Heems has announced his first solo album in nearly a decade. The former Das Racist MC will share Lafandar on February 16 via Veena Sounds/Mass Appeal India.
A collaboration with Indian-American producer Lapgan, the 12-track Lafandar is said to meld the beatmaker's "cinematic South Asian samples" with Heems' trademark "laugh-out-loud wit." The release marks his first solo album since 2015's Eat, Pray, Thug.
A release explains that Lafandar takes its title from "an old-country insult for a vagabond, a wanderer, a loomer, a lurker, an urban dilettante, and especially in Heems' case, a flaneur."
Joining Heems on the album are Kool Keith, Saul Williams, Open Mike Eagle, Blu, Your Old Droog, Quelle Chris, Sir Michael Rocks of the Cool Kids, Fatboi Sharif, Sonnyjim, Sid Sriram, Abhi the Nomad and more. You can hear Heems and Williams team up on new arrival "Accent" in the player below.
Via Veena — his new magazine and brand named after his mother — Heems will treat Das Racist's 2010 mixtapes Shut Up, Dude and Sit Down, Man to their vinyl debuts, both of which are now available for pre-order.
Lafandar:
1. Stupid Dumb Illiterate (feat. Sid Sriram)
2. I’m Pretty Cool
3. Sri Lanka (feat. Your Old Droog)
4. Accent (feat. Saul Williams)
5. Going for 6 (feat. Sonnyjim & Abhi the Nomad)
6. Baba Ganoush (feat. Lee Scott & Cool Calm Pete)
7. Obi Toppin (Darling) [feat. Kool Keith]
8. Kala Tika
9. Yellow Chakra (feat. Sir Michael Rocks & Open Mike Eagle)
10. Porches (feat. Blu & Quelle Chris)
11. Bukayo Saka
12. Yo Momma (feat. Fatboi Sharif)