Kosha Dillz | |
|---|---|
 Dillz in 2021 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Rami Matan Even-Esh (1981-08-26)August 26, 1981 (age 44) |
| Genres | Freestyle rap,Jewish hip hop,hip hop |
| Occupation | Hip Hop Artist |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Shemspeed Murs 316 Oy Vey! Rapper Friends |
| Website | koshadillzworld.com |
Rami Matan Even-Esh (Hebrew:רמי מתן אבן-אש; born August 26, 1981),[1][2] known professionally asKosha Dillz (Hebrew:קושה דילז), is anIsraeli-American[3] rapper.[4][5][6][7]
Rami Even-Esh was born inPerth Amboy, New Jersey toIsraeli immigrant parents and was raised inEdison, New Jersey, spending summers inKiryat Tiv'on, Israel.[4] He rhymes inEnglish,Hebrew,Yiddish andSpanish.[8] A graduate ofRutgers University, he was a member of the wrestling team[9] and studied creative writing, which he has said helped to expand his writing skills.[10] In his youth, he played the trumpet.[10]
He was initially exposed to hip hop atBar Mitzvah dances, and when he heard the "funky beats in the background" of "old school bike videos" he would watch with his brother.[11]
Even-Esh started rapping at the age of 17. For several years beginning in 1999, he was heavily involved with thefreestylebattle rap scene atNuyorican Poets Café inNew York City. Other prominent participants wereMos Def,Immortal Technique andC-Rayz Walz.[12] That same year, he attended anMF Doom concert atThe Wetlands, and recalls, "That's when I knew I loved the underground hip hop scene. That show and Braggin' Rights at Nuyorican Poets Café changed my life for sure."[10]
He originally went by Kosher Dill, saying, "I wasJewish and I wanted something cool." He changed his name to KD Flow when he was in the battle scene because he was "ashamed" of his MC name's Jewish association. After some substance abuse issues and a stint in jail, he became Kosha Dillz, coinciding with a decision to return to his Jewish identity.[12]
Kosha Dillz put out his first 12-inch, "Chainsaw Music", in 2005.[11] In 2006, he appeared alongsideMatisyahu on the song "Childhood" off theC-Rayz Walz albumThe Dropping. Two years later, C-Rayz contacted Kosha about collaborating. They releasedFreestyle vs. Written, an album on which Kosha rapped written verses, and Walz freestyled.[13]Okayplayer stated that the album contains "witty, irreverent lyrics and candor".[14]
2009 saw the release of his debut solo LP,Beverly Dillz, recorded inBeverly Hills with local producer Belief.[9] A lot of the LP was written while "in socks on a couch".[15] Okayplayer called the album "an interesting mix of danceable tracks and powerful rhyming" and "at times wildly original and entertaining".[16]
Since 2011, he has been at work on a documentary,Kosha Dillz Is Everywhere, about his life as an Israeli-American Jewish hip hop artist.[17] Along withSnoop Dogg andDrake, Kosha has a playable character in the basketball video gameNBA 2K11.[18] His song "Cellular Phone" was featured in aBud Light commercial that debuted in 2012 duringSuper Bowl XLVI.[19][20]
In 2013, Kosha's second solo album,Awkward In a Good Way, was released onMurs' label, Murs 316. Murs and producerJesse Shatkin under the aliasBelief,[21] assisted in shaping the feel of the album.[22] The album also featuredGangsta Boo ofThree 6 Mafia.[23]
What I Do All Day And Pickle was released on July 15, 2016 on Oy Vey!, led by the single "Dodging Bullets" featuring reggae artistMatisyahu.[24] The video for "Dodging Bullets" premiered onBillboard on June 28, 2016.[25]What I Do All Day And Pickle peaked at number 15 on theBillboardHeatseekers Albums chart, number 42 on theBillboardTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and number 50 on theBillboardIndependent Albums chart.[26]
In march of 2020 Kosha collaborated and was featured on a song withEDM artistKaskade called "Sexy".[27] On October 16, 2020, Dillz released his 14 track albumNobody Cares Except you that was crowdfunded onKickstarter.[28]
On October 26, 2021, Dillz was freestyle rapping outsideNew York Knicks Game during aNor'easter in New York City and caught the attention of rapperFat Joe, who started rapping with him. The performance went viral on TikTok, and led to several further collaborations between the two.[29] Fat Joe later invited Kosha Dillz on stage to perform with him at theMaxim Masquerade party in Denver, Colorado[5] after seeing him in the crowd.UNILAD made a short documentary on Kosha after they saw the performance.[30]
In 2022, theJewish Journal named him one of "The Top 10 Jewish Reality TV Stars of All Time".[31]
In 2023, days after the2023 Hamas attack on Israel Dillz released a new single, "Bring the Family Home", where he denounces antisemitism and calls for a return of hostages.[32]
Kosha has toured and performed with a variety of artists, includingGhostface Killah,Snoop Dogg,Matisyahu,Cage the Elephant,C-Rayz Walz,Yak Ballz andAesop Rock.[9][33] He won the 2009Hot 97 "Summer Jam" Rap Battle atGiants Stadium.[34] He performed atSundance in 2009[33] andSouth By Southwest in 2010.[12] He performed in 2011 on theYo Gabba Gabba! Live tour.[35] He hosted official showcases atSouth By Southwest in 2015, 2016 and 2017, calledKosha Dillz Presents: Oy Vey.[36][37][38]
Kosha was honored as one ofThe Jewish Week's 2013 36 Under 36, an annual list of "young visionaries reshaping and broadening the Jewish community".[39] He was also mentioned as #14 onBuzzFeed's 2016 List of Best Jewish Rappers: Passover Edition.[40]
Kosha has said the majority of opportunities he's received in his career stem from wowing crowds with his freestyle ability, which eventually earned him notice fromRZA of theWu Tang Clan,[9] with whom he has since recorded, on the 2010 track "Operator", also featuringKool G Rap.[41] RZA calls Kosha "one of the rawest Jewish kids I know, proving again that hip-hop comes in all shapes, sizes, forms and races."[41] TheLos Angeles Times observed, "Though he's a technically skilled rhymer, Dillz's greatest gift is his willingness to engage the crowd. He'll do goofball Russian dance kicks, crack jokes and single out individual audience members."[9]
Kosha is influenced byWu Tang Clan,Mobb Deep and jazz artists such asHerb Alpert.[10] Growing up, he listened toNas,Notorious B.I.G., Wu Tang Clan,Rancid,Green Day,Metallica,Pantera and "music in Hebrew".[12]
| Release date | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| October 14, 2008 | Freestyle vs. Written (C-Rayz Walz & Kosha Dillz) | Modular Moods |
| November 10, 2009 | Beverly Dillz | Modular Moods |
| November 5, 2013 | Awkward In a Good Way | Murs 316 |
| July 15, 2016 | What I Do All Day And Pickle | Oy Vey! |
| October 16, 2020 | Nobody Cares Except You | Rapper Friends |
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Gina & the Garage Sale | Kosha Dillz World / Foundation Productions |
After a stint in prison, Even-Esh, 36, found success in the music industry.
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| National | |
| Artists | |
