Eden Daniel Pearlstein (born February 19, 1980), better known by his stage name Eprhyme (pronounced "E-Prime"), is an American Jewish

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

and producer based in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. While attending

The Evergreen State College The Evergreen State College is a public liberal arts college in Olympia, Washington. Founded in 1967, it offers a non-traditional undergraduate curriculum in which students have the option to design their own study towards a degree or follow a ...

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington. It had a population of 55,605 at the 2020 census, making it the state of Washington's 23rd-most populous city. Olympia is the county seat of Thurston County, and the central city ...

, he became involved with the Olympia music scene as half of the hip hop duo Saints of Everyday Failures, with which he released two albums. According to Nic Leonard of the ''

Weekly Volcano ''Weekly Volcano'' is a weekly entertainment newspaper in based in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It serves the southern Puget Sound region and reports on film, theater, food, art and music Music is the arrangement of sound to creat ...

'', Eprhyme "played a major roll icin the creation of the Olympia hip-hop scene." He was noticed by local independent label

K Records K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington, founded in 1982. Artists on the label included early releases by Beck, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. The record label has been called "key to the development of independent mu ...

, who released his first two singles, " Punklezmerap" and "Shomer Salaam". He then released his debut album, '' Waywordwonderwill'' (2009), through Shemspeed Records, before returning to

for his follow-up, '' Dopestylevsky'' (2011). He is currently part of the

alternative hip hop Alternative hip-hop (also known as alternative rap and experimental hip-hop) is a subgenre of hip-hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising "hip-hop group ...

groups

Darshan Darshan, a Sanskrit word meaning "sight" or "viewing", may refer to: Ceremony and religion * Darshan (Indian religions), the auspicious sight of a divine image or holy person; also a school of Hindu philosophy * Darshan (Judaism), a Scriptural ...

, with vocalist

Basya Schechter Basya Schechter is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, cantor, and music teacher. She is the lead singer and founder of the world/folk rock band Pharaoh's Daughter and has released two solo albums. She has ...

, and Ruthless Cosmopolitans, with

Jon Madof Jon Madof (born May 28, 1974) is an American guitarist, composer, and leader of the bands Rashanim and Zion80, who has performed extensively with other artists including John Zorn, Matisyahu, Marc Ribot, and Frank London. PopMatters' Sean Murph ...

Early life

Eden Pearlstein was born February 19, 1980, in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

. He grew up in a

Reform Jewish Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous rev ...

household, later describing it as "a standard non-

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

West Coast Jewish upbringing—

Hebrew school Hebrew school is Jewish education focusing on topics of Jewish history, learning the Hebrew language, and finally learning one's Torah Portion, in preparation for the ceremony in Judaism of entering adulthood, known as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Heb ...

bar mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age ...

, and summer camp. It was not very intriguing to me and I just walked away from it after my bar mitzvah." Pearlstein listened to hip hop as a child and began rapping when he was 14. During his middle school years, he became rebellious and dabbled in drugs and petty crime until, at age 17, he attended a youth arts program and became interested in poetry. In his early twenties, he visited

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

to participate in a Native American

Sun Dance The Sun Dance is a ceremony practiced by some Native Americans in the United States and Indigenous peoples in Canada, primarily those of the Plains Indians, Plains cultures, as well as a new movement within Native American religions. Members of ...

, during which he had a spiritual epiphany that inspired him to re-examine his Jewish roots.

Career

Early music in Olympia

Pearlstein attended

, where he studied

comparative theology Comparative theology is a relatively new discipline within theology, which holds together "comparative" and "theology" in creative tension. It represents a particular type of theological practice committed to deep interreligious learning ("comparat ...

and led classes in Alternative Jewish studies on the side. During this time, he became involved in the Olympia music scene, working with producer Matt "Smoke" Smokovich of

Oldominion Oldominion is an American hip hop collective, consisting of more than twenty members. It was described by Casey Jarman of ''Willamette Week'' as the "Northwest's largest hip-hop crew" which "united the local underground rap scene for the first ...

