Re: Jewish rap?

[Ari Davidow <ari...>]

>  >but is *all* expression,
>>or self-expression, ipso facto a form of art?  All honking of a car horn?
>>All screaming?  All graffiti?
>
>I think there has to be some intention involved- is bird-song music?

Surely we are losing context rapidly.

I can't think of any reason why there can't be Jewish rap, although I 
do hesitate to use attempted satire such as "2 Live Jews" as an 
example of what that might be. I'd rather point at the Hip Hop 
Hoodios as an example of kids making music - (where do hip hop and 
rap diverge?) that competes in the more general US Latino music 
sphere, but also attempts to express Jewish identity.

(I am deliberately ignoring groups such as the Beastie Boys whose 
members, as far as I know, are Jewish. To the best of my very limited 
knowledge, neither the band's statements, nor their music, reference 
Jewish identity, much less any Jewish culture.)

Art? Not sure, but surely time will render a more sure judgement than 
me. Jewish-identified? Very much so. Jewish? Pretty sure I don't want 
to argue something quite so subjective.

Take a look at those Jewish music strands that we know historically. 
Surely, the fact that there are deep and wonderful Jewish musical 
traditions, deeply entwined with the respective Jewish religious 
traditions local to both Moslem and Christian societies in which they 
were placed, should tell us that any local music that inspires Jews 
can become valid Jewish music, and can even, over time, become part 
of the religious traditional canon.

Makes one wonder what those Jews who didn't go into exile thought of 
the new-fangled melodies brought back from Babylon.

ari

---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+