“I haven’t completely figured myself out yet,” Anik Khan tells Billboard. Who hasn’t been there? The rising rapper is learning about himself as he continues to represent his culture on wax.
Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Khan and his family immigrated to Queens, NY, to find “political asylum.” From the age of 14 years old, he’s turned to music to share his experiences with immigration, his culture, and his family’s struggles.
On his new EP, I Don’t Know Yet, premiered here on Billboard today (Monday, July 20), Khan takes listeners through a journey of self-discovery. I Don’t Know Yet, which opens with words from Tony Bennett from his Here & Now interview, “is about identity and learning about identity, both in music and in real life. I aren’t completely figured myself out yet, [a] part of me isn’t there.”
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“I Don’t Know Yet is the journey about how I found the balance between my Bengali household and the inner city culture I was raised in. But within that identity, I understand there’s still room to grow.”
Khan’s upbringing and musical interests are interwoven through out the 9-song EP. The 45-second interlude, “Nostalgia ’98,” samples a classic Bollywood song, “Kehta Hai Pal Pal Tumse.” “Saul Bellow,” titled after the Canadian-born Seize The Day author, features a lyrical interpolation of Gyptian‘s “You Never Know” and samples Sade‘s “It’s a Crime.” “Gina Marie” is an ode to the Queens housing building where Khan was raised. The song also features the rapper saluting his favorite rapper, also from Queens, Nas.
Check out Anik Khan’s latest video, “Nomad,” featured on I Don’t Know Yet.