Shemspeed
Encyclopedia
Shemspeed is an American independent recording label & promotional agency, working primarily in the genres of hip hop
, dancehall
, pop
and world music
.
, along with its website, Shemspeed.com (billed as the Internet’s largest Jewish music site).
Shemspeed.com is updated daily, giving users around the world instant access to Jewish music and music videos; events listings; features and reviews; and a music and apparel store. To celebrate the website’s launch, Safar booked four concerts in four nights at venues across the globe – in Jerusalem, London
, New York
and Los Angeles
– featuring over 40 live acts in total.
In early 2010, Shemspeed began selling a blue and white "Israeli keffiyeh
" featuring Stars of David
and the Hebrew slogan "Am Yisrael Chai" ("The people of Israel live"). Manufactured by Baruch Chertok’s company, Dveykus, the scarves caused some minor controversy by putting a Jewish spin on the Middle Eastern garb most prominently associated with former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat
. Safar defended the sale of the keffiyehs, noting that Jews indigenous to the Middle East have worn some variation of the keffiyeh for thousands of years.
to a greater audience. The seven-day festival takes place annually in December around Hanukkah
at venues across New York
, with plans to expand to Los Angeles
and Mexico City
. Shemspeed released the 2010 compilation album Sephardic Music Festival, Vol. 1, featuring Middle Eastern-tinged tracks from a variety of acclaimed Jewish artists, including Matisyahu
, Pharaoh's Daughter
, DeScribe
and Moshav
.
Shemspeed also organizes Hip Hop Sulha, a concert series promoting interfaith tolerance. The concerts have featured Jewish acts, such as Yuri Lane
and Y-Love
, along with Arabic artists like the N.O.M.A.D.S.
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
.
Company History
Shemspeed was introduced in 2007 by Founder and CEO Erez SafarDiwon
Diwon is a Brooklyn-based Orthodox Jewish producer and DJ who performs all over the world. Under his legal name, Erez Safar, he serves as CEO of Shemspeed, an American independent record label & promotional agency operating in conjunction with its sister label, Modular Moods.-Personal life:The son...
, along with its website, Shemspeed.com (billed as the Internet’s largest Jewish music site).
Shemspeed.com is updated daily, giving users around the world instant access to Jewish music and music videos; events listings; features and reviews; and a music and apparel store. To celebrate the website’s launch, Safar booked four concerts in four nights at venues across the globe – in Jerusalem, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
– featuring over 40 live acts in total.
In early 2010, Shemspeed began selling a blue and white "Israeli keffiyeh
Keffiyeh
The keffiyeh/kufiya , also known as a ghutrah , ' , mashadah , shemagh or in Persian chafiye , Kurdish cemedanî and Turkish puşi, is a traditional Arab headdress fashioned from a square, usually cotton, scarf. It is typically worn by Arab men, as well as some Kurds...
" featuring Stars of David
Star of David
The Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
and the Hebrew slogan "Am Yisrael Chai" ("The people of Israel live"). Manufactured by Baruch Chertok’s company, Dveykus, the scarves caused some minor controversy by putting a Jewish spin on the Middle Eastern garb most prominently associated with former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...
. Safar defended the sale of the keffiyehs, noting that Jews indigenous to the Middle East have worn some variation of the keffiyeh for thousands of years.
Events
Shemspeed organizes the Sephardic Music Festival, in an effort to bring Sephardic musicSephardic music
There are three types of Sephardic songs—topical and entertainment songs, romance songs and spiritual or ceremonial songs. Lyrics can be in several languages, including Hebrew for religious songs, and Ladino....
to a greater audience. The seven-day festival takes place annually in December around Hanukkah
Hanukkah
Hanukkah , also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE...
at venues across New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, with plans to expand to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. Shemspeed released the 2010 compilation album Sephardic Music Festival, Vol. 1, featuring Middle Eastern-tinged tracks from a variety of acclaimed Jewish artists, including Matisyahu
Matisyahu
Matthew Paul Miller , better known by his Hebrew name and stage name Matisyahu, is an American Hasidic Jewish reggae and alternative rock musician....
, Pharaoh's Daughter
Pharaoh's Daughter
Pharaoh's Daughter is a world music band from New York City. Their music is a mix of American folk, Jewish klezmer, and Middle Eastern sounds.The bandleader is Basya Schechter...
, DeScribe
DeScribe
Shneur Hasofer , better known by his stage name DeScribe , is a Hasidic Jewish musician. His music combines elements of dancehall, reggae, hip hop and R&B...
and Moshav
Moshav Band
The Moshav Band is now simply known as "Moshav."The Israel-born Moshav Band grew up on Moshav Mevo Modiim, a musical village located in the hills between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Their home, founded by the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, was and continues to be the birthplace of many Jewish songs...
.