. Pearlstein co-founded the hip hop group Saints of Everyday Failures alongside D-Scribe, Tha Goonie, MC Contradiction, and My Left Foot. They performed at the 2006

Lakefair Capital Lakefair is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington. It had a population of 55,605 at the 2020 census, making it the state of Washington ...

festival alongside One Block Radius and released two albums together, ''True Meaning of Survival'' (2005) and '' The State of the Art is Failure'' (2006), the latter of which featured contributions by

Awol One Anthony Charles Martin, better known by his stage name Awol One, is an songwriter, alternative hip hop artist and graphic designer based in Los Angeles, California. Discography Albums Awol One * ''Souldoubt'' (2001) (with Daddy Kev) * ''Number ...

2Mex Alejandro Ocana (born in 1973), better known by his stage name 2Mex, is a rapper from Los Angeles, California, United States. He is a member of The Visionaries and of Mexican Descent. He has collaborated with underground hip hop artists such as ...

Onry Ozzborn Michael Sean Martinez (born March 25, 1979), better known by his stage name Onry Ozzborn, is an American rapper and producer from Seattle, Washington. He is a founding member of alternative hip hop groups such as Grayskul, Dark Time Sunshine, a ...

, and members of

Typical Cats Typical Cats is an American underground hip hop group from Chicago, Illinois.Chicago Interview - inte ...

. The album's sound was described by ''

'' as "a séance with

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...

Hermann Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a Germans, German-Swiss people, Swiss poet and novelist, and the 1946 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His interest in Eastern philosophy, Eastern religious, spiritual, and philosophic ...

, and

Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...

Solo career

Pearlstein gained the attention of

, which released his first two solo singles, " Punklezmerap", which featured

Nomy Lamm Naomi Elizabeth "Nomy" Lamm (born September 1, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter and political activist. Lamm has described herself as a "bad ass, fat ass, Jew, dyke amputee." Her left foot was amputated at age three, to be fitted with a l ...

on vocals, and "Shomer Salaam". This made him the label's first hip hop artist in a decade, as they were primarily associated with

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

and

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

artists. In 2009, Pearlstein relocated to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where he became a regular at

SOB's SOB's is a live world music venue and restaurant in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Manhattan. S.O.B.’s is an abbreviation of Sounds of Brazil. Larry Gold opened SOB's in June 1982 with the purpose of exposing the music of the Afro-Latino d ...

. That same year, he released his debut album, '' Waywordwonderwill'', through Shemspeed Records. In March 2010, Pearlstein performed at the

Sandys Row Synagogue Sandy's Row Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Sandys Row, on the corner of Middlesex Street in Bishopsgate, in the East End, Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England, in the United Kingdom. The building ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

as part of a Moishe House event. Pearlstein returned to K Records in 2011 for his second album, '' Dopestylevsky''. The album featured more collaborations, including Labtekwon, DeScribe,

Y-Love Yitz Jordan (born January 5, 1978), better known by his stage name Y-Love, is an American hip hop artist. An Orthodox Jew, Jordan was formerly Hasidic.Jerry Portwood"Y-Love is Ready for Love,"''Out'', May 15, 2012. He is a web developer, activist ...

, and AKA. In 2014, Pearlstein and Smoke M2D6, producing under the name Thee Xntrx, released '' All Your Friend's Friends'', a compilation of

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

rappers sampling older K Records artists. Those on the compilation included The Chicharones, MG! The Visionary,

, and Pearlstein himself.

Darshan, Chant Records, and Ruthless Cosmopolitans

While attending a retreat at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in 2008, Pearlstein met rabbi and singer-songwriter Shir Yaakov. The two subsequently formed the

collective

, and in 2009 they released a debut EP, ''Lishmah'', through Erez Safar's Shemspeed label. A debut full-length, ''Deeper and Higher'', was released independently in 2015, with

Jamie Saft Jamie Saft is an American keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist and composer. He was born in New York City and raised a Conservative Judaism, Conservative Jew, and studied at Tufts University and the New England Conservatory, New England Conserva ...

producing and contributions from drummer

Ben Perowsky Ben Perowsky (born May 12, 1966) is an American drummer, percussionist, composer, and music producer. He is the drummer on stage in the 8 TONY award winning Broadway musical Hadestown. Perowsky leads the Ben Perowsky Trio, Moodswing Orchestra and ...

and vocalists

and Elana Brody, the former of whom became a full-time member of the group. In 2017 they signed to the independent label Chant Records (founded by guitarist/producer

and bassist/oudist

Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz (born 1975) is an American bassist and oud player who has recorded and performed extensively with Cyro Baptista's Banquet of the Spirits, Daniel Zamir's Satlah, Rashanim, Pharaoh's Daughter, and John Zorn. Blumenkranz stu ...

