Gangis Khan is a study in contradictions.
On one hand, he is almost certainly Canada's most heavily street-certified MC. He's open about his criminal past, was the target of a 2006 nightclub shooting that left him in hospital, and both his videos and lyrics are often filled with hyper-violent imagery.
On the other hand, the Kuwait-born, India-raised, Scarborough-based rapper is exceedingly gracious and almost overly polite in person. He listens intently and has a tendency to pause and collect his thoughts before he speaks. Gangis Khan is equal parts street thug and thoughtful hip-hop scholar.
It seemed like a natural fit, then, when Wu-Tang legend Raekwon, himself a gangster/philosopher, announced that Khan would be joining his new record label, Ice H2O Canada, late last year. Khan would join Raekwon's first signee, Flow 93.5 regular and local mixtape hero JD Era, on the Ice H2O roster.
Era went on to open for the Chef on a 63-city tour and released a critically acclaimed mixtape, No Handouts, under the Ice H2O banner earlier this year. Khan's experience with Raekwon's label was much more mixed. In fact, officially speaking, he was never actually on the label at all.
Although his signing was announced late last year, Khan says he was never actually given a contract to sign until June of this year. The deal he was presented with wasn't what he'd hoped for.
“To be blunt, they weren't meeting my expectations, and I don't need that,” Khan says. “I felt I'd be giving them more than they'd be giving me.... You don't want to give me nothing, and eat off of my plate even in spite of not giving me nothing? I can't sign papers like that. If your papers weren't that shady, I could have signed that. You could have offered me a low percentage, but then slapped me something early, or you could have given me nothing, but shown me a good percentage.”
(When asked for comment, an Ice H2O rep said, “Unfortunately we did not come to a business agreement with [Khan]. We wish him the best in his career.”)
Months after the falling out, Khan is philosophical about the entire incident. He says he has no beef with Raekwon as a person, but admits that likeability doesn't necessarily make someone a good business partner. He also acknowledges that, even though the deal never went through, being associated with Ice H2O did open some doors for him.
“As far as friends, Rae is who you think he is,” Khan says. “He's a real dude, but as far as business he didn't give me a deal I was happy with.... I'm still gonna do what I do, but I'm doing bigger things 'cause of what happened.”
As a result of this newfound interest, Khan is getting ready for a makeover in terms of both sound and image. He says he's been working on what he calls “commercial music.” The decision was inspired, in part, by a recent trip back to India.
“Indian people love to dance, and when I played there, the song that really made them go crazy was my one soca song, 'She Wan Di Wuk,'” he says. “And you know, that's people everywhere, they just want to go out and dance and have a good time.”
Khan adds that his reputation as a former hustler who makes aggressive music earned him a die-hard fan base, but it's also made it harder to reach the next level of success.
“I'm living the life of a superstar. I really am,” he says. “I just don't get paid like a superstar. I can't set foot anywhere without having someone say 'Yo, are you Gangis Khan? Can I get a picture with you? Can I get your autograph?' But I don't get money like that.... No one feels safe with this really hardcore rapper coming to their club. The girls don't like it. Even if they think you're cute, they're not going to come out with their friends, and if the girls don't come out, the guys don't come out. It's like this spiral of negativity.”
Khan has already started to branch out. Earlier this year, Khan collaborated with bhangra artist Deep Jandu on a song called “Gaddi.” The two decided to keep working together, and are now finishing up an album.
“Deep and I was supposed to be just business, but our crews really clicked,” Khan says. “The whole album is coming out with house beats, bhangra beats, Indian beats, but very friendly music. Dance music, nothing silly ... if the beats are hip-hop, it's going to be something Jay-Z or Rick Ross would use.... My videos aren't going to be not shot in the hood with a Canon 5D. It's going to be slick.”
Much of it is also going to be done overseas. While Khan is emphatic that he'd never abandon his current fans, or Toronto – he refers to the city as “his base” and promises to keep releasing 20-song mixtapes of “grimy shit” for his hardcore fans – he's decided to relocate for a few months while he unveils his new sound. Khan says he's going to set up shop in Europe for a few months while he hones his new, club-friendly sound, and is also finalizing plans for an Indian tour.
“I realize they rate you more [in Toronto] if you blow somewhere else,” says Khan. “My introduction to Germany, Sweden, U.K., India, Dubai, even most of Canada, is going to be this commercial music.”
Check out the latest Gangis Khan mixtape, The People's Champ.
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