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Do you speak Hebrew?”
The captain of a Syrian Air Force transport flying over the Mediterranean sends out a MAYDAY message: “This is Syrian Air Force # 174 announcing we have lost one engine and want to land at any airport in the Middle East OTHER than Israel!”
No answer.
A while later he announces, “This is Syrian Air Force # 174 again. We have now lost two engines and need to land at any airport in the Middle East OTHER than Israel!”
Silence.
A short while later the captain announces, “This is Syrian Air Force #174. We are desperate. We have now lost THREE engines an urgently ask permission to land at any airport in the Middle East OTHER than Israel!”
Still no answer.
Finally the captain calls out, “Help! This is Syrian Air Force #174. We have only one engine left and it is rapidly failing. Unless we can land we are going to crash. We need permission to land at ANY airport in the Middle East INCLUDING Israel!”
Shortly thereafter, a voice is heard in the Syrian cockpit: “Shalom Syrian Air Force # 174. This is Tel Aviv approach control. We would like to help. “
“Allah is praised,” says the Syrian pilot. “Please give me instructions.”
“Do you speak Hebrew?”
“No”
“Ok, then please repeat after me: Yitgadal Viyitkadash Shimay Rabbah…… ya ben zona”
“Albany” Lou Samberg, cousin to SNL’s Adam Samberg, is a hard working young Hebrew from New York State, who likes to bust out rhymes about his life and what’s important to him to the sound of hip hop beats.
JM: Who are the Jews in your family?
AL:Both Mother and Father are 100% Jewish. My Fathers last name is Samberg and my mother’s mother was Cohen. I had a crash-course Bar Mitzvah when I turned 13. I never did understand the tradition of tossing candy at the Bar Mitzvah Boy. My Father recalls me chucking it right back at people HARD…lol
JM: How do you define yourself? A rapper? A hip hop artist? Producer? AL: A rapper, entertainer, dogman, father, businessman. I havn’t realy dabbled in production aspect of Hip Hop. I believe I could do it, but I’m more about the verbal expression.
JM: Where did your “name” come from?
AL: Growing up in Albany NY, people knew me as Lou/Louie/Casino/White Lou/Lou the Jew/Snozz/Boss. The name Albany Lou came about when I started going out of town to get money. It was then that I started advertising my game-bred pitbulls in various dog magazines under the alias “Albany Lou”. When I began taking the music seriously, it was natural for me to keep that name.
JM: Are you signed to any labels? AL: I have not signed any papers at this point though I have had offers from some smaller labels. I’m a little uncomfortable with signing anything besides autographs. I am lucky that my cousin is an entertainment Lawyer that can help.
JM: How many CD’S/Albums have you released so far? AL: 3 released and one on the way SOON. I have only one actual album at this point. I feel the mixtape route is a much better way to accumulate a buzz. Once I’m in the public eye a bit more then I’ll start droppin more albums.
1. DEAD GAME(the album)
2.DEAD GAME vol 2 hosted by the mix-king DJ Life
3 Back in the box
4 comin soon
JM: Who were your biggest musical influences when you started? AL: I started listening to hip hop when the west was real popular (Snoop, Dre, Ice Cube, Cypress hill etc. Then came Wu, Biggie, Mobb Deep, Outkast, Big Pun, Twista, Jay Z, Dmx, The Lox, Eminem, etc. It would be hard to say which artist influenced me the most though.
JM: Whose music influences you today? AL: Honestly, the people around me that I grew up with are all worthy Mc’s and they probably shape me more than anyone else. We all kind of build off each other, although at this point they dont realy persue the music the way I do. As of lately, the rappers outside my circle that I listen to are Necro and ill bill, I’m feelin that new Hellraiser and Shabazz album, but not a lot of rap I hear inspires me the way it used to.
JM: Where did you grow up, where were you raised and where is home for you? AL: I was born in Chinatown (NYC) but my family moved to long island a couple years later. My mother and I went through some really tough times and tough years. I stayed with my grandfather for a couple of years and then moved to Albany myself. Albany is definately my home. I’ve been here since I was ten and I know everyone.
JM: Is Tupac really alive? AL: Josh your a jerk(smile).
JM: Whose music rubs you the wrong way? AL: I don’t really ever get rubbed the wrong way by music, even when maybe it should at times. I’m a little mad at Eminem for not putting on another talented white rapper. Em, we are out here and yes we had it hard too!
JM: How did you get to where you are now? What were the big breaks and events? AL: Haha, I’m still lookin for that big break.
