2 Live Jews was a comedy hip hop duo composed of MC Moisha (Eric Lambert) and Easy Irving (Joe Stone). Its name is a parody of

2 Live Crew 2 Live Crew is an American hip hop group from Miami, Florida, formed in 1984. The group was originally composed of DJ Mr. Mixx (David Hobbs), Fresh Kid Ice (Christopher Wong Won), and Amazing Vee (Yuri Vielot), though its most well-known lineup ...

. The duo were known for songs that mixed and spoofed

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

culture and

Jewish American American Jews (; ) or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by culture, ethnicity, or religion. According to a 2020 poll conducted by Pew Research, approximately two thirds of American Jews identify as Ashkenazi, 3% id ...

stereotypes; the members were purportedly two elderly Jewish men who had recently discovered their rhyming ability. In reality, Lambert and Stone were young men who were raised

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Style

2 Live Jews' original rhyming style incorporated hip hop lyrics typical of the

golden age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...

hip hop of the early 1990s, mixed with singing and traditional Jewish music. Its lyrics tended toward cliché or stereotypical

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

Jewish topics. In keeping with Jewish stereotypes the duo's lyrics are full of Yiddish words, often unknown to most non-Yiddish speakers. Despite Moisha and Irving's true ages, they adopted haggard voices for effect.

History

2 Live Jews released its debut album, ''As Kosher as They Wanna Be'', in 1990. The name of the group and the album were spoofs of

's 1989 hit album, '' As Nasty as They Wanna Be''. With songs such as "Oy! It's So Humid" (a parody of 2 Live Crew's hit " Me So Horny"), "Young Jews be Proud," and "Shake Your Tuchas" (which borrowed liberally from

KC and the Sunshine Band KC and the Sunshine Band is an American disco and funk band that was founded in 1973 in Hialeah, Florida. Their best-known songs include the hits " Get Down Tonight", " That's the Way (I Like It)", "⁠ (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty", ...

's " (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty"), the album was a success and launched 2 Live Jews into the spotlight. Billboard magazine reviewed the album as "funny all the way through. It might not age well, but the first listening is hilarious and the raps are better than one could reasonably expect." The duo appeared on MTV, Regis and Kathie Lee, and other media outlets. ''As Kosher as They Wanna Be'' was the duo's most successful and popular album. 2 Live Jews released four others. ''Fiddling With Tradition'' (1991), a hip-hop reworking of the 1964 musical, ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and musical theatre#Book musicals, book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Russian Empire, Imperial Russia in or around 19 ...

;'' it got only minor attention and was not a success. 2 Live Jews released ''Disco Jews'' in 1994, and ''Christmas Jews'' in 1998. On

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

, the duo guest-starred as talking heads for the special "40 Least Hip Hop Moments." In 2005, Moisha and Irving released a greatest-hits album, ''The Worst of 2 Live Jews...the Best of the Shticks''. In 2010 they released the single ''What's with the Pants''.

Discography

*''As Kosher As They Wanna Be'' (1990), Hot Productions *''Fiddling With Tradition'' (1991), Hot Productions *''Disco Jews'' (1994), Hot Productions *''Christmas Jews'' (1998), Hot Productions *''The Worst of 2 Live Jews...the Best of the Shticks'' (2005), Empire Musicwerks/ VI Music/Universal Records

References

External links

2 Live Jews biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:2 Live Jews American parodists Jewish American comedians Jewish male comedians Jewish rappers Jewish American musicians Parody musicians Jewish hip-hop groups American comedy hip-hop musical groups