Post by Dark 7 Invader on Dec 28, 2005 4:12:24 GMT -5
To many Hip Hop fans, and casual listeners alike, Jewish Hip Hop groups are known more as a joke than as legitimate artists. Parody groups such as 2 Live Jews, 50 Shekel, and Ju-Tang Clan, do more to hurt the creditability of Jews in Hip Hop, than to help their progression. While such parody acts continue to make music, there are many Jewish Hip Hop groups have been able to contribute positively to Hip Hop music and culture.
Hip Hop Hoodios, a group from New York made up of Latino Jews, is just one group to recently emerge on the Hip Hop scene. Other groups such as Chutzpah, Israeli rapper Subliminal, Hasidic Reggae artist Matisyahu, and Etan G. are also incorporating Jewish culture into their music and reaching a wide-spread fan base in the process.
Their growing presence on the music scene can also be reflective of the mending of the relationship between Jews and African Americans. In 2004 Russell Simmons teamed up with Rabbi Marc Schneier to encourage blacks and Jews to fight racism and anti-Semitism together, rather than fight against each other. Schneier works with Simmons as the head of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. Schneier recently said, “Jews view themselves as a minority when it comes to issues of race and changing demographics, and on many questions their responses are identical to those of African-American and Latino respondents…Hip-hop is a unifying force that resonates with young people.”
But Jews in Hip Hop is not a new thing. Josh Noreck, a member of the group Hip Hop Hoodios commented, “Jews have been part of hip-hop since its beginning.” So to mark the start of Chanukah (yes we know that tonight is the 3rd night) we have put together a list of Jewish Hip Hop artists and producers that have been doing their thing for years.
Here are just a few Jewish Hip Hop artists to throw on while lighting your menorahs. And of course we will give you one for each night.
Scott Storch: Why not kick off Chanukah by listening to a myriad of records produced by Scott Storch? Storch has made enough hits to provide for the entirety of Chanukah. You may know him from “Lean Back,” the summer smash by Fat Joe, but Storch has been making music for over ten years. Before the establishment of his production company, Tuff Jew, Storch was one of the original members of the Roots crew. He has also produced hits for Beyonce, Mario, Ja Rule, as well as others.
MC Serch: Steppin’ to the Festival of Lights can be livened up by throwing on some 3rd Bass. Just ask MC Serch, who as well as being one of the first white rappers to achieve success, also held it down for Jews in Hip Hop. As part of his group, 3rd Bass, Serch released such classics as “Gas Face,” and “Pop Goes the Weasel.” After stepping away a bit from the spotlight Serch helped launch the careers of other Hip Hop artists including Nas. Serch served as an executive producer for Nas’ Illmatic. He also worked in radio, hosting a morning show on WJLB in Detroit.
Beastie Boys: Another group of Jewish kids also showed the unification and boundary crossing power of Hip Hop early on. The Beastie Boys had the first rap record to go to number one, , and have remained on the cutting edge of music throughout their career. On their most recent release, To The Five Boroughs Adrock sptis, “I’m a funky-ass Jew when I’m on my way.” Other shout-outs to their Hebrew heritage include, “Opps gotcha’, clutch like Piazza, sneak between the sheets so hide the matzoh, holla back challah bread….” Aside from their music, the Beastie Boys played an instrumental role in organizing the Tibetan Freedom Concerts, as well a benefit for Jam Master Jay, and victims of 9/11.
The High and Mighty: It was seeing the Beastie Boys perform live with Public Enemy in ’86 that greatly influenced our next group, The High and Mighty. The High and Mighty, composed of DJ Mighty Mi, and Emcee Mr. Eon, have also been at it for a long time. They were a big part of the success of Rawkus Records in the nineties and helped usher in the musical changes and advances associated with the Rawkus movement. They have put out multiple projects through their own label, Eastern Conference, which has been home to Tame 1, Cage, and Copywrite over the passed few years. They released their last album, titled The 12th Man, in May 2005.
