Khen Rotem, known by his stage name Sagol 59 ( he, סגול 59; born on October 1, 1968), is an Israeli rapper, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being a

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

-based hip-hop MC and has been hailed as the "Israeli godfather of hip hop."Tim McGirk
"Taking the Rap"
''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...

'', February 22, 2007. He also writes about music for many Israeli publications, including ''

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner ...

'' and the

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

guide ''City Mouse''.

Biography

Personal life

Rotem was born in Israel and raised on a

kibbutz A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...

, Ein HaHoresh.David Wainer
"Jewish, Arab rappers in Israel find common ground"
''

Ynetnews Ynet (stylized as ynet) is one of the major Israeli news and general-content websites, and is the online outlet for the ''Yedioth Ahronot'' newspaper. However, most of Ynet's content is original work, published exclusively on the website and wri ...

'', August 2, 2007. He served for three years in the Israel Defense Forces. His political views have been described as left wing,Dorian Lynskey
"Two Sworn Enemies and a Microphone"
''Guilt & Pleasure'', Spring 2006. although he says, "I try to look at things from the human side and not so much the political side.""Live From Jerusalem: Sagol 59"
Riotsound, 2006. He grew up listening to and playing rock and blues music, and was first exposed to hip hop in the late-80s. In 1991-92 he lived in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, where he first heard

Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be p ...

's ''

Death Certificate A death certificate is either a legal document issued by a medical practitioner which states when a person died, or a document issued by a government civil registration office, that declares the date, location and cause of a person's death, as ...

'', which he says is the record that made him “in awe of this whole hip hop thing.” He took the name Sagol 59 ("Purple 59") from his kibbutz laundry tag identification code."Artist Profile: Sagol 59"
JDub Records.

Career

In 2000, Sagol 59 released ''The Blue Period'', the first album by a solo hip hop artist in Israel. His first four albums and an EP were released in Israel, and are now available in the US online. On each album, he re-recorded a classic hip hop track in an Israeli version. On 2006's ''Hip Hop Einstein'', for instance, he re-did "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, with new lyrics to reflect the Israeli reality. In 2008, Sagol was signed to JDub Records, releasing ''Make Room'', his first American project. Two years later, the label put out a digital album consisting of remixes, b-sides, rare and unreleased tracks from the first decade of Sagol's career. Sagol went on the JDub 5th Anniversary tour (in Brooklyn,

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

) in 2008, and performed at the 2010 CMJ Music Marathon in New York."5 Must-See Israeli Bands at CMJ Music Marathon 2010"
MTV Iggy, 2010. 2011 saw the release of ''Another Passenger'', an album on which Sagol returned to his blues-rock-folk roots. ''Another Passenger'', produced by Amir Estlein, features Sagol singing and playing guitar, alongside notable Israeli musicians such as

Geva Alon Geva Alon ( he, גבע אלון, born 30 May 1979) is an Israeli blues/ folk/rock musician and singer-songwriter. Biography Geva Alon was born and raised in Kibbutz Ma'abarot. He began playing guitar at the age of 12, and in the year 2000 becam ...

, Rona Keinan, Dan Toren, Jazz saxophonist Albert Begger, members of Red Band and poet Ronnie Someck. In the Spring of 2012, Sagol was featured on ''Jenerous Skillz'', a digitally released global Jewish Hip Hop album, that he also executive produced. In August 2012, Sagol released the track "Westerns", a collaboration with New York rapper

Kool G Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper from Queens, New York City. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as ...

. Sagol collaborated with Israeli-American folk singer Ami Yares on the 2015 album '' The Promised Land: The Grateful Dead / Jerry Garcia Hebrew Project'', featuring Hebrew language covers of songs by

The Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, an ...

and

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence ...

. Sagol conceived of the project in 2013, and spent approximately 18 months translating the lyrics from English into Hebrew. It is the first ever album of Hebrew versions of Grateful Dead songs. In December 2015, Sagol and Yares embarked on a U.S tour of the project, which included shows in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York. In March 2017, Sagol embarked on a U.S tour, which included performances at the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival, New York City's Pinks, The Deanery in Brooklyn and Garcia's at The

Capitol Theatre (Port Chester, New York) The Capitol Theatre is a historic theatre located in the village of Port Chester, Westchester County, New York. It was designed by noted theater architect Thomas W. Lamb (1871–1942) and built in 1926. The 1,800-seat facility operates as a conc ...

. In June 2018, Sagol performed an acoustic set of Promised Land songs at the Article 24 club in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

, MA. In March 2020, Sagol went on another Promised Land U.S tour, which saw him and several American musicians perform two shows in Washington D.C, a show in Flemington, NJ and a show at the Nublu club in NYC's East Village. In December 2018, Sagol released a joint album with Israeli rapper and comedian Lukach. The album
Plouging in the Mud
which appeared under the pseudonym The Work Managers, parodies the Country & Western style of music, and was done all in Hebrew. On June 10, 2019, Sagol emerged with a new Hip Hop album
Pirkey Avot
(Veteran Joints), which showcased, alongside Sagol, a variety of notable Israeli M.Cs and producers. thReEMIXes, an E.P which featured three official remixes to tracks from Veteran Joints, was released to streaming services in October 2019. thREeMIXes II followed in December 2019. Sagol 59 Live

In November 2021, Sagol released "The Father, The Son and The Mayor", the first ever album by an Israeli solo rapper/M.C to be released in vinyl LP format. The album, released by Kame'a Music, contained nine tracks and featured renowned Israeli vocalists Dana Berger and Echo, among others. In January 2022 Sagol released "Judoka", a song performed in both Hebrew and Arabic in collaboration with Arab Muslim rapper Hasan M.C.

