Hip Hop Into Your Raw Self with Zainab Hasnain FKA ZEEMUFFIN (Dec 2022)

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When we first sat down with Zainab Hasnain — DJ, producer, and writer FKA ZEEMUFFIN — back in 2022, she was already doing something remarkable: carving out space as a Pakistani immigrant woman in one of the most male-dominated creative industries in New York City. We're re-releasing this conversation now because a lot has changed since then, and we think it's worth revisiting.

Since this episode was recorded, Zainab has played Boiler Room, Governors Ball, and Glastonbury. She opened for Palestinian-Chilean artist Elyanna across her sold-out North American Tour. She's been featured in the New York Times and appeared in the Gap's Summer Campaign. Original music is on the way.

But this conversation is about how she got here — and it's just as compelling now as it was then.

We talk about growing up between Lahore and Long Island, learning the viola, falling in love with punk and hip hop, and eventually trading a career in finance and tech for a pair of turntables. We get into what it means to be a Pakistani woman taking up space in DJ culture, the parallels between hip hop and immigrant identity, how gentrification threatens the authenticity of Black art forms, and why Zainab believes DJing is, at its core, an act of empathy.

We also talk about food. Because on Immigrantly, we always talk about food.

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Host & Producer: Saadia Khan I Content Writer: Saadia Khan I Editorial review: Shei Yu I Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Immigrantly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound

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