Shemspeed also organizes Hip Hop Sulha, a concert series promoting interfaith tolerance. The concerts have featured Jewish acts, such as Yuri Lane
Yuri Lane
Yuri Lane is a beatboxer especially known for beatboxing through a harmonica. He has made a movie, Compulsory Breathing, in which he plays a beatboxer. He has also done some other acting, including in the movies The Principal, Farmer & Chase and Playing Mona Lisa...
and Y-Love
Y-Love
Yitz Jordan , better known by his stage name Y-Love, is a Brooklyn-based African-American Hasidic Jewish hip hop artist...
, along with Arabic artists like the N.O.M.A.D.S.
Artists
- Y-LoveY-LoveYitz Jordan , better known by his stage name Y-Love, is a Brooklyn-based African-American Hasidic Jewish hip hop artist...
- DeScribeDeScribeShneur Hasofer , better known by his stage name DeScribe , is a Hasidic Jewish musician. His music combines elements of dancehall, reggae, hip hop and R&B...
- DiwonDiwonDiwon is a Brooklyn-based Orthodox Jewish producer and DJ who performs all over the world. Under his legal name, Erez Safar, he serves as CEO of Shemspeed, an American independent record label & promotional agency operating in conjunction with its sister label, Modular Moods.-Personal life:The son...
- Electro Morocco
- Eprhyme
- Tj Di Hitmaker
- Brody
- SHI 360SHI 360SHI 360 ) ,is an Israeli hip hop artist, song writer and record producer.-Background:Shai was born to a Tunisian Jewish father and a Moroccan Jewish mother and his childhood was spent growing up in Haifa, Israel until his family moved to Montreal when he was eleven years old...
- Kosha Dillz
- Dov RosenblattBlue FringeBlue Fringe is an American Jewish rock band. The band's songs cover a range of genres including pop, rock, punk and R'n'B, based around Jewish themes. Blue Fringe was formed in 2003 and has released 3 albums...
- Dreams In Static
- Hood Samaritan
Albums
- Y-LoveY-LoveYitz Jordan , better known by his stage name Y-Love, is a Brooklyn-based African-American Hasidic Jewish hip hop artist...
& Yuri LaneYuri LaneYuri Lane is a beatboxer especially known for beatboxing through a harmonica. He has made a movie, Compulsory Breathing, in which he plays a beatboxer. He has also done some other acting, including in the movies The Principal, Farmer & Chase and Playing Mona Lisa...
- Count It (Sefira) (2008) - Y-Love - This Is Babylon (2008)
- C-Rayz WalzC-Rayz WalzWaleed Shabazz, better known by his stage name C-Rayz Walz, is an MC from The Bronx, New York. He is currently a member of the Legendary NY hip hop Syndicate Stronghold. C-Rayz Walz has been a fixture in the New York hip-hop scene for years. He hosts many hip-hop shows and events, has appeared on...
& Kosha Dillz - Freestyle vs. Written (2009) - Benyamin Brody, Diwon & Dugans - Shir Hashirim (Song of Songs) (2009)
- DeScribeDeScribeShneur Hasofer , better known by his stage name DeScribe , is a Hasidic Jewish musician. His music combines elements of dancehall, reggae, hip hop and R&B...
& Y-Love - The Change EP (2009) - Dreams In Static (DiwonDiwonDiwon is a Brooklyn-based Orthodox Jewish producer and DJ who performs all over the world. Under his legal name, Erez Safar, he serves as CEO of Shemspeed, an American independent record label & promotional agency operating in conjunction with its sister label, Modular Moods.-Personal life:The son...
and Dugans) - Serene Poetic (2010) - Various Artists - Sephardic Music Festival, Vol. 1 (2010)
- Darshan - Lishmah (EP) (2010)
- Eprhyme - Waywordwonderwill (2010)
- DeScribe - Harmony (EP) (2010)
- D. Brook & J. Harkman - Darkcho (2010)
- Y-Love - See Me - EP (2011)
Selected Singles
- Shemspeed MCs (DeScribe, Y-Love, Kosha Dillz & Eprhyme) vs. Electro Morocco - "Boom Selecta" (2010)
- DeScribe feat. MatisyahuMatisyahuMatthew Paul Miller , better known by his Hebrew name and stage name Matisyahu, is an American Hasidic Jewish reggae and alternative rock musician....
- "Pure Soul" (2011) - Lipa SchmeltzerLipa SchmeltzerElazar Lipa Schmeltzer is an American Hasidic singer and composer. He is a headliner within Hasidic and Haredi communities worldwide and has been called "the Jewish Elvis". Schmeltzer has released 10 solo albums as of 2011...
& DeScribe - "Acharon Acharon, Chaviv (Diwon Remix)" (2011) - Y-Love & Tj Di Hitmaker feat. Andy MilonakisAndy MilonakisAndrew Michael "Andy" Milonakis is an American actor, writer, rapper, and comedian of Greek descent best known for creating and starring in The Andy Milonakis Show on MTV and MTV2.-Life and career:...
- "The Takeover" (2011)