E-Shy Gives Hebrish an Exclusive 10 Questions Interview:

E-Shy, N-Y's Jewish Rapper Gives Hebrish an exclusive interview & discuses the identity struggles a lot of Jews have living in the Diaspora, his reaction to Blacks & Jews on Youtube & his respect for Israeli Hip-Hop.

Tell us about the album and why you chose to call it Attention Deficit Disorder? :

This is my first album. Some of the songs were recorded when I just started out as an emcee such as, “Irresponsible,” and “Dawn of the Dead.” I called it Attention Deficit Disorder because there is such a mix of material. The album goes from Judaic pride to secular insanity, but that is a reflection of who I am, a Jew struggling with his own identity in the Diaspora.

What track are you most proud of & why?

I’m most proud of my song Hebrew. I feel it really encapsulates who I am and how strongly I feel about the importance of the Jewish people and Israel to the planet. I think a lot of Jews, especially a l lot of New York jews will be able to relate to the sentiments raised in that song.

How was the response to your Blacks & Jews clip on youtube? 52 thousand views, that's crazy.

The response to the video has been intense. I won last year’s international film festival in Toronto with it. I have a also won several online video contests. There are a lot of people who hate the song, and hate me for making it. But I don’t care. The apocalypse is the lifting of the veil. At a certain point you have to flush all of your enemies out so they are wide in the open.

Give us a feeling of what it was like when you started and were competing in rap tournaments.

When I first started I was awful. Freestyling with friends is easy, but spitting off the top of the head in front of a crowd is tough, you have to really focus. As I progressed it became easier, battling is a form of comedy, the person who can get the crowd to laugh the most wins. The best battle rappers rhyme slowly incorporating both written and improvisation into their work.

Was your music always connected to your Jewish background?

At first it was, my first couple of songs involved Judaism. I stopped rapping about it for a long time though. There are a limited number of Jews in New York’s underground rap scene. There are a limited number of Jews on the planet. We gotta get moving, why am I even writing this? I should be out there… Nevermind..

What message do you feel your album delivers?

I feel like Blacks and Jews offers the strongest message on the album. It is a message of reconciliation and commonality. There are too many of us who have for some bizarre reason chosen to discriminate based on skin color. We of all people should know how dangerous this is. We were gassed for our identity. Never should we cause another to suffer simply because of the skin he was born into.

What do you think of local Israeli rappers such as Subliminal, Shi 360 & Shabak Samech? Can we expect any collaboration?

I am a big fan. Much props to the whole TACT crew. These guys are the only Jewish rappers representing and keeping it real. Not walking on eggshells in order to prevent upsetting the enemies of our people. God willing I would love to collaborate with Subliminal. Maybe we could write a song about destroying Al Qaeda.

How've you been received overseas? Give us a good story of your best and worst experience.

Well I’ve sold a lot of CDs to Europe. They love white boy rappers. I had a great trip to Germany. The beer was great, you could drink on the street, and I got to rap in front of Jewish kids stuck in Hamburg.

When can we expect you in Israel?

I hope some time this summer. If it is God’s will.

Drop a little Freestyle verse for us!

Waters are coming like weeping inebriates in Mardi Gras

Like Children in Indonesia used for their body parts

Better buld a boat the boat it better float

Better coat that boat with the word God wrote

Better trust in the word if you want to Get heard by the one who gives power to change the world

The world is fading the letters are raining

All this is just birth pains it’s training

It’s going to get much worst tonight

So reach up and grab the words from the sky