Born in Yemen, Elbaneh lived in the United States, where he maintained a "spotty work history", with his longest stint being at a New York cheese factory.
bˈɔːɹn ɪn jˈɛmən, ˈɛlbeɪnˌeɪ lˈɪvd ɪnðə juːnˈaɪɾᵻd stˈeɪts, wˌɛɹ hiː meɪntˈeɪnd ˈeɪ "spˈɑːɾi wˈɜːk hˈɪstɚɹi", wɪð hɪz lˈɔŋɡɪst stˈɪnt bˌiːɪŋ æɾə nˈuː jˈɔːɹk tʃˈiːz fˈæktɚɹi.