Is there no stopping orthodox Jews and the music they are performing? We've had orthorock and orthoreggae and now we've got orthorap and r&b courtesy of Canadian orthodox Jew Itzchak Nissim.
This 25-year-old from Montreal has put together an album Chouva Rap Vol. 1: “Son of a Believer”, and is now busy promoting it and his music.
Where Jewish rap in the past has been used as cheap parody and even cheaper gags, Nissim is looking to show that Jews can rap about spiritual issues with credibility.
"I like to think of Chouva Rap as redefining what Jewish rap is. Breaking all the stereotypes associated with it. No more funny Jewish raps or parody type of songs," Nissim says.
His music is fairly eclectic taking inspiration form rap through to r&b and his website offers seven tracks to listen to which vary from uptempo quirky beats to melodic chants.
"The Chouva Rap concept, if I can even call it that, is about using popular mediums and expressing Judaism always respecting everyone's views, but more importantly it allows "baal techouva" Jews to mesh both worlds (their previous life and now their new one) to a distinct type of message," Nissim adds on his website.
He's certainly a refreshing change in the world of Jewish music and with a little bit of mazel should prove popular both inside the orthodox Jewish community as well as outside it.
