Shaheen, also known as the Friendly Neighborhood Persian Rapper, is an Iranian-American hip-hop artist originally from Connecticut, and currently Los Angeles, California. Shaheen fell in love with Hip Hop music at a young age when a friend let him borrow his mp3 player and heard Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” for the first time. At the age of 15, Shaheen began writing lyrics and started recording music shortly after, spending many years after school and college classes practicing and developing his skill. Staying true to the art form of rap, Shaheen is known for his multi-syllable rhyme schemes while sharing stories, connecting with his audience through emotions expressed through his lyrics Though influenced by many Hip Hop artists, Shaheen’s inspiration comes from Hip Hop made during the 1990s and 2000s, appreciative of the lyrical subgenre of Hip-Hop. Some of his biggest inspirations include Eminem, Nas, Tupac, Fort Minor, Lupe Fiasco, Kendrick Lamar, Ab Soul, J Cole, and countless others. Noticing the lack of good representation of the Iranian community, Shaheen aims to use musical talent to combat negative Middle-Eastern stereotypes. There is a lot of social commentary in his music as well, that goes beyond racism. Through his music, he highlights some of the depression and mental health issues he faced growing up, and is motivated to help elevate people and encourage people to commit to becoming the strongest versions of themselves.