Meet Gerson Heiland aka Kiman…The Man With The White Gloves

Photo: The Hague entrepreneur and artist Gerson Heiland. ©Anthony Allen

From the outside who is Gerson Heiland

Gerson Heiland is an artist and entrepreneur who artistically goes by the name Kiman. (pronounced Khi-Mahn) He has African roots both of his parents who were born and raised on the Cape Verdean islands. ( ten islands before the west coast of Africa.) His mother migrated in the late seventies from Africa to Europe. He was born in Holland on July 25th, 1982 in Rotterdam, a city in Holland. He now currently lives in The Hague. Where he owns his own barbershop, and entertainment company, and his own music studio. He speaks 3 languages and he enjoys traveling.

What brought you to the entertainment industry, music specifically?

I think my love for music, film, and good conceptual stories brought me to the entertainment industry. As a kid growing up I would always dream about the spotlights. I would spend a lot of time listening to music and watching movies. At a young age, I would read books, draw pictures, and, write stories to play them off in my head. But I think my real turning point was after the summer of 1995. This is when I heard Ice Cream from Raekwon’s album Only Built For Cuban Link on MTV. It felt like a melodic blend of timing and the right vibrations that helped me formulate my vision. These vibrations came to me in the form of a composition of melodic strings of a mysterious intriguing guitar. The witty lyrics and the gritty drums sparked something deep inside of me. The music resonated on a deep spiritual never experienced level, but yet so familiar. While listening to the record I immediately became interested in who could be behind the production of the music. I soon learned about this man and the Wu-Tang Clan as a Hip Hop collective. The whole movement further inspired me to pursue my rollercoaster adventure, towards the entertainment industry.

What do you want people to get from your music?

Music brings people together, it’s a universal language that’s understood by many people around the world. Every creation in life is about making connections, spiritually, physically, and mentally. So I want people to connect. I feel like everyone will experience my music in a different way. But I definitely hope that it will inspire people, and guide those in need. I know sometimes we just have to follow the music, I mean that’s what I did.

Tell us about your current project

I traveled to the U.K. in 2018 to meet up with, one of Dr. Dre’s, Aftermath producer Focus who was invited to a jury for a producers event. It was brought to my knowledge through social media, that he was in London. So I closed up shop, packed my bags, and made my way to London.

After arriving at the venue, the event had already started closing. After the event, I met up with Focus backstage. He wanted to know what my story was so I told him about it. I also told him that we had met years earlier during a show in Holland when he was working with another Dutch artist and a mutual friend. And that I was a fan of his work he did with numerous A-list artists such as 50 Cent, Beyonce, etc. We then landed on the fact that I had purchased beats years ago from his colleague producer and friend, DJ Khalil through Cilvaringz who told me that he was mediating for selling DJ Khalil’s beats. After he wrote me an agreement which we both signed. I ended up paying Cilvaringz for these beats. But never got the stems of the beats. Focus ended up calling DJ Khalil and he confirmed that he didn’t know anything about it.

It was a disappointment, but still Focus offered to produce beats for my project. The crazy part was when I found out that, Focus was approached earlier by Cilvaringz to produce, for the Wu-Tang- Once Upon A Time in Shaolin project. We had an interesting convo before he left the venue with his manager. I then started recording and writing more music.

I then founded my own entertainment company Artificium Entertainment Group and signed myself to the company. The first record to drop is called The Man With The White Gloves (TMWTWG) who is produced by music producer Focus. With this record, Kiman attempts to reveal the dark veil covering the whole situation behind Once upon a time in Shaolin -Wu-tang Million dollar album. The project that I was closely involved in since the beginning. Shortly after, Focus made a beat that originally was meant to be on Eminem’s album. I ended up getting the beat from Focus. The beat later became the record Tumbling Down. Focus and I also worked on a record together with him doing the chorus, the record is called Anything For You. I got to thank him for that and all of the other musical gems that he has provided me. The first part of his project is called Man Wants Power (MWP) it was supposed to drop on October 8th this year but got postponed, because of the status quo with the Coronavirus pandemic.