JM: Has there been anyone who has mentored or really helped you along the way? AL: I have great support through friends and family, but my answer has to be no. I do it mostly on my own even when they say it’s not possible!
JM: When did you first start getting into the performance side of music? AL: When I was eleven, three of my friends and I performed Bobby brown’s “Get away” in the school lip sink contest., after that it was house party. I think performing is somthing that has always been in my blood.
JM: Who do you hang out with, anyone noteworthy? AL: My 1st Cousin Andy Samberg is real popular on SNL. I’m also close with DJ Life (Blockburners/streetsweepers/BLACKFOOT ENT. He’s like Albany’s Kayslay and his name is known heavy in NY, and in Jersey.
JM: What song has had the biggest impact on you personally? AL: What song of mine? I would say my Dead Game song because of the creativity that went into makin it and because of the effect that it had on other people. It gave me my original fan base.
JM: What do you write about in your songs?
AL: Life in general. I’m not the type of artist that sticks to the script. No one is one-dimensional. If I feel happy then I make a happy song and if Im angry it also shows in my music.
JM: What bothers you about the music business? AL: The same thing that bothers me about Life. Not enough loyalty, too much ego, and very little truth. Plus, its’ all about a buck. Deserving artists that make real authentic music are the ones who should be reaping the benefits.
JM: How has being a Jew or in other less popular words, has having Jewish blood in your veins made a difference in your life? AL: It’s made all the difference in many ways and yet no difference at all in others. First of all, let me say that I did not grow up around Jews. My mother and I celebrated Hanukah every year. When I was young I used to get into fights because I was constantely ridiculed for being Jewish but I was always proud. I was never afraid to stand up for myself the same way my grandfathers did when they were alive. I also got a lot of love from certain people. My friends often said “Lou ain’t white, he’s Jewish.” When I was young that phenomenon made me feel accepted.
JM: Is being a Jew important to you? Please explain. AL: Absolutely. Although I am not religious, being Jewish is a big part of my identity.I wouldn’t want to be anything else. A part of me feels very special to be a part of something so ancient and strong!
JM: What do you do for beats? AL: My brother Legacy from the Dead Game video, he also produced the track, and my dawg Damian. Both childhood friends and both great producers. Other than that I jack other peoples beats for my mixtapes.
JM: Do you play any instruments? AL: No, but I can sing.
JM: What is your favorite city? AL: Vegas is the shit, NYC is mind blowin, Atlanta is beautiful, Beacon is quaint, but Id have to say I’m the most at home in Albany.
JM: Have you been to Israel? AL: I had the opportunity to go when I was younger but I was so rapped up in my own chaotic life to accept the offer. Now i regret it. I do plan to go one day as I have family in Israel.
JM: Do you know what tribe you are from? Levi, Judah?
All I know is my grandmother was a Cohen.My family came from Russia, Lithuania, and poland to the united states in early 1900.
JM: Do you pay attention to what is going on with Israel?
To be truthful I hardly watch American news or Tv at all for that matter.I am behind my people 100%, though,I would really like to visit Israel and see it for myself.
JM: What’s coming up for you?
Well I sent Necro my Cd i havnt heard back fro him yet.i kinda want o do a song or two with phsycological.im supposed to be touring with Gym class heroes next summer. Right now its about sellin cds and tryin to get more shows
JM: What’s your favorite piece of musical equipment? AL: Microphone hands down.
JM: Which one of your songs do you like the most and why? AL: Their are so many that I love but iI would have to say Only Human, because it was from the heart. I listen to it for inspiration and it reminds me that I can do, it if he can do it. I also like Electricity, its the opposite of Only Human, but somehow has the same effect.
JM:Have you been in the media yet, and if so, how so? AL: Well right now The PETA people are on my ass.
JM: Are you a spiritual or religious person? AL: Definitely spiritual, not religious, for some reason I only pray when I’m High though (4:20).
JM: Where can people buy your music? AL: http://MYSPACE.COM/ALBANYLOU I have a paypal. Other than that, come to Albany and I’ll sell you one personally.
JM: Who made your videos? AL: I made every single one! I must say that for the limated resources I have they came out Damn good. All I have is a digital camera SRAIGHT RAW !
JM: Any shoutouts? AL: First of all JEWISH MAYHEM MAGAZINE!!! Second of all my Mother (the strongest woman alive!) my Father, my Son who is my everything and my Fiancé, and of course everyone that I consider family!! .
