Nissim Black on faith, hip hop and cultural recognition

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International hip hop artist Nissim Black, who grew up in Seattle, Washington, converted to Judaism and moved to Israel with his wife and seven children. He’ll perform Dec. 10 at LeMeridien.

Nissim Black can’t be boxed in.

The Israeli-American hip hop artist will be in Charlotte on Dec. 10 for a Hanukah celebration at Le Meridien, 555 S. McDowell St. Showtime is 6 p.m. and tickets are $36; children and student tickets are $18.

Black, who performs internationally, has released five albums, the most recent “Gibor” (2019). His catalog of singles includes “Love Me,” a duet with Oryahh and “Lifted,” featuring Levi Robin. On his YouTube channel alone, Black has amassed more than 26 million views.  

Growing up in inner-city Seattle, Black witnessed the struggles that people face daily, including gang affiliation. So, he set out on a search that led him to convert to Judaism and move to Israel with his wife Adina and seven children.

“One of the things that really made me start searching for God is that I was always intuitive,” Black said. “I was always a spiritual type of kid although it may have been covered up by my actions back then because I was trying to fit in with everything else going on inside of my environment.”

Black was immersed in many faiths starting from childhood. When his grandfather moved in when Black was 11 years old, he was exposed to Islam. At 13, his passion for hip-hop was deepened by a Christian organization and he converted a year later. He converted to Orthodox Judaism in 2011.

“I think there were always these ins and outs with me spiritually,” Black, 36, said. “I was always trying to break out of where I was to live a more spiritual life. By the time I was in high school my spiritual life was very strong. My friends admitted to me they used to try and do things to antagonize me to try and get me to fall because they saw me as much more spiritual than they were.”

Black said his parents encouraged his musical abilities and passion for creativity.

“I was always really into music,” he said. “Everybody recognized my talent at a young age. So, it just so happens that both my mother and my father were hip-hop artists. They actually pioneered hip hop in Seattle, so I guess I had all of this in my genetics.”

Hip hop is often portrayed as stereotypically misogynistic, violent and filled with foul language. But, as Black notes, the genre’s roots are spiritual.

“If you ask anybody leading up to about four or five years ago,” he said, “they would have told you that the first rap song ever was in 1979 by the Sugar Hill Gang called ‘Rapper’s Delight.’ But, now with the amazing technology we have today, we are able to see that the first rap song ever recorded was in 1954 by a group called the Luminaries. The rap song was about Noah’s Ark.”

Black is trying to shed light on rap’s original purpose through music that reflects his spirituality.

“I think I am using it for its intended use,” he said. “Everything in my opinion is to give glory to God.”

The phrase “fish out of water” would be the best way to describe Black when he first moved to Israel seven years ago. At first, it took some time to get used to a different way of life.

“Moving to the Middle East was definitely a culture shock,” Black said. “There are just a lot of things that you have to adjust to moving to the Middle East in general.”  

The way people interact in Israel is different from where Black grew up. It was not necessarily hard to adapt to, just understand.

“Israel is unique in a sense of where I came from,” Black said. “Seattle is very passive-aggressive, maybe freely on the outside, and can get rough on the inside. Israel is probably the exact opposite. It can be very rough on the outside but soft on the inside. Your first encounter with people over in Israel may be interesting but afterward, they are like your best friend.”

Since moving to Israel, Black’s children have not had to do much adapting the way he and his wife did, due to their growing up in the culture.

“It has been a powerful experience,” he said. “My kids, who have grown up here, they are like complete Israelis. They don’t remember much of anything from America. My oldest was seven when we moved and even she doesn’t remember America that well. I have this experience of me and my wife looking and talking to our kids. It is like they are growing up completely different that we did.”

While some may see the transition as a challenge, Black sees it as blessing.  

“The good part about it though is especially with social issues that have been going on over the last few years,” he said, “when things like that are encountered, they still are encountered. But racism isn’t contextual, meaning nobody has racism in their head. So, when you first meet somebody, it may be interesting, but it dissipates very fast. There are no preconceived notions about what Black people are supposed to be like. Because of that, my kids have a certain resilience that I don’t think they would have had if they would have grown up in America.”

Living in Israel has been a good experience, Black said. However, over the last few months, he admits it has been uncertain and even scary at times with the Israel-Hamas war.

“Imagine sharing the same streets and walking, going the same places with people that feel like you should die,” he said. “I’ve had conversations with Palestinian people personally, and they have told me verbatim that, ‘You can’t kill Hamas. We are all Hamas.’ They are not really knowing who to trust.” Before Black got to New York City, where he is staying before coming to Charlotte, two terrorists attacked a Jerusalem bus stop in broad daylight, killing three people, including a person from Black’s neighborhood.

“All of this is happening while there is still a war going on,” he said. “It isn’t like anything is gone. There are still countless nights of being in the bomb shelter, me and my family hearing booms. I’m out 50 to 54 minutes away from the closest city in Gaza, so we can feel and hear everything. Everybody has a little bit of PTSD. Every time you hear a boom, or you hear something, you don’t know what exactly it was.”

Amidst the war and increased security when he travels, Black is still on a mission to spread the word of God through his music. He is looking forward to coming to Charlotte and being a part of the menorah lighting.

“I am really looking forward to coming to Charlotte,” he said. “If I’m not mistaken, my grandmother is from Charlotte. I don’t get to see many places in the South and different things like that, so I love every opportunity I get to go. There is a southern feel there. I enjoy the people, I enjoy talking to the people. They can be Jewish, not Jewish, Christian, or whatever. It is just something good for me.” Black wants his message and music to be that outlet of hope for the world.

“I feel very deeply that my soul was put here to inspire people and arouse people to recognize that there’s a God in the world,” he said, “and to glorify his kingship and to bring the light, healing, and love. We depend on our music for what it means to us. So, I feel like that was what I was put here to do, to inspire people, to uplift people. That is what my music is and that is what my brand is.”     

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