Anik Khan is a Bangladeshi-American rapper and singer-songwriter based in New York City, and a helluva storyteller through his music. Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and raised in Queens, New York, Khan’s early life was influenced by his immigrant experience and the diverse cultures around him. He discovered hip-hop at a young age, remembering the moment he first heard DMX’s Ruff Ryders’ Anthem on a bootleg cassette, a moment that sparked his love for the genre and set him on a journey of musical exploration.

Khan released his first EP, I Don’t Know Yet, in 2015, featuring tracks like Shadows and The Knowing, which reflected his journey of self-discovery and experimentation. His 2017 debut album, Kites, explored identity, mixing South Asian and West Indian influences while addressing themes of love, immigrant pride, and cultural heritage. Songs such as Cleopatra, Habibi, and Columbus established Khan as an artist with a talent for sharp and compelling storytelling.

Now, with his full-length album ONĒK, Khan has returned with a record that is expansive and intimate, created across five countries and featuring eight languages. The album reflects his personal experiences as an immigrant while maintaining a universal resonance, exploring identity and spirituality. In a recent interview with View of the Arts, Khan discussed how his upbringing, family, and travels shaped the album’s sound and narrative, emphasising that his music continues to balance personal storytelling with broader cultural commentary, all while pushing hip-hop forward with his unique global Queens flavour.

My legacy is to push the culture, challenge the norm, and constantly strive for the best art I possibly can. That’s the only thing in my control- the rest I’ll let the people do. 

View of the Arts: Before we discuss your album, let’s talk about how it all started. Was music a path that has always called to you – was there a moment when you realised that music was for you? 

Anik Khan: I remember buying a cassette tape of It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot by DMX. It was a bootleg, so it didn’t start at the intro – I hit play and heard the beginning of “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem.” Something physically changed in my body; I felt more confident and walked with a certain lean, a bop. From that moment, I knew I had a connection to hip-hop in a way I couldn’t explain.

VOA: Your album ONĒK opens with Came From, a track that explores the immigrant experience. How has your own journey influenced the way you tell stories through your music, and how do you approach the balance between personal narrative and broader cultural commentary? When you were writing this song, what was your state of mind? I find the album fascinating because it weaves together so many different themes and perspectives.

AK: Thank you for the compliment. I’m glad it resonated with you. My journey is all I have, so my music is directly influenced by very personal experiences. I don’t consciously think about the balance; it just happens. When I’m speaking for myself, I know I’m also speaking for other immigrants who have dealt with this. I speak about me, but I know that “me” resonates as a “we.” This record was written three years ago, but I’ve been writing about immigrants my entire career. My state of mind was reflective; I was thinking back on my life and just let it flow out of me.

VOA: You’ve described yourself as a “third culture kid,” mixing South Asian roots with global sounds. How do you manage the tension between honouring tradition and pushing the boundaries of contemporary hip-hop?

AK: I don’t feel any tension at all. I naturally want to provide a breath of fresh air to hip-hop. I am a guest in Black music; I grew up among Black people – I used to want to assimilate into Black culture. But Black people are the very ones who taught me to be proud of where I’m from and what I represent. Guyanese people love being Guyanese, Puerto Ricans love being Puerto Rican – it took me a while, but I love being Bangladeshi. And the global Queens flavour I bring to hip-hop is what makes me stand out and earn respect, because I’m proudly standing in who I am and what I represent.

VOA: Tracks like Spoiled Brown Men explore identity and masculinity in nuanced ways. What inspired you to confront these themes, and how do you hope listeners, particularly from similar backgrounds, engage with them?

AK: Spoiled Brown Men is about me and the important women in my life checking me. Although I didn’t grow up financially spoiled, I was emotionally spoiled. The way my older sisters and mother spoiled me directly affected my romantic relationships. The male hierarchy in South Asian culture is real, and I wanted to address it through my personal lens. I hope men listen and feel inspired to look inward – maybe have a conversation with their lady, and more importantly, with themselves.

VOA: ONĒK was recorded in five countries and features eight languages. How did working across borders and languages influence your creative process, and what does it say about the universality of your themes?

