Max Elstein Keisler

When it comes to Jewish rappers, there aren’t that many names–MC Serch, the Beastie Boyz, Shyne. The biggest one out right now is Kosha Dillz, an Israeli-American from New Jersey who raps everything from grimy battle raps to hasbara (staunchly pro-Israel messages). He plays festivals from Summer Jam in his home state of New Jersey to South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas.
He’s a hustler. Before I even heard his music, I saw him on twitter, hitting up Israeli celebrities to promote his music. When I saw him at the Middle East nightclub in Cambidge, Mass. Back in June, he was in the crowd a half hour before his set, passing out bumper stickers and pins.
I called him up a few days ago to talk hip-hop, business and politics. A lot of politics.

Soul Khan, an up-and-coming secular Jewish hip-hop artist, infuses his rhymes with Jewish values and–when necessary–becomes a defender of the faith. Here, Max Elstein Keisler talks with him about Jewish music, the rap scene and the difference between slavery and the Holocaust.