtape] by Heems
Fairly Good, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 5/5
Just when they had finally convinced everyone they were more than a dorm-room joke, Das Racist have broken up. Bummer! Thankfully, principal member Himanshu "Heems" Suri isn't quitting the game yet. On his latest solo mixtape, the Punjabi-American rhyme fiend riffs, rants and rambles over aqueous beats from extra-hip producers like Beautiful Lou and Harry Fraud.
Based on rating 7.2/10
The Fader has a regular feature called "The Things I Carry" in which artists share what's in their pockets. A recent subject was Himanshu Suri, better known as Heems of Das Racist, the divisive, allusive, and pop culture savvy rap trio. Heems, along with the usual pocket regulars (keys, wallet) and an elephant totem from his girlfriend, was carrying a $30,000 check from Kmart, given to him in exchange for the rights to the Das Racist song "Girl" for use in a layaway commercial.
Based on rating 3/5
Wild Water Kingdom is the second full-length mixtape from Himanshu Kumar Suri, aka Heems, the quick-witted, incisive Das Racist lead rapper who wilfully comes off as an obtuse, fuzzy-tongued neophyte thanks to his adherence to sloppiness as an aesthetic. His flow is hungover, his ad libs inane ("I'm Bored!" he yelps on lead single Killing Time). He eschews traditional rap cadence and meter and has a fondness for hyper-arcane references - from the size of Pakistani rotis to record exec Dru Ha.
Based on rating D
The second free mixtape from Das Racist’ Heems of the year, Wild Water Kingdom was ironically delayed by the pounding that New York took from Hurricane Sandy. In a year that has seen both halves of Das Racist rise to the occasion with strong solo tapes, this new release reads like a victory lap, but one that vacillates from overly relaxed to brimming with deserved confidence. The long intro to the tape exemplifies the potential breakdown in the Das Racist manifesto.