Rapping on Jerusalem’s door

November 10, 2010 - 10:48 AM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Israeliness, Life, Music, Pop Culture, Religion 

Brothers separated at birth - Shyne and the author. (Photo: Marc Israel Sellum)

Many people end up spending time in Jerusalem, seeking spiritual direction and a connection to their Jewish roots. But few have an interesting a story as Moshe Levy Ben David – or as he is better known throught the hip hop world – Shyne.

A decade ago, as a 20-year-old Belize-born, New York street rapper – he was on top of the world – signed to Sean Combs’ (P. Diddy) label and recording his debut album. However, a nightclub shooting incident, in which Shyne claims he was protecting Combs, ended up with three people injured and a 10-year prison term for Shyne. Meanwhile his record was released and rose to the top of the hip hop charts making the rapper a household name in the urban community.

With an Ethiopian Jewish grandmother, Shyne returned to his roots while in prison, becoming observant, keeping kosher and celebrating Shabbat. Upon his release from prison last year, he was deported from the US and returned to Belize. But last Rosh Hashana, he decided to make his first visit to Israel, and he’s been a regular visitor ever since, spending most of his time here over the last three months.

Depending on the day, Shyne is dressed either in full haredi garb of the Hassidic Belz sect, or in a hip hop basketball shirt and baseball cap.
He’s become an ubiquitous presence in Jerusalem in recent weeks, whether it’s hosting a delegation of Def Jam executives last week to discuss his new album which they’re going to release early next year, working out at the David Citadel fitness center, studying at Or Sameach yeshiva or visiting the Gilad Schalit tent to talks with Noam and Aviva Schalit.

Whether or not his devotion to Judaism and Israel is a phase which will dissipate if a petition to pardon him and enable his return to the US is accepted by New York Governor David Paterson, Shyne seems sincere about his connection to the country and his faith, even undergoing a conversion process recently that Ethiopian immigrants take part in to erase any doubts of their Jewishness.

“I plan on making aliya and buying a home here,” he told me when we met at the Mamilla Hotel last week. “So even if I’m not really here, my soul will be. It will be my stake in the ground here.”

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Jazzy Jay and other esoteria

January 5, 2009 - 11:40 PM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, General, History and Culture, Music, Pop Culture 

Jazzy JayJust because the Israeli concert-going market can’t support more than one or two performances from A-list-ers like Paul McCartney each summer, doesn’t mean that we need to deal with washed-up international talents like Deep Purple the rest of the time.

The best of the not-quite-mainstream pop talent whose art is uncompromised, esoteric and less disposable have been entertaining us here more and more often, whether it’s Devendra Bernhardt, Low, Blonde Redhead, Lee “Scratch” Perry or Morrissey. Thankfully, more and more performers along these lines have been making their way to Israeli stages in recent years.

And despite the ongoing violence in the south of the country in recent weeks, the show must go on. No notices announcing a cancellation of this Friday’s Urbanology Festival have reached this cultural correspondent’s desk so far, which means that old-school talent DJ Jazzy Jay is still expected to hit the decks this weekend at the Cult Club at Herzl St. 154, Tel Aviv (tickets available at 057-777-4422).

Jazzy Jay is one of the founding fathers of hip hop. A scratch turntablism pioneer, he spun at street parties in the Bronx in the late Seventies and in downtown Manhattan clubs in the early Eighties. Part of Afrika Bambaataa’s Universal Zulu Nation collective, Jay was also a co-founder of the influential Def Jam Recordings. His “It’s Yours” single was the label’s first-ever release, and he helped broker the partnership between notorious trailblazing rap moguls Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons. His own Jazzy Jay’s Studio was an early home to luminaries like A Tribe Called Quest Brand Nubian.

Jay comes to Israel for the Cult Club’s Urbanology party, branded as a celebration of everything associated with old-school hip hop culture – rap, breakdancing, graffiti and more. Events like these have been taking place at venues across Israel for years, but none with a marquee performer of this stature. Other participants include local talents like the disco funk-fixated DJ Alarm, DJ Mesh, local old-schoolers Quami and Kottage, the Tachlis Band and alt-rappers Peled and Ortega.

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