Monday, October 31, 2011

Response Nov. 2

Palestinian vs. Israeli Rap:

Although each site was extremely interesting, for this reading response I wanted to focus on the Palestinian and Israeli rappers. I really enjoyed the Palestinian rapper, Prince of Jerusalem. I think his name is very entertaining and catchy, and his music is also very interesting. Not only can he rap, but he can rap in English, Arabic, and German. The biography provided gave little information about what he usually raps about, but it did explain that he will be releasing his album this year. Surprisingly, his album is not only focused on the occupation and politics; it incorporates lyrics about his everyday life. I really like how rap music is spreading to other parts of the world. I personally really like rap music, and it is nice for it to be shaped according to language and culture.

I had a different opinion about the Jewish rapper, Yitz "Y-Love" Jordan. He left a very bad impression through his filmed interview. I felt that he was very defensive when answering questions and he presented poor arguments. I was also confused on how he decided to convert to Judaism, he was not very clear on his personal path. I was honestly very annoyed by him during his interview; hopefully that was his first time and he was nervous because he was very unprofessional. However, his music is not bad. I like how his music focuses on the religion by incorporating messages from the Torah, etc. One of his goals was to reach out to those children who can only listen to religious music. Y-Love is doing a good job in expanding the music scene in Israel. He also made a great point that because rap is so lyrically based, you can get many messages across in such a short amount of time.Unfortunately, I could not help but be suspicious of him when he said, "Here in Jerusalem I am way bigger than in New York, with the yeshiva kids." This makes me wonder if he only comes to Israel in order to boost his career, or does he actually feel a connection to the Holy Land?

1 comment:

  1. i was also kind of weary about Y-love, for some reason i question his authenticity and purpose. He just seemed a little to egotistical to have pure intentions.

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