One of the reasons why so many members of the tribes aka Jews, do not bother to observe anything Judaic whatsoever today is because the Judaism that Orthodox Jews keep today and insist that all Jews must live by is in fact mostly man-made, rabbinically decreed laws, traditions and customs enacted in the last two thousand years of exile, and not from the Tanach literally. Wearing a head covering is not a Biblical commandment and yet today it is integral to being a pious Jew,this is just one example of many. The Judaic Biblical holiness that we read about in the Tanach that may have been given to us by the Creator at Mt Sinai, it seems has been buried almost to death by rabbinical takanot and historical circumstances and replaced with the Talmud, the Shulchan Aruch and The Rebbe’s writings.
On the other side of the spectrum, the act of humans picking and choosing which parts of the Tanach that they like and throwing out the ones that they do not and then calling that Judaism, as is the case with Reform, Conservative, Egalitarian sects of the Jewish world, is so absurdly fraudulent that it is embarrassing and shameful. Many Jews have seen this fraud their entire lives and as a result of it’s repugnance, they fled and have assimilated to become media moguls and famous artists and actors. In fact, most of Reform Judaism’s clergy do not believe in a Creator and do not believe that most events in the Tanach actually really and truly transpired, however they have no problem taking your parents money and your money to teach you and your children about …Judaism.
The religion of science, rational thought and institutional cynicism is more appealing to many Jews than Torah is because science provides answers or a means to come to an answer, whereas the Torah is a book of fairy tales in comparison. Evolution is a indisputable paradigm and Creation is an unproven, theoretical fairy tale still, dinosaurs are found in all of the World’s museums, but only one archaeological piece of evidence, The Moabite Stone, exists confirming the existence of a Jewish king named David that built the first Temple.
However despite science’s value, every Jew knows that s/he has a soul, and that the soul is not a scientific or quantifiable thing. Our emotions and passion and compassion are special things outside of the realm of probes and sensors and experiments. The soul or our life force somehow interacts outside of the human realm. It is our Jewish soul which tells us that we are indeed a part of something bigger and greater than ourselves, that their is something more to life and to existence than than just science, Yahweh?
So how does one live like a Jew then?
The answer to that question is without a doubt found in the pages of the Tanach especially in the book of Leviticus (Vayikra). However one of the first things that you may discover to your complete surprise is that most of the customs and culture that truly define Judaism and what a Jew is supposed to do and when s/he is supposed to do it, are predicated on the existence of the Jewish Temple (Beit HaMiqdash) in Jerusalem, which has not existed for almost two thousand years as a matter of fact. It gets even more complicated by the fact that the place where the Temple (Beit HaMiqdash) is supposed to stand is occupied by a Muslim Mosque today. The Jewish Temple (Beit HaMiqdash) is integral to Judaism and being Jewish, and yet sadly today most Jews believe that the Western Wall is our holiest place, but have never heard of the (Beit HaMiqdash).
So once again the question is:, how does someone live like a Jew without the existence of the Temple?
Keep the Sabbath as a day of rest is a great place for everyone to start but also begin learning about the Temple (Beit HaMiqdash) and what it’s purpose is.
Institute, new, The Re-established sanhedrin, zionism, islam, dawah, muslim, al aqsa, mosque, dome of the rock, king solomon, christian, zionist, david, daveed, black, israelite, state of israel, Canada, usa, un, gaza, meah shearim, acco, akko, tel aviv, ashdod, idf, chassidic, hasidic, judaism, chabad, charedi ,haredi, chief ,rabbi ,menachem ,mendel schneerson, yeshua, karaite ,karaim, gorden, jesus ,muhammad, shia, torah, hebrew, ivrit, church, paul,anti christ, end days, hamas, bin laden, sharon, 1948, occupation, al-Quds, green orthodox, palestine, palestinians, canaanites, arabs, arab, arabia,
Hiphoperization and Blingification: The Commodification of all Things Hip-Hop
Sandra Zichermann- Doctoral Candidate, University Professor
Hip-hop/rap can be traced back to New York City block parties in the 1970s, and N.W.A. (acronym for Niggas With Attitude) was one of the first popular groups that changed the face of rap, by exposing a new, incendiary, in-your-face brand of rap, which was quickly labelled “Gangsta.” Guns, drugs, and anti-police rhetoric became the favour of the day, a stylistic viewpoint that still persists to this day (Dyson, 2007, p.v-vi).