Political efforts

Fellow Israelis Sagol and Sha'anan Streett of

Hadag Nahash Hadag Nahash ( he, הדג נחש ', ) is an Israeli hip hop/ funk band, founded in 1996 in Jerusalem. The band is known for its leftist political statements in many of its songs. Some of the band's songs have been used in protests. Name and ...

created controversy in 2001 by teaming up with

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

rapper

Tamer Nafar Tamer Nafar ( ar, تامر النفار, he, תאמר נפאר; born June 6, 1979) is an Israeli rapper, actor, screenwriter and social activist who identifies as Palestinian. He is the leader and a founding member of DAM, the first Palest ...

(aka TN, of the group DAM) on "Summit Meeting", which was the first ever Jewish-Arab hip hop collaboration. Released during the

Second Intifada The Second Intifada ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinians, Palestinian uprising a ...

, the song called on leaders of both nations to resume peace talks. Since then, Sagol has been involved in endeavors designed to promote peace and unity between Jews and Muslims,John Pendygraft
"Middle East rappers escalate word wars"
''

Tampa Bay Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single ...

'', March 8, 2009. appearing on mixed bills such as 2004's JDub Unity Sessions in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

with

Matisyahu Matthew Paul Miller (born June 30, 1979), known by his stage name Matisyahu (; ), is an American reggae singer, rapper, beatboxer, and alternative rock musician. Known for blending spiritual themes with reggae, rock and hip hop beatboxing soun ...

and TN; 2006's Rap for Justice in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

with DAM and

Ramallah Underground Ramallah Underground, based in Ramallah, Palestine, is a musical collective born from the desire to give voice to a generation of Palestinians and Arabs, in a situation of great economic, artistic, and political difficulty. The collective was found ...

; the Hip Hop Sulha in

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

and

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, described as an Israeli and Palestinian hip hop showcase; frequently collaborating with Arab-Israeli rapper Saz; and, along with

Daniel Sieradski Daniel Jonathan Sieradski (born June 19, 1979) is an American writer and activist. He was the founding publisher and editor-in-chief of Jewschool, a left-wing Jewish weblog. He has been identified as an Orthodox Jew and an anarchist. Career ...

(aka Mobius), organizing Corner Prophets, a cultural initiative encouraging Israelis and Palestinians to find common ground through art and music. His track "Big Ben" was included on ''Celebrate Hip Hop: Jewish Artists from Around the World'', a 2005 compilation also featuring cuts from

RZA Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name the RZA ( ), is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the ''de facto'' leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums ...

and Blood of Abraham. "Big Ben" eulogizes a close friend and music partner who was killed in the 2002 bombing of the Hebrew University cafeteria in Jerusalem. In 2007, Subliminal released a

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

memorial song and video, "Adon Olam, Ad Matai" ("God Almighty, Until When?"). In response, Sagol recorded "Shoah Business", calling Subliminal out for what Sagol perceived as lyrics exploiting the Holocaust. In 2011, along with seven other Israeli MCs of varying ancestry, Sagol recorded "List of Demands", in support of demonstrations taking place in Israel calling for equal rights among citizens. The following year, the song was included on the mixtape ''Internationally Known Vol. 2''. In September 2014, Sagol appeared as a featured guest artist at the MasterPeace concert held at Amsterdam's Ziggo Dome, along with Palestinian rapper Saz. Sagol and Saz performed the newly recorded song "From The Beginning" at the concert.

Documentary appearances

Sagol was interviewed for the 2005 documentary ''I Know I'm Not Alone'', directed by Michael Franti of Spearhead. The film, which premiered at the

Slamdance Film Festival The Slamdance Film Festival is an annual film festival focused on emerging artists. The annual week-long festival takes place in Park City, Utah, in late January and is the main event organized by the year-round Slamdance organization, which als ...

, is about music in Middle Eastern occupied territories. Sagol also appears in Joshua Atesh Litle's 2010 documentary ''The Furious Force of Rhymes'', about the effect of hip hop worldwide, featuring his 2008 song "Jerusalem."

Artistic style and acclaim

Jewlicious says Sagol's "raps are earthy, poetic, rough and real."

MTV Iggy MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a d ...

says he has "gained a legendary reputation in and out of his country" and "his raps are hot." In a KlezmerShack.com review of the compilation ''Celebrate Hip Hop'', on which Sagol appears, Sagol's exploration of social corruption and religious conflict is singled out as being "especially revealing." In a lengthy feature about his 2017 U.S tour, Tablet magazine called Sagol "One of Israel’s pioneering hip-hop artists".Armin Rosen
"For the Love of The Grateful Dead—in Hebrew"
tabletmag.com, March 31, 2017.

