Eden Daniel Pearlstein (born February 19, 1980), better known by his stage name Eprhyme (pronounced "E-Prime"), is an American Jewish

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and producer based in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. While attending

The Evergreen State College The Evergreen State College is a public liberal arts college in Olympia, Washington. Founded in 1967, it offers a non-traditional undergraduate curriculum in which students have the option to design their own study towards a degree or follow a p ...

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. European ...

, he became involved with the

Olympia music scene The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

as half of the hip hop duo Saints of Everyday Failures, with which he released two albums. According to Nic Leonard of the ''

Weekly Volcano ''Weekly Volcano'' was a weekly entertainment newspaper in based in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It served the southern Puget Sound region and reports on film, theater, food, art and music Music is generally defined as the art o ...

'', Eprhyme "played a major roll icin the creation of the Olympia hip-hop scene." He was noticed by local independent label

K Records K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington founded in 1982. Artists on the label included early releases by Beck, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. The record label has been called "key to the development of independent mu ...

, who released his first two singles, "

Punklezmerap "Punklezmerap" is a song by American rapper Eprhyme, the lead single from his debut solo album '' Waywordwonderwill'' (2008). It was released by K Records on March 4, 2008. Produced by Smoke of Oldominion and featuring Nomy Lamm on vocals, the s ...

" and "Shomer Salaam". He then released his debut album, ''

Waywordwonderwill ''Waywordwonderwill'' is the debut solo album by Jewish rapper Eprhyme, released on September 8, 2009 through Shemspeed Records. It was produced by Smoke M2D6 of Oldominion. The album's two singles, "Punklezmerap" and "Shomer Salaam", were origi ...

'' (2009), through Shemspeed Records, before returning to

for his follow-up, ''

Dopestylevsky ''Dopestylevsky'' is the second studio album by Jewish rapper Eprhyme, released on April 26, 2011 by K Records. It is notable as the label's first hip-hop album in a decade, as K Records is typically known for punk rock, punk and indie rock. video ...

'' (2011). He is currently part of the

alternative hip hop Alternative hip hop (also known as alternative rap) is a subgenre of hip hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising " hip hop groups that refuse to confor ...

groups Darshan, with vocalist

Basya Schechter Basya Schechter is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, cantor, and music teacher. She is the lead singer and founder of the world/folk rock band Pharaoh's Daughter and has released two solo albums. She has ...

, and Ruthless Cosmopolitans, with

Jon Madof Jon Madof (born May 28, 1974) is an American guitarist, composer, and leader of the bands Rashanim and Zion80, who has performed extensively with other artists including John Zorn, Matisyahu, Marc Ribot, and Frank London. PopMatters' Sean Murphy ...

Early life

Eden Pearlstein was born February 19, 1980, in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

. He grew up in a

Reform Jewish Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...

household, later describing it as "a standard non-

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

West Coast Jewish upbringing—

Hebrew school Hebrew school is Jewish education focusing on topics of Jewish history, learning the Hebrew language, and finally learning their Torah Portion, in preparation for the ceremony in Judaism of entering adulthood, known as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Hebr ...

, bar mitzvah, and summer camp. It was not very intriguing to me and I just walked away from it after my bar mitzvah." Pearlstein listened to hip hop as a child and began rapping when he was 14. During his middle school years, he became rebellious and dabbled in drugs and petty crime until, at age 17, he attended a youth arts program and became interested in poetry. In his early twenties, he visited

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

to participate in a Native American

Sun Dance The Sun Dance is a ceremony practiced by some Native Americans in the United States and Indigenous peoples in Canada, primarily those of the Plains cultures. It usually involves the community gathering together to pray for healing. Individuals ...

, during which he had a spiritual epiphany that inspired him to re-examine his Jewish roots.

Career

Early music in Olympia

Pearlstein attended

, where he studied

comparative theology Comparative theology is a relatively new discipline within theology, which holds together "comparative" and "theology" in creative tension. It represents a particular type of theological practice committed to deep interreligious learning ("comparati ...

and led classes in Alternative Jewish studies on the side. During this time, he became involved in the

, working with producer Matt "Smoke" Smokovich of

Oldominion Oldominion is an American hip hop collective, consisting of more than twenty members. It was described by Casey Jarman of ''Willamette Week'' as the "Northwest's largest hip-hop crew" which "united the local underground rap scene for the first ti ...

. Pearlstein co-founded the hip hop group Saints of Everyday Failures alongside D-Scribe, Tha Goonie, MC Contradiction, and My Left Foot. They performed at the 2006

Lakefair Capital Lakefair is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most ...

festival alongside

One Block Radius __NOTOC__ One Block Radius is an alternative hip hop group made up of Marty James (vocals, raps, production), MDA (vocals, turntables), and emcee Z-Man (a Hieroglyphics associated rapper). Both Marty James and MDA were part of the group Scape ...

and released two albums together, ''True Meaning of Survival'' (2005) and '' The State of the Art is Failure'' (2006), the latter of which featured contributions by

Awol One Anthony Martin, better known by his stage name Awol One, is an alternative hip hop artist and graphic designer based in Los Angeles, California. Discography Albums Awol One * ''Souldoubt'' (2001) (with Daddy Kev) * ''Number 3 on the Phone'' (20 ...

