when you wake up in the hood you smell
death and air every day the lab music
has a beautiful form of music but we
used it to abuse women sell drugs on
tracks gangbang
dope around Jews seen them in black
never seen them black but for sure gonna
feel different when everybody is staring
at you
[Music]
this is the world makeover michype will
come take over you ain't gotta be me
I'll see what I see all you gotta do is
take a look forward
nissim is the definition of somebody who
came from such a dark place and found
the truth I found the light in the world
that came in clung to it got to ship and
scream ship became the king
people except some especially first
music the people that don't accept them
is partially because I'm hard time
accepting outsiders
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
we're in Jerusalem right now to find out
a little bit about a guy called Nasim
black who initially lived in Seattle but
somehow found Judaism and lives out here
but still raps so this one's gonna be a
mad interesting one you ready to go and
my brother let's do this come on G bless
Israel has had a diverse underground
hip-hop scene for a while with both
sides represented Jews Arabs and people
of Niva affiliation no sign of any
gangsta rap that is until this ex
gangbanger from the hood in Seattle
emigrated a few years back after his
conversion to ultra Orthodox Judaism
he's still raps toe but a big difference
is he has a higher calling slips before
tourism kippers it was packs and gaps
this guy was on some real crime
[Music]
trust me when I tell you this place is
nothing like anything I've ever
experienced before it's like another
world I really need to understand how a
gangsta rapper is adjusting to be in one
of a tiny minority of black converse
before I do that I'm meeting up with the
seams manager and fellow rapper
Zachariah who funnily enough is also a
black Orthodox dude
[Music]
so we're coming up I was like this shook
this way
get some beverage man morning drinks
I heard this is the spot very good for
the brain yeah keep me shocked
above the top right now I'm not gonna
lie feels like I'm just in my ends
Shepherds Bush market just having a chat
with the Mandan I want to ask you a
little bit about like where your frog
I'm from Minneapolis North Minneapolis
Prince is my mom's first cousin Prince
is your mom's first colleagues facts I
had cancer 16 months old lost my right
eye right I never had chemotherapy never
had radiation you develop a certain
survival approach I think it's carried
me well but what are you into rock I
think if you just come from the mud you
know like you know what the mud
represents I think hip-hop is one of the
strongest expressions of like yo yo they
counted me out I wouldn't post a beer I
was supposed to make it no I did I made
it I'm the man out here you're not
saying I need PO I mean so it's like
there's hunters and there's predators a
hunter hunts for sport a predator kills
for a living yeah I mean when you're
from the mud I feel like hip-hop like
you're a predator when you wake up in
the hood you smell death and air every
day you know like if I make a wrong turn
it's any number of ways I could lose my
life that's like post-traumatic stress
every day so you're eventually just
gonna crack it was until I first came
here that I smell peace and that's when
I was like oh yeah I got moved here
you're gonna be the guy to take me to
Nassim yeah how did you meet him it's
funny because when I first came here and
everyone's telling me got a meanness and
me got me missing one day like his
missus um walk around the corner
he was like shots it's seeing me doesn't
mind even moving to the hoodies like
who's this brother he was let me hear
his some of his new music on my oldest
music it's hot yeah I'm saying
does he ever get judged for like he's
like the gangster rap boss tonight some
people don't even know the gangster of
us all that's him we'll catch em I'm
just talking to my man see ya I'm sayin
teach them some Hebrew yeah what's goin
on bro it's me Chucky I'm looking
forward to meetin you my bro and having
a conversation
pause be an African American rapper
who's been through the mud moved to
Israel and turned to Judaism is Marty
but it doesn't seem to have hurt because
in Jerusalem the scene black is a star
in the same black man when did that
start happening here for you I came here
2013 on just like a trip to for my first
time that was when it started happening
you would move here three years ago now
and from the moment we touched down it
was like crazy people claimed my song in
the airport Porter's come into the house
it's a very very like humbling
experience talk to me about moving here
the reason for leaving was one of
spirituality yeah in my head at least I
didn't see how I can make the two worlds
work you know yeah first of a rap music
rap music is a as a beautiful form of
music but we've used it to abuse women
sell drugs on tracks kill people you
know gangbang like that's what we used
the the Jama for I think what Judaism
did was enhanced my relationship with
music and as far as Judaism teachers
known in the highest forms of not only
praise but ways to be able to connect
the goddess through music yeah
and evidently I see I've been targeted
yeah that's the western wall right sadi
western wall the wall was the most into
list for new Julia's the most holiest
place on it
well I come here very often the for my
heart up yeah he's quite incredible work
online do you have like a specific smoke
do i connect more when I'm in the back
yeah because that's all I like to be in
a race yeah in a club I like to be at
the fact take a math lesson
[Music]
come on
just cut my head some people would say
this is for good luck
I'm very curious to see how the Orthodox
community received missing the seams
told me about a wedding that's happening
to that of a black couple who've also
converted so you know what firstly I
wouldn't a big up to all the rastaman
worldwide big up now bengi Bubba shown
taking on many well Selassie I JA
Rastafari but right now it's a Jewish
thing so I got a bird call we go into a
wedding someone hit me up Nasim blue
like me yet we're going to sweat in so
I've got my keep up I'm ready to do my
team this is the wow this wedding of
ever being all I could think of is these
are I live in their best life but
there's no gallery plans out at a Jewish
Orthodox wedding men and women shake a
leg in separate rooms
this must be looking close the guy
offered me some brown substance put it
on my fingers and make me put it in my
nose
I rubbed it around my nose he said to me
sniff it a sniff tea I said what is this
he goes it goes into your soul
[Applause]
[Music]
honestly last night was a little
committee easily the best black Orthodox
Jewish wedding I've ever been to I don't
know about that branch they put in
my nose though I'm gonna hit him it
seems home a little further out of town
so we could properly talk about how this
