TIMZ

Born Thomas Hanna, Timz brought an uncommon Chaldean perspective into hip-hop as an Iraqi-American MC who entered San Diego, CA’s rap scene simply by staying true to himself. His parents had fled Baghdad for the neighboring city of El Cajon in the 1970s to escape the Iraqi dictatorship’s persecution of Chaldeans, arriving well before Hanna’s birth. While assisting at the family liquor store as a child, the Chaldean rapper developed a lasting interest in both American urban music and Iraqi/Middle Eastern traditions. After finishing his undergraduate degree at the University of San Diego in 2005, he began a professional career that fused those two worlds. His history-focused antiwar single “Iraq” drew both praise and criticism, securing spots on Fox News, a televised exchange with Chuck Norris, and airings on Al Jazeera while also receiving steady college-radio rotation across the country. The 2006 release Open for Business, his first full-length album, was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Album at the San Diego Music Awards.