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Queens College alum Asif Rahman, a former Knight News staff writer and graphic designer who was also known for his freestyle rapping, died on Thursday, Feb. 28.
Rahman, of Jamaica, was killed in an accident while riding his bicycle in Elmhurst, according to a Daily News brief.
As a graphic design major, Rahman designed four of the Knight News literary issues covers, said former staff writer Carl Keil. He "was always busy," said Keil, and was ever-changing in his works and projects. "He really developed himself so much since I met him," he said. Rahman also helped design Web sites, cards and flyers in his graphic design work.
Rahman wrote several articles, including restaurant reviews on Japanese and Afghan restaurants.
Graphic design and writing weren't his only talents.
"Later on what I discovered was that he was an underground hip-hop artist," former opinions and managing editor Max Rodriguez said.
Rahman enjoyed writing and rapping out his rhymes on stage and in the subways. He called himself "the metaphysical lyrical wizard" and still has a MySpace profile under the same name.
YouTube videos of him free-styling, as well as blogs about him and his work, still remain posted on the Internet.
His profile includes photos and videos of him as well as some of his songs. In his song "MagiCarpet Buddah Fingaz," he says:
This magic carpet was made for only I, And little princess Jasmine sittin' on the side… I meditate while you try to self-perpetuate, I'm rhyming high on my flows as I levitate…
He was close-knit with some of those on the Knight News staff who heard him soap box. Rodriguez and Keil both considered Rahman "very friendly" towards anyone he knew.
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