) and released a second album, ''Raza'', with Pearlstein and Schecter, producer Frederik Rubens, and backing musicians including Blumenkranz, Jessica Lurie,

Jason Lindner Jason Lindner (born February 1, 1973) is an American pianist, keyboardist, synthesist, sound designer, composer, arranger and producer. Life and career Lindner was brought up in Brooklyn, New York City.Matzner, Frank A. (August 18, 2014"Jason Li ...

, and Schechter's Pharaoh's Daughter bandmates Mathias Kunzli, Noah Hoffeld, and Daniel Freedman. In late 2020 Pearlstein formed another group, Ruthless Cosmopolitans, with Madof, guitarist Yoshie Fruchter, and drummer Emmanuel "Manny" Laine (

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean ( ; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, singer, and record producer. Born in Haiti, Jean emigrated to the Northeastern United States, United States as a child. He gained fame as a founding member of the Fugees, a Ne ...

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

). The idea for the group originated in August 2017 when Pearlstein wrote the song "Make America Hate Again" in the wake of the infamous

Unite the Right rally The Unite the Right rally was a White supremacy#United States, white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, whi ...

and brought it to Madof. After releasing two music videos, "The Screen Age" on September 21 and "Make America Hate Again" on October 12, the group released a self-titled EP on October 23, 2020. Produced by Madof, the EP featured contributions from vocalists Elana Brody and Talia Madof and Zion80 members Greg Wall, Frank London, Brian Marsella, and Marlon Sobol.

Musical style

In addition to hip hop, Pearlstein's music contains elements of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

klezmer Klezmer ( or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for listening; these wou ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

, and

Middle Eastern music The various nations of the region include the Arabic-speaking countries of the Middle East, the Iranian traditions of Persia, the Jewish music of Israel and the diaspora, Kurdish music, Armenian music. Azeri Music, the varied traditions of Cyp ...

. He has been compared to artists like

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip< ...

and

The Roots The Roots are an American Hip-hop, hip hop band formed in 1987 by singer Black Thought, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Questlove, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''T ...

. His lyrics deal with a number of religious and philosophical topics.

Discography

Albums

With Saints of Everyday Failures

*''True Meaning of Survival'' (January 11, 2005; independent) *'' The State of the Art is Failure'' (March 21, 2006; Old Growth)

Solo

*'' Waywordwonderwill'' (September 8, 2009; re-released October 12, 2010; Shemspeed) *'' Dopestylevsky'' (April 26, 2011; K) *''Lost Tapes & Found Sounds (2006-2012)'' (May 14, 2013; K)

With Darshan

* ''Deeper and Higher'' (September 29, 2015; independent) * ''Raza'' (November 1, 2017; independent)

With Ruthless Cosmopolitans

* ''Ruthless Cosmopolitans'' EP (2020)

Guest appearances

*Shemspeed MCs vs. Electro Morocco, "Boom Selecta" (feat. Eprhyme,

, DeScribe, and Kosha Dillz; prod.

Electro Morocco Electro Morocco were an Israeli American electronic music band from Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 2007 by members of Nanuchka, they released two EPs, ''Electro Morocco'' (2008) and ''Low Ride'' (2010) and were featured on the Shemspeed compilatio ...

) (Shemspeed; April 29, 2010)

Compilations

*'' All Your Friend's Friends'' ("Trial By Water" as Eprhyme; "Simplify Complex" with Saints of Everyday Failures; produced with Thee Xntrx (November 11, 2014; K)

Singles and music videos

"State of the Art"
(with Saints of Everyday Failures) (2008; Old Growth) *" Punklezmerap" (ft.

) ('' Waywordwonderwill''; 2008; K) *"Shomer Salaam" (''Waywordwonderwill''; 2009; K)
"Life Sentence"
(''Dopestylevsky''; 2011; K) *"Trial by Water" (ft. IAME) (''All Your Friend's Friends''; 2015; K)

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Shemspeed Records artists K Records artists Alternative hip-hop musicians American Orthodox Jews Rappers from Washington (state) Evergreen State College alumni Jewish rappers Jewish hip-hop record producers Baalei teshuva 1980 births Living people Rappers from Arizona Musicians from Phoenix, Arizona West Coast hip-hop musicians