uring
the dizzying sound check for the Keith Murray/Kurupt
concert at the
Northgate Theatre, the opening acts rushed to make sure
their mics were in
cue, the music was right and the base was on point. In the
distance, there
stood a man—a bit apprehensive, but prepared for whatever
came his way. He
waited eagerly in the background as if wanting to escape
from stardom. At
this point, it seemed as if finding Neema’s true character
would be
impossible. Upon taking the stage however, he took on a
completely different
demeanor. Having women in an almost erotic frenzy, and the
men bobbing their
heads, Neema served the small crowd with an unexpected
commencement.
Neema Khorrami, better known as Unexpected Arrival, is a
cool, down-to-earth
rapper with a shaved head and an unprecedented love for
hip hop. With an
infamous West Coast vernacular, Khorrami expresses his
passion for the art
of rap. “When you get that new beat and it’s just crackin,’
that’s one of
the best feelings in the world.”
Khorrami, 21, has been in the rap game for years and has
felt the fury and
the love of trying to make a name for himself. Many are
familiar with his
“If We Try” track, which had heavy rotation on 104.5 FM.
His widely viewed
song however, is only a bite of the whole pie that sits in
the oven waiting
to be cooled off. His upcoming album includes a hot,
fast-talking
collaboration with Twista entitled, “Everything.”
Imagine the challenges faced by someone from Seattle
trying to make their
mark in the rap game. Now imagine this person is a
half-Puerto Rican,
half-Persian 21-year-old who humbly puts other people
before himself.
Growing up in Kenmore, WA and attending
predominantly-white Inglemoore High
School, no doubt forced Khorrami to complete an arduous
task: prove his
credibility to a somewhat skeptical urban audience. For
Khorrami however,
this wasn’t hard to do. His unique, laid-back style
doesn’t boast about sex,
money or hoes. In fact, he rarely even curses in his
songs.
While things seem to be looking up for Khorrami, that
hasn’t always been the
case. He has lived what may seem to be a blessed life, but
he has also had
his share of let downs. One of the hardest ones to grasp?
A demo deal with
MCA that went awry. Working harder than a Jamaican with
six jobs, he now
spends most of his time promoting his album, trying to
find a label, and on
some nights, you can even catch him outside of a club
passing out
promotional materials. Khorrami admits,
“Twenty-four-seven, I’m either
promoting or in the studio recording or slanging CDs,” he
says. “You’re
constantly in the streets.”
Though his set in Northgate was only a couple songs long
and he was forced
to perform for an agitated crowd that demanded their money
back because the
two headliners didn’t show, Khorrami quickly turned
cynical, scrunched
grills into head-bobbing, appreciative faces.
Unexpected Arrival has all the right ingredients of
becoming the best thing
to hit Seattle since Starbucks. What makes him an eligible
contender
however, is not by way of the typical gangsta struggle,
but his passion for
hip hop and his altruistic attitude. He consistently
showed love to other
local artists like Mista Ock, Sleep, Aquino, and Street
Level. With the
success of If We Try and upcoming shows with big names
like Twista, it’s
safe to say that Seattlelites may soon be “finding Neema”
in heavy rotation
on popular radio stations throughout the country. So while
Khorrami may
appear to be somewhat timid and a little overly humble, he
inevitably is
simply attempting to balance out the frenzied demands of
the music
industry—he’s an observer, rather than an orator. He’s an
entertainer rather
than simply an artist. And most importantly, he’s a humble
man rather than a
self-seeking one.
