Squeeze some mustard on your pastrami, clip your kippot on tight and fasten your seatbelts, Kosha Dillz is here to take you on a hip-hoppy trip from the land of milk and honey to the streets of New York City.
Sure his name is a play on words – and that may sound a little hokey to you, but his subject matter is quite serious. Kosha Dillz is the hip-hop persona of Israeli-American Rami Even-Esh.
Now living in Brooklyn, N.Y., Kosha has a plethora of subject matters to pull from. He touches on political situations in the Middle East and the United States as well as the day-to-day life of making music as a hip-hop artist. He simply wants to speak his mind.
Although he may sound like an acquired taste, the media and fellow musical artists alike have really taken a shine to him.
He has appeared on BET’s famed 106 and Park and has recorded with chassidic reggae superstar Matisyahu. The most intriguing notion is that Kosha bends borders and genres; he takes Israeli-Jewish ethics and blends them into songs complete with hip-hop beats and sabra attitude.
He is currently headlining The Spare Change Tour, which will house clothing drives at every venue – all of the proceeds supporting various charities around the United States and Israel. Although the tour doesn’t touch down anywhere on Canadian soil, Kosha will undoubtedly make his way across the border as his popularity skyrockets within the Jewish community as well as the hip-hop community at large.
His new album Freestyle vs. Written is a fitting collaboration with hip-hop artist C Rayz Walz. The pair seems to mesh flawlessly on all of the tracks. You’ll hear tunes sung in both English and Hebrew, adding to the diverse quality of the record. The title track is expertly produced and flawlessly emceed. This rap-duet hits you with turntable scratches from the left, unique melody samples from the right and superior battle lyrics from every other angle.
Holiday is Kosha’s commentary and recitation about our leisure time – listing his past experiences and memories of celebrations from Labour Day to Valentines Day and everything in between.
Rap music may not be your cup of tea or it may be your passion – either way, just listen to Kosha Dillz for more than one minute and you’ll hear someone who’s got something relevant to say.
His method of delivery may be a tad unorthodox, but his message hits home in the same manner as your rabbi’s sermon might.
While touring in and around New York and the rest of the United States, Rami does his rounds at every Jewish institution that’ll take him. He rocks the mic at local shuls and fundraisers. He raps awareness and politics at music festivals and university shindigs.
If he happens by your neck of the woods, be sure to catch his show. If you can’t manage to see him live, order a copy of his album and imagine yourself easing back into the new wave of conscious Israeli hip hop – become part of the Kosha Dillz posse.