Blood of Abraham: Another group that has brought their Jewish heritage into their music is the duo known as Blood of Abraham. Made of up Benyad and Mazik, Blood of Abraham have become known for their lyrical imagery, and political energy. Their most recent effort Eyedollartree, was a concept record meant to point out the scary amount of importance people place on material wealth. Benyad explained the title as, "”a play on the word idolatry, idol worship…With all of the hype and materialism, we wanted it to show that if you're motivated by materialism, your god is really money.” The group is based in Los Angeles, and has cultivated a large following on the West Coast and beyond.
Remedy: Remedy, a member of the extended family of the Wu-Tang Clan, is another artist that brings themes of Juadism to his music. The emcee/producer appeared on the compilation, Wu-Tang Killa Bees: The Swarm, in 1997. Featured on the album was his track, “Never Again.” “Never Again” was an emotional and telling song about the Holocaust. Along with running Code Red Entertainment, Remedy is doing his part to help spread peace between Israelis and Palestinians. He recently traveled to Israel with Killah Priest to play a show and build up communication.
MC Paul Barman: Prince Paul-Protégé, MC Paul Barman, is another rapper that you may catch lighting candles. Barman was heavily influenced by the Rza and started performing while he was a student at the University of North Carolina. His debut EP, It’s Very Stimulating, was produced by Prince Paul and created a strong buzz for the emcee. His next record was Paullelujah, and further highlighted his unique writing and delivery styles.
Rick Rubin: Just as we kicked off Chanukah with an assortment of tracks from Scott Storch, we can end it by listening to the catalogue of Rick Rubin. Rick Rubin not only started Def Jam with Russell Simmons, but also produced many of its hits. Since his start with Def Jam, Rubin has grown an extremely long beard, and worked with Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Public Enemy, and most recently produced the Jay-Z smash, “99 Problems.”
As Hip Hop continues to grow, its participants become more diverse. It is extremely important to not only embrace the newcomers to Hip Hop culture, but to also remember and celebrate the culture that created it. With all the negativity Hip Hop receives, it is refreshing to regain focus on the positive side of things, and recognize Hip Hop’s power for building relationships, organizing youth leaders, and creating a language that people from all ethnicities can understand.
Source: SoundSlam
Hip Hop Hoodios, a group from New York made up of Latino Jews, is just one group to recently emerge on the Hip Hop scene. Other groups such as Chutzpah, Israeli rapper Subliminal, Hasidic Reggae artist Matisyahu, and Etan G. are also incorporating Jewish culture into their music and reaching a wide-spread fan base in the process.
Their growing presence on the music scene can also be reflective of the mending of the relationship between Jews and African Americans. In 2004 Russell Simmons teamed up with Rabbi Marc Schneier to encourage blacks and Jews to fight racism and anti-Semitism together, rather than fight against each other. Schneier works with Simmons as the head of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. Schneier recently said, “Jews view themselves as a minority when it comes to issues of race and changing demographics, and on many questions their responses are identical to those of African-American and Latino respondents…Hip-hop is a unifying force that resonates with young people.”
But Jews in Hip Hop is not a new thing. Josh Noreck, a member of the group Hip Hop Hoodios commented, “Jews have been part of hip-hop since its beginning.” So to mark the start of Chanukah (yes we know that tonight is the 3rd night) we have put together a list of Jewish Hip Hop artists and producers that have been doing their thing for years.
Here are just a few Jewish Hip Hop artists to throw on while lighting your menorahs. And of course we will give you one for each night.
Scott Storch: Why not kick off Chanukah by listening to a myriad of records produced by Scott Storch? Storch has made enough hits to provide for the entirety of Chanukah. You may know him from “Lean Back,” the summer smash by Fat Joe, but Storch has been making music for over ten years. Before the establishment of his production company, Tuff Jew, Storch was one of the original members of the Roots crew. He has also produced hits for Beyonce, Mario, Ja Rule, as well as others.
