His debut album “Let The Truth Be Known” (G.U.T.S./DEP/Universal) was released in March 2008, hitting the Soundscan Charts at an impressive 6 in its first week. The video for the first single, Haven’t Seen U Smile earned quick praise, scooping an Honorable Mention award at the 2008 Toronto Reel World Film Festival and becoming one of the first urban videos to receive a ‘featured’ selection on YouTube.com, with more than 326,000 views and counting.
“It’s taken us 11 years to put this album out...
His debut album “Let The Truth Be Known” (G.U.T.S./DEP/Universal) was released in March 2008, hitting the Soundscan Charts at an impressive 6 in its first week. The video for the first single, Haven’t Seen U Smile earned quick praise, scooping an Honorable Mention award at the 2008 Toronto Reel World Film Festival and becoming one of the first urban videos to receive a ‘featured’ selection on YouTube.com, with more than 326,000 views and counting.
“It’s taken us 11 years to put this album out,” says Imaan, whose name is one of the five pillars of Islam. Imaan means ‘faith’ and it’s considered the most important. “This album is the story of my life over the last 10 years or so. It’s about my experiences of hip-hop in New York, L.A., Europe and Iran.
“It’s not just about money, girls and cars,” he explains. “It’s about dignity, pride and the desire to help your fellow human beings. I want to help everybody help themselves.”
A cast of heavyweights worked on the CD, which includes contributions from Mopreme Shakur and Big Syke, part of ‘Pac’s Thug Life crew, who worked on the lead single. Tupac Shakur’s former producer, Johnny J, Juno-winning rapper Snow and DJ-producer Clinton Sparks also worked alongside special guests Freeway, TQ, Sasha, Colby O’Donnis and others to produce this magical album.
A huge of fan Tupac, Imaan’s flow pays props to his idol, but carves out his own identity in the process. Imaan’s growing presence within Toronto’s Persian urban music community matches his clout across the globe - in Los Angeles, New York and of course in Iran, thanks to an active Internet buzz and his cleverly-produced videos.
Faith in God and his talent has not only given Imaan strength to persevere in the fickle hip-hop industry, but also to deal with personal health problems that might have felled lesser men. Imaan has glaucoma in his left eye, and while his sight may have fallen, his vision of the future never wavered. It’s a condition he shares with US freedom fighter Dr. Mutulu Shakur, the incarcerated adoptive father of Tupac who Imaan regularly corresponds with for advice on everything from health issues to music
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