whole journey has been for him thank you
for letting me know huh thanks for
coming thanks for coming
talk to me a little bit about growing up
in Seattle I grew up the inner city kid
I was exposed to and witnessed a lot of
violence of my parents were dealers so I
remember like you know coming home from
elementary school and seeing kilos of
dope on the table and guns my house was
just like a spot for like trafficking
you know what I mean
my mother she was addicted to narcotics
very early on started doing it became
part of a gang I always knew I was a
small piece of something that was
greater than me what I couldn't couldn't
explain it but growing up I obviously
would lead a person to gangs because
it's something bigger and greater than
yourself you see like get loose for
example you out there's a gangster vibe
you got to band them with you see the
people that in the video are you still
in touch of any of them last summer I
went back to Seattle for like the first
time she year so it was it was good to
reconnect with some of my boys some of
the guys in here anymore so
unfortunately once I made my journey to
Judaism I started running towards it and
not running from something I heard that
you was approached like I remember when
I looked at your video in particular
yeah I remember thinking a little bit so
when I heard that was like okay that
makes a little sense cuz they wanted a
big but they wanted you to act I have my
own vision of who big was so my big was
a different big I think I obviously
didn't get the role do you think it
would have helped or hindered you in
terms of my career for sure would it
would have helped me but I think it
would have hindered me from being where
I am right now talk to me a little bit
about like you know the conversations
died
have been held about censorship I don't
want anybody to not speak the truths you
know saying but at the same time I also
feel somewhat of a responsibility
because what I really want my kid
listening to the type of music I'm
making you know I mean I don't know if
we need swear words to always describe
exactly how we feel in the Hasidic
teachings and thoughts the words
actually had a Christian background you
had a period in time where you had
converted to Islam why Judaism now I
know about Islam for my grandfather and
I know about Christianity because I
invested time for my friends and and
youth leaders and things like that I was
involved with I was still trying to like
figure out what's the truth because I
only believed in this because my
ancestors were slaves they were brought
here on the slave ships this is the
religion they were given this is not
like I want to dig deep into this and
figure out you know I'm saying is this
the truth from me you know what I mean
when you looked at history and you've
examined the tumultuous ups and downs of
the Jewish people that's from a
historical standpoint he said there's no
reason for them to even be here and it's
sort of like Lynch somewhat of the
validity to to the text that made me
feel like you know I wanted to be
involved in it being here you know I've
seen the the attire and how people dress
and stuff like that and I've looked down
and I've just seen the easy let go
everything
did you see another Jewish person that
was black and if you didn't at any point
did it deter you from feeling like it
was something that you wanted to pursue
go up around Jews seen him in black
never seen him black you know what I'm
saying so I wasn't so worried about
quote-unquote being the only
you know I mean but it definitely to
some degree played a played a part of
like a tiptoe situation in the beginning
just sort of like we're about to go out
on a lid you know I wanted to find out
if any point that anyone ever made you
feel like you was different overall
there's been for sure an acceptance you
know
worldwide but for sure you have bad
apples just like we're doing in in every
other place you for sure gonna feel
different when everybody is staring at
you and the thing that's tough about is
because you're left to think about like
why are they looking at me like that
how does your community feel about the
black do they know about the black yeah
and this is so interesting for me
because think the thing that inspires
people the most is because of who I was
it's not because I'm easy it's because I
was be black yeah he said it's God's
plan but I'm God's man yeah I used to
run with bgb I dropped the P and put a
web to the G you know when you're making
a new video than that yeah uh-huh
have you kind of got a go to the rabbi
as well and just sort of like have a
little listening party you know I got a
couple of new tunes after discussing
with him and talking to a few other
spiritual leaders I've definitely got a
green light to to go out and light up
the world and I feel like one of the
things was a motherland bounce
specifically it's sort of like my way of
saying that like I may become a Jew but
still black
you know let's say never forget will you
gain
even if you people change so later that
night I went to Lindsay and the same on
his album listening party I'm used to
going to a listening party at a bar a
studio imagine this has taken place at
their local chicken shop JFC aka
Jerusalem fried chicken black is much
more than being a talented musician and
a person that gives a lot of people
inspiration
there has never been a face for Jews of
color ever but the same black has been a
bridge with communities that are very
very very isolated to someone of the
mainstream dynamic of dealing with
people that are new people that are
different people also Jewish and so the
seams has brought so much unity and
acceptance and understanding in the
whole entire Jewish world he's a hero
and all of our prayers are with them so
one of my favorite verses is the last
one so I always have to do it acapella
he said it's God's plan but I'm God's
man I'm in the synagogue camouflage
ain't no monkey business cuz ain't no
monkeys in here I know what she was
thinking the black ain't Lincoln just
wanted you to be aware I'm signing
office mr. black
Hitler's worst nightmare yeah
[Applause]
so yeah we came across the scene black
and if I'm being honest at first I was
very skeptical because you think are you
know what is the music about now that
he's become religious is it any good
but I have to say spending some time
with him and we've seen how much people
mean to him and how much he means to the
people and also how good he is as a
rapper and you know what I just want to
give you some love for the new music
line because it's very good and it's
also been honor to meet you as well my
bro so I can we give something off to
the scene black please so you say what's
this one my my son all right this one's
of liquefied still so you have to make a
move that could possibly alienate you
everybody you know my rabbi he was the
one that was really like have you ever
seen a thing like this
[Music]