Sagol 59
| Sagol 59 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Khen Rotem |
| Born |
October 1, 1968 Israel |
| Genres | hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | JDub Records |
| Associated acts |
Hadag Nahash Tamer Nafar Saz Mobius |
| Website | Sagol59.com |
Khen Rotem, known by his stage name Sagol 59 (Hebrew: סגול 59), is an Israeli rapper. He is a Jerusalem-based hip-hop MC and hailed as the "Israeli godfather of hip hop." He also writes about music for many Israeli publications, including Haaretz and the Tel Aviv guide City Mouse.
Rotem was born in Israel and raised on a kibbutz, Ein HaHoresh. He served for three years in the Israel Defense Forces. His political views have been described as left wing, although he says, "I try to look at things from the human side and not so much the political side."
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, where he first heard Ice Cube's Death Certificate, 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.
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, Cleveland and Los Angeles) in 2008, and performed at the 2010 CMJ Music Marathon in New York.
...
Wikipedia