2Mex Alejandro Ocana, better known by his stage name 2Mex, is a rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is a member of The Visionaries and Of Mexican Descent. He has collaborated with underground hip hop artists such as Jel, Omid, Thavius Beck, Facto ...

Onry Ozzborn Michael Sean Martinez (born March 25, 1979), better known by his stage name Onry Ozzborn, is an American rapper and producer from Seattle, Washington. He is a founding member of alternative hip hop groups such as Grayskul, Dark Time Sunshine, and ...

, and members of

Typical Cats Typical Cats is an American underground hip hop group from Chicago, Illinois.Chicago Interview - inte ...

. The album's sound was described by ''

'' as "a séance with

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

Hermann Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include ''Demian'', ''Steppenwolf (novel), Steppenwolf'', ''Siddhartha (novel), Siddhartha'', and ''The Glass Bead Game'', ...

, and

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe p ...

Solo career

Pearlstein gained the attention of

, which released his first two solo singles, "

", which featured

Nomy Lamm Naomi Elizabeth "Nomy" Lamm (born September 1, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter and political activist. Lamm has described herself as a "bad ass, fat ass, Jew, dyke amputee." Her left foot was amputated at age three, to be fitted with a l ...

on vocals, and "Shomer Salaam". This made him the label's first hip hop artist in a decade, as they were primarily associated with

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

and

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

artists. In 2009, Pearlstein relocated to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where he became a regular at

SOB's SOB's is a live world music venue and restaurant in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Manhattan. S.O.B.’s is an abbreviation of Sounds of Brazil. Larry Gold started SOBs in June 1982, and he currently still owns the space. Gold opened the ven ...

. That same year, he released his debut album, ''

'', through Shemspeed Records. In March 2010, Pearlstein performed at the

Sandys Row Synagogue Sandy's Row Synagogue is a historic ''Grade II'' listed synagogue and former Christian church in the East End of London. After the Great Synagogue of London, the city's first Ashkenazi congregation, was destroyed by German bombing in the London ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

as part of a

Moishe House Moishe House is an international non-profit organization made up of a collection of homes throughout the world that serve as hubs for young adult Jewish community (with an emphasis on ages 21–32) founded by Daniel Arias. It provides a rent sub ...

event. Pearlstein returned to K Records in 2011 for his second album, ''

''. The album featured more collaborations, including Labtekwon,

DeScribe Shneur Hasofer is a Hasidic musician known as DeScribe. Hasofer's musical style has been characterized as "Hasidic hip-hop," "Hasidic rap" and "Hasidic R&B". Background Hasofer was born to a Chabad Hasidic family in Melbourne, Australia. Hasof ...

Y-Love Yitz Jordan (born January 5, 1978), better known by his stage name Y-Love, is an American hip hop artist. An Orthodox Jew, Jordan was formerly Hasidic.Jerry Portwood"Y-Love is Ready for Love,"'' Out'', May 15, 2012. He is a web developer, activis ...

, and AKA. In 2014, Pearlstein and Smoke M2D6, producing under the name Thee Xntrx, released '' All Your Friend's Friends'', a compilation of

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

rappers sampling older K Records artists. Those on the compilation included The Chicharones, MG! The Visionary,

, and Pearlstein himself.

Darshan, Chant Records, and Ruthless Cosmopolitans

While attending a retreat at

Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center is a project of Hazon that sits on 400 acres of forest and meadows in the foothills of the southern Berkshires in Litchfield County, Connecticut. Isabella Freedman hosts organizational retreats, Jewish spiri ...

in 2008, Pearlstein met rabbi and singer-songwriter

Shir Yaakov Sam Benjamin "Shir Yaakov" Feinstein-Feit is an American rabbi, composer, liturgist, singer-songwriter, and graphic designer. As a musician, he has recorded several albums both solo and with the groups Darshan and The Epichorus. In his spiritua ...

. The two subsequently formed the

collective Darshan, and in 2009 they released a debut EP, ''Lishmah'', through Erez Safar's Shemspeed label. A debut full-length, ''Deeper and Higher'', was released independently in 2015, with

Jamie Saft Jamie Saft is an American keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist and composer. He was born in New York City, and studied at Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private mu ...

producing and contributions from drummer

Ben Perowsky Ben Perowsky (born May 12, 1966) is an American drummer, percussionist, composer, and music producer. He is the drummer on stage in the 8 TONY award winning Broadway musical Hadestown. Perowsky leads the Ben Perowsky Trio, Moodswing Orchestra and ...

and vocalists

and Elana Brody, the former of whom became a full-time member of the group. In 2017 they signed to the independent label Chant Records (founded by guitarist/producer

and bassist/oudist

Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz (born 1975 in Brooklyn, NY) is an American bassist and oud player who has recorded and performed extensively with Cyro Baptista's Banquet of the Spirits, Daniel Zamir's Satlah, Rashanim, and Pharaoh's Daughter, and John Zo ...