Discography

Albums

* ''The Blue Period'' (2000, Fact Records) * ''Where Did We Go Wrong'' (2002, Fact Records) * ''The Two Sides of Purple 59'' (2003, NMC Records) * ''Hip Hop Einstein'' (2006, NMC Records) * ''Make Room'' (2008, JDub Records) * ''Remixed 2000-2010'' (2010, JDub Records) * ''Another Passenger'' (2011, Lev Group Media / 8th Note Records) * '' The Promised Land: The Grateful Dead / Jerry Garcia Hebrew Project'' - with Ami Yares (2015) *Ploughing In The Mud (2018, B.M.usic) - With Lukach (As The Work Managers) * ''Pirkei Avot'' (2019, Kame'a Records) * ''The Father, The Son and The Mayor'' (2021, Kame'a Records)

Mixtapes

* ''Leave Something For The Guests'' (2015, Self-release)

EPs

*''Reason to Die'' (2003, 9 Records) *Family Business (2015, Kame'a) - With Shiroto * thREeMIXes (2019, Kame'a) * thREeMIXes II (2019, Kame'a)

Compilations

* ''A Stranger Song: A Hebrew Tribute to Leonard Cohen'' (2004, Blind Janitor) – "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" * ''Celebrate Hip Hop: Jewish Artists from Around the World'' (2006, Craig N Co) – "Big Ben" * ''Rooftop Roots III'' (2007, JDub Records) – "Lech Kadima" feat. Roy * ''Rooftop Roots IV'' (2008, JDub Records) – "Jerusalem" feat. Sha’anan Streett and Rebel Sun * ''JDub Presents Jewltide'' (2008, JDub Records) – "Leeches ( DJ Spooky Remix)" and "Till the Fat Lady Dances" feat. Noa Faran * ''Internationally Known Vol. 2'' (2012, Nomadic Wax) – "List of Demands" * ''Jenerous Skillz'' (2012, Uneek Media / Corner Prophets) - "The Tunez" feat. Controverse, Lefty, Shiroto, Stepper & Benyomen; "Work With DAT" feat. Stepper, Lefty & De Cipher; "J-Funk" feat. Controverse, Benyomen, MC Theory, Mic G & Big J; "Strike Down Upon Thee" feat. OBD, Controverse & MC Theory

Guest appearances

* "Fight Rebel Sun" - Coolooloosh feat. Sagol 59, Quami, Sha'anan Streett, Kaolina and Kashi – from ''Coolooloosh'' (2007, Coolooloosh) * "Microphone Patuach" – Peled & Ortega feat. Extra G,

Ori Shochat Ori Shochat (born 2 September 1978) is an Israeli record producer. Shochat is considered one of the most influential people in the Israeli hip hop scene. Early life Shochat was born in Rosh Pinna. In his youth his family moved to Brussels for ...

and Sagol 59 – from ''Special Delivery'' (2010, High Fiber Productions) * "Lo Bai'm Betov" – Produx feat. Sagol 59 – from ''Resurrection of the Dead'' (2010, Madman) * "Intro" and "My Hood" – Nouveau Depart feat. Sagol 59 – from ''Nouveau Depart'' (2013, Baruch & Jo) * "Hogeg Ta'ahava" (Celebrate The Love) - Table Knights ft. Sagol 59 - From "Sounds Of Victory II" (2018, Shigola Records) * "Hu Alla" (Remix) -

Yossi Fine Joseph Thomas Fine (born December 7, 1964), known professionally as Yossi Fine, is an Israeli bassist and producer. fronted the world music/reggae/funk band Ex-Centric Sound System. Biography Personal life Fine was born in Paris, France, to a We ...

& Ben Aylon ft. Sagol 59 (2018, Independent) * "Namuch" (Low) - With Shiroto and Shaanan Streett of

(2020, Kame'a Music) * "Malachim" (Angels) - Mayor ft. Sagol 59 (2020, Kame'a Music) * "Zman Bidood" (Quarantine Time) - Segev ft. Sagol 59 (2021, iVibez)

Film appearances

* ''Blue White Collar Criminal'' (2004, dir. Noam Kaplan) * ''I Know I'm Not Alone'' (2005, dir. Michael Franti) * ''

Holy Land Hardball ''Holy Land Hardball'' (2008) is a documentary film about starting a professional baseball league in Israel. It is the story of the founding of the Israel Baseball League. Synopsis Boston bagel maker Larry Baras, who had no sports management exp ...

'' (2010, dir. Brett Rapkin and Eric Kesten) – music only * ''The Furious Force of Rhymes'' (2010, dir. Joshua Atesh Litle) * ''Be A Nelson - Music Above Fighting'' (2015, dir. Remko Geursen)

References

External links

Official website

Label website

Sagol 59 on Spotify

Sagol 59 on Soundcloud

Sagol 59 on Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sagol 59 1968 births Israeli Jews Israeli rappers Jewish rappers Living people People from Jerusalem