Very exciting times: my video interview with Ynet, Israel’s biggest news website with around a million hits a day, made it to the front page of the site.
That’s me in the blue T-shirt at the bottom of the screen. Watch and read the full piece on Ynet (in Hebrew) →
The Ynet feature was written in Hebrew. Here is an English translation of the piece:
British-Made Zionist Hip Hop
British rapper Antithesis views himself as the exact polar opposite of your average gangsta rapper: a proud, Zionist Jew with two albums under his belt, who dedicated a track to the soldiers kidnapped in Lebanon, and who will soon complete his immigration to Israel. We caught up with him on the set of his music video for “Proud to be a Zionist” to get to know him a little better.
Rafi Barbiro | Published: 22.04.10, 13:54
Video: Antithesis performing Zionist hip hop (Director: Rafi Barbiro; Camera: Roei Gazit; Editor: Dafna Keinan; Photography: Roei Gazit). The video can be watched via the Ynet link above.
True to his name, the rapper Antithesis is the exact opposite of your everyday rapper. He’s a white Jewish lad from South London, completely devoid of any gangsta rap posturing or foul language, spitting patriotic English lyrics in support of Israel. It’s fundamentally uncool, but Antithesis, born Samuel Green, couldn’t care less.
He penned his very first track, “Just Peace,” at the age of 18. After finishing his studies, he spent a gap year in Israel taking part in a leadership training programme. Just before heading back to London, he heard a powerful speech by Haim Avraham, the father of the late Benny Avraham, one of the soldiers abducted to Lebanon. Deeply moved, he was inspired to write the track “A Mother Waits at Home.”
Antithesis and Rafi Barbiro outside Dizengoff House, moving to Israel soon (Photography: Roei Gazit)
When Avraham caught wind of a rapper who had written a song about his son, he reached out to Green directly. He encouraged him to hit the studio, record the track, release it, and donate the proceeds to charity. Green did exactly that, and the song was subsequently distributed to both British and Israeli radio stations.
To date, Green has released two albums: “United Kingdom of Racism” and “The Israel Question.” He recently arrived in Israel to shoot a music video for the single “Proud to be a Zionist,” taken from his upcoming third album. This week, he finally sorted out the bureaucratic red tape and will be making his move to Israel very soon. Congratulations are in order.