In Israel, the hip-hop scene was not always as vibrant as it is now. Presently, it is very popular among the youths and younger generations. Even though it has recently garnered much attention and is very popular, most would say it is nowhere close to its peak and is still a growing industry. When it first began to form, Israeli hip hop was not overly popular because many believed that rap did not sound as good in Hebrew and just did not flow in the same way as it did in English or Arabic. Even now, current artists on the rise find it difficult to obtain fans because Israelis are not yet adjusted to the sound of rap lyrics in Hebrew. Due to the lack of followers and the difficulty of breaking into the scene, there have been only a small number of rappers that have actually been successful at making music.
If you ask any true fan of Israeli hip hop who Subliminal is, almost all of them will respond with praise and respect. Subliminal is currently one of Israel’s biggest pop stars and while some rappers may hold some feelings of resentment towards him for essentially leaving the hip hop art form and musical style for something more mainstream, they still revere him as one of the originators of the genre in Israel. There are many rappers that confess to idolizing Subliminal as he was the reason many of them began to rap in the first place.
The first song Subliminal, who was then known as Ya’akov Shimoni, ever wrote was called “Genesis”. With lyrics in French, English, and Hebrew, it was about environmental issues like pollution, global warming, and how humans are quickly using and abusing the resources on this planet. What is most shocking about this record is how it was made in 1997 before Al Gore’s “The Inconvenient Truth” became internationally popular. 
Subliminal has always talked about controversial subjects with no fear of backlash and is well-known for his mostly right-wing views. Ironically, when he first started making music and distributing his tapes to music companies and labels, he was given the advice to, “never rap about politics again” because, “it would never sell. Obviously, that advice was worthless as Subliminal now has a staggering 40 number one chart-toppers. In the beginning, he had a close relationship with another rapper Yoav Eliasi, known as “The Shadow”, and the two performed and made music together, but later had a falling out documented in the film “Channels of Rage”
Now in his thirties, Subliminal has a multiplatinum music empire and his own music-making compound. His songs have noticeable notes of Israeli pride and he also is a strong advocate of peace and anti-war/anti-violence. He claims that about 90% of his songs are mainly about peace. When it comes to the Israeli conflict with neighboring Palestinians, he has a hawkish stance but understands the Palestinian desire for freedom. “Their fight for independence, I can understand that, but I cannot understand that if it means that I must I should die for it.” He holds the view that the Gaza Strip could be paradise because it is at the center of the region between Egypt and Israel. It has a long coastline and white sand but he states that the Palestinians are only focused on killing them. Subliminal is nervous that through the mostly Palestinian populated neighborhoods near the borders, terrorist organizations can get uncomfortably close and can effectively devastate the Jewish people in Israel. Although within the borders of Israel there is not a sense of constant war, he says there is a war going on all around the edges of Israel, and young men ages seventeen to twenty are keeping the country safe. Since service in the military is at some point required of every citizen, this is another prevalent theme in his work. He is aware of their sacrifice on the borders so that citizens on the inside such as himself can be worry free and have time to be things like musician, poets, and artists. In an interview, he stated that the United Kingdom is brainwashed by propaganda and is not fully aware of the current situation down in Israel.
Subliminal is what is known as a “Zionist rapper” and is thought of as many as the founding father of the Zionist movement. When he was released from his military contract in 2000, he produced published his debut album “The Light from Zion”. The rapper thinks this album was, in many ways, the cornerstone of Hebrew hip hop. He has used part of his publicity to promote the Star of David and has started to wear it regularly on his clothing and jewelry. On his album “The Light and The Shadow”, which is his most famous and popular album to date, he built up the concept of taking the star, “out of the dirt”. The cover for the album shows a muddy hand holding a necklace with the Star of David. 
In 2003 when he climbed on a stage in front of 4,000 people with another member of his Tel Aviv Street Team, the first thing he yelled into the microphone was, “Are you wearing a Star of David proudly on your chest?” “The Light from Zion” was like an earthquake in Israel not only because it was Hebrew rap, but because it brought on a whole new wave of fashion. While he is clearly pro-Israeli, he hates it when extremists twist his words. Just because he supports Israel and wears many Jewish stars people take it as him calling for the elimination of all Arabs. He is outspoken about the fact that this is not his agenda and actually believes that one can have a much better understanding of a situation if they do not have an agenda. Subliminal is trying to educate these “crazy people” because they see him as someone coming from their own camp. Ultimately, Subliminal is extremely dedicated to his homeland and is trying to improve it.
-Julian M.
MUSIC, POLITICS, AND RESISTANCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST 