SoundTreks: Jewish Hip-Hop

First up, that collection I mentioned above, which includes tracks by several of the artists I'll discuss here. A truly global compilation that was assembled for Craig Taubman's Jewish music series, Celebrate Hip Hop includes Mook E from Israeli hip-hop group Shabak Samech, Russian hip-hop crew iSQUAD (whose members live all over the place and create their music virtually), New York indie-hopper Remedy and LA's Blood of Abraham (who were once signed to Eazy-E's Ruthless Records). Here's the rest of the review:

The hip-hop celebrated on this compilation (from Craig Taubman's Jewish music series) is multilingual, international and Jewish. Some of it works (Mook E's call for understanding in the Middle East), some of it really works (Solomon and Socalled's fly Yiddish beats) and some of it gets a mite uncomfortable (Antithesis' Zionist finger-pointing "Just Peace"). But overall, there's quite a lot to celebrate.--Rachel Devitt
Further listening: Blood of Abraham, Eyedollartree



Also featured on Celebrate Hip Hop is New York outfit Hip Hop Hoodios. This multilingual Jewish Latino trio (their name is a play on the judios, the Spanish word for Jews) have made a career out of mocking themselves, their unconventional position in the hip-hop world and the "rules" that make them stick out. Check out Sarah Bardeen's review of their recent album, Carne Masada (and whatever you do, do NOT miss "Havana Nagila"):

In their intermittent career, the Hip Hop Hoodios have made a living out of playing with any and every stereotype associated with being a) Jewish b) Latino c) rappers. With songs like "Kike on the Mic" and "Dicks and Noses," it's pretty impossible to take them entirely seriously. But amid all the pranks and cultural button-pushing, these guys always step up with great instrumentation and lyrical skills that extend well beyond clowning. If nothing else, you'll be shocked into grudging admiration when you hear how many double entendres can be wrung from dreidels and matzo balls.--Sarah Bardeen
Further Listening: Hip Hop Hoodios, Agua Pa' La Gente



Another purveyor of playful hip-hop is Montreal's Socalled. While Hip Hop Hoodios are more invested in taking the wind out of racist stereotypes and urban race relations, Socalled uses his cheeky wit to draw quirky connections between, for instance, vintage Yiddish theatre and Killah Priest. All his stuff is pretty great, but I think The Socalled Seder is probably my favorite:

Do you find yourself sitting around the same old Seder table every year, wishing your Pesach had more pizzazz? Sure, you've got your three cups, your four questions, your ten plagues. Still, something's missing, but what? Socalled's got the answer: Killah Priest. And P. Love and Matisyahu -- oh, and a host of beats culled from klezmer grooves and vintage Yiddish theater recordings. If it sounds like a gimmick, that's because it is. But it's also as fierce as a plague of locusts and as smooth as Seder wine -- quality hip-hop from an emcee/producer whose skills are as formidable as his schtick.--Rachel Devitt
Further Listening: Solomon and Socalled, HipHopKhasene


Finally, we've got Tomer Yosef, who's been a standup comedian, an actor and a vocalist who has clocked some serious time with Balkan Beat Box. These days, he is in the business of making dub-happy, Middle Eastern pop-sampling, Hebrew hip-hop, a la his critically acclaimed 2008 album Laughing Underground. Here's what Sarah Bardeen had to say:

Tomer Yosef spends his time singing/rapping about either politics or girls -- two very worthy subjects -- though you're going to have to brush up on your Hebrew if you want to get the deets. But you won't need a translator for these grooves, which filter snarky hip-hop through Israeli and Middle Eastern pop, detouring through Jamaica for the tub-thumping basslines. This is the cutting edge of the global ghetto, urban music for the multi-lingual masses who first found themselves quaking to Manu Chao and now can't stop their ears from seeking out previously hidden corners of the musical universe.--Sarah Bardeen




A few more albums that aren't purely hip-hop but share an aesthetic kinship with the rest of these artists:
Balkan Beat Box: Nu Med
Matisyahu: Youth
Various artists: JDub Presents: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Jewish Music