Hayes (2006) argues in his dissertation that hip-hop has become more mainstream through the process of being taken up by white, suburban audiences and has been integrated into television programming, movies, and other genres of music and literature. The dominance and power of hip-hop music as a cultural phenomenon is evident in fashion trends created by artists, in the design of cars, and even in political/consumer activism such as the ONE campaign espoused by artists such as Diddy. The MAC campaign to fight HIV/AIDS, which is supported by Mary J. Blige, is an example of many other initiatives that have been taken.
Davis (1992), Richardson & Scott (2002), Lusane (2004), and Dyson (2007) all argue that hip-hop/rap represents the voices of alienated, frustrated, and rebellious Black youth who are aware of their vulnerable, marginal positions in post-industrial America. They are forced to struggle to find their voices.
I see parallels between these researchers’ arguments, and the history of hip-hop/rap music in the sense that hip-hop can be traced to the need of young people to find an avenue of expression and to engage in resistance to white hegemony through the establishment of their own identities.
The argument about whether hip-hop/rap is a form of resistance, a form of service to white hegemony, or a combination of both, cannot be answered in a simple way, since various critical theorists have differing opinions. Ice Cube who explains his fondness for hip-hop/rap in a conversation with Angela Davis (1992) by stating, “Hip-hop/Rap is a culture, a school system and one of the best school systems that we have” (Davis, 1992, p.189). Richardson & Scott (2002) argue, “As offensive as some lyrics may be, they speak the ‘truth’ as constructed by an isolated black urban youth culture in a land of plenty” (p.188). I see similarities between the comment by Ice Cube in Davis’s work (1992) and the argument by Richardson & Scott (2002) in the sense that both believe that rap enables youth from the street to learn life lessons and express those experiences in their music.
Richardson & Scott (2002) argue, “Rap music, just one entertainment form, represents a small segment of the multi-billion dollar entertainment media industry” (p.176). Yet this “small segment” is still viewed as a powerful and dominant player in the overall music industry. These organizations do not just produce and distribute the music of artists; but they also shape the artists’ identities and, arguably, shape the perceptions of the listener and consumer (Binkowski, 1996; Cohen, 1997).
Hiphoperization and Blingification: The Commodification of all Things Hip-Hop
I have coined the term hiphoperization to specifically address the growing consumerism and commodification of hip-hop culture by Whites, Blacks and the “Other.” “White” refers to two groups of individuals: the White consumers, who can afford to consume the music, and the White executives (producers, distributors, record label heads), who create the image of the artist, package it, and distribute it via the media. Black people are also represented in one major group and two minor groups. They have more visible representation through the use of their labour as hip-hop/rap artists than members of any other minority group or any White individuals. Black consumers also play a role in hip-hop/rap, but their socioeconomic class does play a role in decisions about whether or not they can afford to purchase the music. Research has indicated that the majority of hip-hop/rap consumers are white youth. Therefore, the assumption may be made that these youth have higher socio-economic positions (class) than Black youth.
The emergence of Black executives directing hip-hop/rap labels such as Interscope/Death Row Records is becoming more visible. However, this movement into corporate positions has been slow. Even when Black individuals make the move into executive positions, they are usually with “smaller labels” (Kitwana, 2005, p.46) and the move may not be permanent. Frequently, such labels are taken over by larger enterprises.
I have developed the term “blingification,” which is defined as the commodification of bling culture. For the first time, this term gives a meaning to how “bling” (jewellery, cars, and material objects) are consumed and promoted in hip-hop/rap culture. Blingification is the over-arching use of “bling” to provide an image of wealth, power, prestige, and control (Boyd, 2002). The results of this promotion of “bling” within the hip-hop/rap music industry can differ in various circumstances. It can be seen as both empowering and disempowering; the paradox lies in the fact that the interpretation of experience may vary. One could view the promotion of “bling” as an overdue assertion of individual identity that signals emergence from the ghetto (empowering). Another observer might view the glorification of “bling” as an excessive valuation of products, which are used simply because they are prestigious and part of the “ideal” culture (disempowering). Dyson (2007) argues, “We can’t hypocritically condemn the younger generation for their bling and their materialism, especially since those are staples of American culture” (p.82).
Underground Hip Hop Albany Style
JM: Who were your biggest musical influences when you started?
Hip-hop/rap can be traced back to New York City block parties in the 1970s, and N.W.A. (acronym for Niggas With Attitude) was one of the first popular groups that changed the face of rap, by exposing a new, incendiary, in-your-face brand of rap, which was quickly labelled “Gangsta.” Guns, drugs, and anti-police rhetoric became the favour of the day, a stylistic viewpoint that still persists to this day (Dyson, 2007, p.v-vi).