For new listeners, what song of yours would you pick as an introduction to you as an artist?

Definitely The Man With The White Gloves (TMWTWG) I think that the concept embodies the whole confidant persona, the investor, and project advisor of the Wu-Tang Once Upon A Time In Shaolin project that I was involved in. My focus on this record wasn’t to make a hit record. It’s a message expressed in a cinematic way.

You have an interesting connection with Wu-Tang Clan tell us about that!

I first met the Wu-Tang Clan in 2004 backstage at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam through a producer I was working with at the time. The producer was working with another artist who happened to be the opening act, for the Wu-Tang world tour. The first time that I’ve met RZA was inside the backstage elevator of HMH in Amsterdam. We have met years later in New York at the MOMA PS1 in Queens, during the presentation of Once upon a time in Shaolin. I was in charge of the box so I was strictly guarded, by a number of security guards, in made-to-measure suits. I also wore a black suit and I had white velvet gloves on while I was transporting the Pandora’s box. From the museum to the exhibition space where the box was placed on an altar so that the art object for the first time could be publicly revealed to 300 guests, consisting of fans, journalists, businessmen, and key figures from the media world. We traveled back to New York later that same year to rendezvous with RZA we visited the Shaolin temple and prepared to sell the album to Martin Shkreli. Shortly after Shkreli was arrested by the FBI.

After the selling Cilvaringz contacted me, asking me to invest again, this time in the Wu-Tang Clan documentary, that Netflix just announced to do about the whole story.

Blackdecember, my artwork guy who earlier made amazing artwork for Vintage Woodworks, an entertainment company Cilvaringz and I was planning to formulate to produce and to release a sequel to Killah Priest’s classic album Heavy Mental. We came close to bringing that project to life, but it didn’t happen. We then decided to move forward, thats where Heavier Mental evolved in Once upon a time in Shaolin.

I later appeared in the book of Once upon a time in Shaolin and, in the Wu-Tang documentary ‘Mics Of Men’.

What has happened with your payments for that project?

Briefly, I didn’t receive what I deserve nor did I receive what had been negotiated.

The story made world news, how has that affected your career?

Yes, it did. It has closed and has opened a lot of doors in terms of family, friendships, and business. With all the ups and downs, am still proud and excited to be a part of the Wu-Tang million dollar album – Once upon a time in Shaolin.

Tell us a bit about your work and passions outside of music…

I own a barbershop in the Hague which is also a passion of mine. When I started this, I really wanted to create a concept with a luxurious gentleman’s cave theme, with the right experience. I had centralized an old brown oak bar, in the middle of the shop and I basically built the shop around it. Wooden custom made cabinets, chique black and gold mirrors, and an old vintage green Chesterfield couch sit’s partially on a cow skin carpet.

It looks like a setting from a movie, the ambiance, the lightning it’s a place to network, which happens here on the regular all in society experience.

Last but not least, The Hype Magazine wants to know your biggest WTF moment?!

I remember in New York, before selling the album to Martin Shkreli, we went out for dinner to a restaurant with the entourage.

After dinner, we left the restaurant. I was holding the box on our way to the office, when we came to the realization that the senior advisor, forgot the Wu-Tang Million dollar album, under a table in a restaurant. Which at this point was his responsibility. Yo where’s the album?! While Cilvaringz and Cyrus were still rooted on the pavement, in complete shock and disbelief. I gave them the box to hold it. And I took off. I ran back for a block or so, all the way back to the same restaurant in an attempt, to find the now lost, Wu-Tang Million dollar album. When I arrived in the restaurant, the manager had the knapsack with the actual album in his hands. After a few question’s he handed over the knapsack to me. I went back outside walking back to regroup. Everyone was delighted and relieved to see me come back with the retrieved album. At this point, I decided to take full responsibility for all the packages, the album, the book, and the box. This all happened an hour before meeting up with Martin and his team, at the lawyer’s office to present the album, and to close the deal. I guess I lived up to my last name, which means The Saviour.

Website: www.kimanofficial.com

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About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.