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I had a pretty unconventional upbringing. I had foreign parents who didn’t know anything about anything here. They only knew Iranian music. We had our VHS collection from Iran and didn’t have cable. I was always starving to watch MTV or BET.

I would ride with my dad to these car auctions in Detroit and was really impressed by “swag.” I remember thinking, “I want to be the swaggiest person; I want to be a rapper.” I really appreciated this persona, like an emcee. They embody this energy that’s confident and powerful. I saw that in the attitude, which back then was such a part of pop culture. I just signed on to it. I would steal my dad’s pager and put on my belt strap. - Rahill Jamalifard



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