MC Serch: Steppin’ to the Festival of Lights can be livened up by throwing on some 3rd Bass. Just ask MC Serch, who as well as being one of the first white rappers to achieve success, also held it down for Jews in Hip Hop. As part of his group, 3rd Bass, Serch released such classics as “Gas Face,” and “Pop Goes the Weasel.” After stepping away a bit from the spotlight Serch helped launch the careers of other Hip Hop artists including Nas. Serch served as an executive producer for Nas’ Illmatic. He also worked in radio, hosting a morning show on WJLB in Detroit.
Beastie Boys: Another group of Jewish kids also showed the unification and boundary crossing power of Hip Hop early on. The Beastie Boys had the first rap record to go to number one, , and have remained on the cutting edge of music throughout their career. On their most recent release, To The Five Boroughs Adrock sptis, “I’m a funky-ass Jew when I’m on my way.” Other shout-outs to their Hebrew heritage include, “Opps gotcha’, clutch like Piazza, sneak between the sheets so hide the matzoh, holla back challah bread….” Aside from their music, the Beastie Boys played an instrumental role in organizing the Tibetan Freedom Concerts, as well a benefit for Jam Master Jay, and victims of 9/11.
The High and Mighty: It was seeing the Beastie Boys perform live with Public Enemy in ’86 that greatly influenced our next group, The High and Mighty. The High and Mighty, composed of DJ Mighty Mi, and Emcee Mr. Eon, have also been at it for a long time. They were a big part of the success of Rawkus Records in the nineties and helped usher in the musical changes and advances associated with the Rawkus movement. They have put out multiple projects through their own label, Eastern Conference, which has been home to Tame 1, Cage, and Copywrite over the passed few years. They released their last album, titled The 12th Man, in May 2005.
Blood of Abraham: Another group that has brought their Jewish heritage into their music is the duo known as Blood of Abraham. Made of up Benyad and Mazik, Blood of Abraham have become known for their lyrical imagery, and political energy. Their most recent effort Eyedollartree, was a concept record meant to point out the scary amount of importance people place on material wealth. Benyad explained the title as, "”a play on the word idolatry, idol worship…With all of the hype and materialism, we wanted it to show that if you're motivated by materialism, your god is really money.” The group is based in Los Angeles, and has cultivated a large following on the West Coast and beyond.
Remedy: Remedy, a member of the extended family of the Wu-Tang Clan, is another artist that brings themes of Juadism to his music. The emcee/producer appeared on the compilation, Wu-Tang Killa Bees: The Swarm, in 1997. Featured on the album was his track, “Never Again.” “Never Again” was an emotional and telling song about the Holocaust. Along with running Code Red Entertainment, Remedy is doing his part to help spread peace between Israelis and Palestinians. He recently traveled to Israel with Killah Priest to play a show and build up communication.
MC Paul Barman: Prince Paul-Protégé, MC Paul Barman, is another rapper that you may catch lighting candles. Barman was heavily influenced by the Rza and started performing while he was a student at the University of North Carolina. His debut EP, It’s Very Stimulating, was produced by Prince Paul and created a strong buzz for the emcee. His next record was Paullelujah, and further highlighted his unique writing and delivery styles.
Rick Rubin: Just as we kicked off Chanukah with an assortment of tracks from Scott Storch, we can end it by listening to the catalogue of Rick Rubin. Rick Rubin not only started Def Jam with Russell Simmons, but also produced many of its hits. Since his start with Def Jam, Rubin has grown an extremely long beard, and worked with Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Public Enemy, and most recently produced the Jay-Z smash, “99 Problems.”
As Hip Hop continues to grow, its participants become more diverse. It is extremely important to not only embrace the newcomers to Hip Hop culture, but to also remember and celebrate the culture that created it. With all the negativity Hip Hop receives, it is refreshing to regain focus on the positive side of things, and recognize Hip Hop’s power for building relationships, organizing youth leaders, and creating a language that people from all ethnicities can understand.
Source: SoundSlam