) and released a second album, ''Raza'', with Pearlstein and Schecter, producer Frederik Rubens, and backing musicians including Blumenkranz,

Jessica Lurie Jessica Lurie is an American composer, performance artist and woodwind player,Hudson, J.J. (29 January 2004)Jazz musician to bring one of her three avant-garde groups to Chico ''Chico Enterprise-Record'' originally hailing from Seattle and now liv ...

Jason Lindner Jason Lindner (born February 1, 1973) is an American pianist, keyboardist, synthesist, sound designer, composer, arranger and producer. Life and career Lindner was brought up in Brooklyn, New York City.Matzner, Frank A. (August 18, 2014"Jason Li ...

, and Schechter's

Pharaoh's Daughter Pharaoh's Daughter is an American Jewish world music band from New York City. Formed in 1995 by Basya Schechter, their music is a mix of American folk, Jewish klezmer, and Middle Eastern sounds. Schechter is currently a member of the alte ...

bandmates Mathias Kunzli, Noah Hoffeld, and Daniel Freedman. In late 2020 Pearlstein formed another group, Ruthless Cosmopolitans, with Madof, guitarist

Yoshie Fruchter Yoshie Fruchter (born February 1, 1982) Matthue Roth“Jazz Is the New Klezmer: An Interview with Yoshie Fruchter,”''Jewcy'', January 27, 2009. is an American experimental jazz guitarist, bassist, oud player and composer. Early life and edu ...

, and drummer Emmanuel "Manny" Laine (

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

). The idea for the group originated in August 2017 when Pearlstein wrote the song "Make America Hate Again" in the wake of the infamous

Unite the Right rally The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, ...

and brought it to Madof. After releasing two music videos, "The Screen Age" on September 21 and "Make America Hate Again" on October 12, the group released a self-titled EP on October 23, 2020. Produced by Madof, the EP featured contributions from vocalists Elana Brody and Talia Madof and

Zion80 ''Zion80'' is the debut album by guitarist Jon Madof's Zion80 which was released in 2013 on John Zorn's Tzadik Records as part the Radical Jewish Culture series. The album combines music written by Shlomo Carlebach performed in the Afrobeat styl ...

members Greg Wall,

Frank London Frank London (born 1958 in New York) is an American klezmer trumpeter who also plays jazz and world music. Early life London was born to a Reform Jewish family and grew up in New York and Connecticut. He started playing the trumpet in fourth g ...

, Brian Marsella, and Marlon Sobol.

Musical style

In addition to hip hop, Pearlstein's music contains elements of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

klezmer Klezmer ( yi, קלעזמער or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for l ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

, and

Middle Eastern music The various nations of the region include the Arabic-speaking countries of the Middle East, the Iranian traditions of Persia, the Jewish music of Israel and the diaspora, Armenian music, Kurdish music, Azeri Music, the varied traditions of Cypriot ...

. He has been compared to artists like

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

and

The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...

. His lyrics deal with a number of religious and philosophical topics.

Discography

Albums

With Saints of Everyday Failures

*''True Meaning of Survival'' (January 11, 2005; independent) *'' The State of the Art is Failure'' (March 21, 2006; Old Growth)

Solo

*''

'' (September 8, 2009; re-released October 12, 2010;

Shemspeed Erez Safar is an American DJ, producer and songwriter who records under the names Diwon and h2the. He is CEO of Bancs Media, an American production company specializing in music and video production; Studio Bancs, a creative art space; and She ...

) *''

'' (April 26, 2011; K) *''Lost Tapes & Found Sounds (2006-2012)'' (May 14, 2013; K)

With Darshan

* ''Deeper and Higher'' (September 29, 2015; independent) * ''Raza'' (November 1, 2017; independent)

With Ruthless Cosmopolitans

* ''Ruthless Cosmopolitans'' EP (2020)

Guest appearances

*Shemspeed MCs vs. Electro Morocco, "Boom Selecta" (feat. Eprhyme,

, and

Kosha Dillz Rami Matan Even-Esh ( he, רמי מתן אבן-אש; born August 26, 1981), known professionally as Kosha Dillz, is an Israeli-American rapper.Chris Faraone"MC pals' flows are Kosha,"'' Boston Herald'', August 15, 2008.Electro Morocco) (Shemspeed; April 29, 2010)

Compilations

*'' All Your Friend's Friends'' ("Trial By Water" as Eprhyme; "Simplify Complex" with Saints of Everyday Failures; produced with Thee Xntrx (November 11, 2014; K)

Singles and music videos

"State of the Art"
(with Saints of Everyday Failures) (2008; Old Growth) *"

" (ft.

) (''

''; 2008; K) *"Shomer Salaam" (''Waywordwonderwill''; 2009; K)
"Life Sentence"
(''Dopestylevsky''; 2011; K) *"Trial by Water" (ft. IAME) (''All Your Friend's Friends''; 2015; K)

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Shemspeed Records artists K Records artists Alternative hip hop musicians American Orthodox Jews Rappers from Washington (state) Evergreen State College alumni Jewish rappers Jewish hip hop record producers Baalei teshuva 1980 births Living people Rappers from Arizona Musicians from Phoenix, Arizona West Coast hip hop musicians