AK: Being able to travel has changed my life. I grew up in Queens and had the entire world in my backyard – and to visit the places that influenced me was incredible. Eating their food, learning their language, going to their parties, experiencing their music – global music is a ritual bond; it’s ancestral, and I wanted to show how universally aligned the Global South is, how we can weave in and out of rhythm and still feel the connection.

VOA: Infinite Netic combines themes of legacy and empowerment. How do you see your music contributing to a broader cultural legacy? 

AK: My legacy is to push the culture, challenge the norm, and constantly strive for the best art I possibly can. That’s the only thing in my control- the rest I’ll let the people do. 

VOA: You’ve spoken about embracing “new, fearless ways of expression.” In an industry often described by expectation and trend, how do you maintain artistic authenticity while taking creative risks?

AK: I think this is an artist’s biggest battle. It’s a difficult time to be a recording artist. What’s the balance between following a trend so you can get in the door versus playing the long game and doing it your way? That’s a question only an artist in that situation can answer. Personally, I’d rather get a job and make the music I want to make than put out something that doesn’t align with my artistry. I do think I’ll have to balance politics as I grow, but that’s true of any job – and I’ll do it with good intentions and a team I can lean on.

My music is directly influenced by very personal experiences. I don’t consciously think about the balance; it just happens. When I’m speaking for myself, I know I’m also speaking for other immigrants who have dealt with this.

VOA: You do rap and sing, so I was wondering, how does your creative process differ when you create rap sections from the vocal parts?

AK: This is such a dope question! I’ve never been asked this before. For singing, it’s all melody first, lyrics later. For raps, I go verses first and don’t care if I end up with a chorus. It’s interesting – when I sing, I can’t write a verse without knowing what the chorus is. But when I rap, I gotta make sure the opening line is a bar for the ages [laughs].

VOA: You collaborated with a few artists on this release, including Karpe, Ali Sethi, Ginni, Moh Flow & Ruby, Nesta, Netic, and Surtaal Singh. What was that experience like for you? Were there any artistic differences between you and the artists during the recording process? 

AK: Everyone was such a pleasure to work with. I met these people in different places – for example, I met Moh Flow in Dubai and Ali in Brooklyn [laughs]. They all brought their own flavor to these records, and it was such a pleasure watching their process compared to mine.

VOA: For this album, what kind of approach did you use when writing your lyrics? 

AK: I thought about deep personal experiences and wrote them in a way that felt universal. I love wit – I grew up with Jay-Z as one of my favorite rappers. I love a double entendre, a metaphor, and wordplay. I naturally end up including those in my lyrics.

VOA: While I would love to dive into every track on ONĒK, that would be impossible in one sitting. Instead, I’d like to focus on Ma’s Dua. Was the intro conversation actually between you and your mother? Could you share what the creative process for this song was like, and how your mother has shaped your life – both as a man and as an artist?

AK: Thank you for wanting to do that! Yes, my mother did not know I was recording her. I asked her what her view on God was and why it was important to her, because she’s constantly wanting God to be a part of my life. And God is.

Our push and pull has been her wanting me to view God the way she does. And while I can argue with my immigrant mother and challenge her, there are times I believe it’s not worth the battle. I’ve learned the phrase to use when I don’t want to argue: “Pray for me, Ma,” because it aligns with her belief that enough prayer will make things work out.

My mother is an interesting character. We are two very different people. We butt heads often, but we love each other deeply. She’s stern, assertive, and powerful, but also soft, nurturing, and kind. When she’s mad, she’s very mad. When she’s happy, she’s very happy. There’s no in-between with that woman – bless her heart [laughs].

As a man, she’s shaped me to be kind, thoughtful, and… clean, [laughs]. The way I OD and clean my house is a direct influence from my mother. I get my spirituality from her – she found God, and she finds solace in prayer. That inspires me every day.

Written and interviewed by Maggie Gogler

Featured image © Fathima Mehreen

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to films, music, and the arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. With rich content already available to our readers, we aim to expand our reach and grow alongside our audience by delving deeper into emerging platforms such as K-pop and Asian music more broadly. At the same time, we remain committed to exploring the vibrant and ever-evolving global landscape of film, music, and the arts, celebrating the immense talent and creativity that define these industries worldwide.}