Erez Safar and Yitz Jordan will take a break from recording their new album, This Is Unity, to perform at Ohio University today as part of the Bobcats for Israel event.
Under the stage names Diwon and Y-Love respectively, DJ Safar and rap artist Jordan are known for their uncommon musical style, mixing hip-hop music with their Jewish Orthodox religion.
Jordan said his music and religion have to be related, however.
Hip-hop
for me is Jewish expression Jordan said. There's no taking Judaism to hip-hop. They're one and the same.
Jordan has received criticism from other Jewish people for incorporating strong political values and holy Jewish concepts, such as Hebrew, in his lyrics, but he does not take the criticism seriously.
If you don't put a positive message in the club
then what else is (the audience) going to listen to? Jordan said.
Safar also said there is no pure form of Jewish music, and his work takes popular music people can relate to and molds it with Jewish tradition.
Safar is the creator of the record label Shemspeed, which is an extension of Modular Moods and has about 15 artists. Jordan was one of the first rap artists to sign with Shemspeed and now performs about 85 percent of his shows with Safar as the DJ.
Because of rain, Safar and Jordan will perform in the Baker University Center Ballroom instead of McCracken field, said Rachel Zieleniec, president of Bobcats for Israel.
We've been wanting to have a big event ... that is going to connect to the students on campus that have a passion for Israel but (also) can include more than just that community
said Zieleniec, a senior studying journalism.
Max Resnik, vice president of the group, said the goal of Bobcats for Israel is to advocate awareness and educate students about Israel, also emphasizing this event is more relaxed and fun than some of the group's previous events.
They have a great brand of hip-hop. You see a black Orthodox Jew singing
everybody automatically thinks polka music and flutes and horns and stuff
but ... they rap about social problems and politics
said Resnik, a senior studying journalism.
Although Bobcats for Israel is hosting the event, the event received financial support from the Jewish Life Programming Committee, Student Activities Commission, the Foundation for Jewish Culture and several other groups to cover the $8,000 cost, Zieleniec said.
The Got Swabbed table will be set up to test potential bone-marrow donors, and representatives from Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency medical service, will also be at the event, Zieleniec added.
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