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."WATCH FAT JOE JOIN NYC STREET RAPPER’S FREESTYLE IN WILD VIDEO AFTER KNICKS GAME"

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment * ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...

, October 28, 2021

Early life and education

Rami Even-Esh was born in

Perth Amboy, New Jersey Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, th ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i immigrant parents and was raised in

Edison, New Jersey Edison is a township located in Middlesex County,in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan Valley region, Edison is a commercial hub, home to Menlo Park Mall and Little India. It ...

, spending summers in Kiryat Tiv'on, Israel. He rhymes in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

.Ed Guardaro
"Caught live at CMJ: Kosha Dillz,"
'' The Deli'', October 24, 2011. A graduate of

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

, he was a member of the wrestling teamJeff Weiss
"Kosha Dillz opening for Ghostface Killah at the Roxy, reveals his 'LA Ish,'"
''Los Angeles Times'', November 12, 2010. and studied creative writing, which he has said helped to expand his writing skills."Interview With Kosha Dillz,"
mtvU.com, September 26, 2011. In his youth, he played the trumpet. He was initially exposed to hip hop at Bar Mitzvah dances, and when he heard the “funky beats in the background” of “old school bike videos” he would watch with his brother."Kosha Dillz,"
UGSMAG, May 30, 2008.

Career

Even-Esh started rapping at the age of 17. For several years beginning in 1999, he was heavily involved with the freestyle

battle rap Battle rap (also known as rap battling)Edwards, Paul, 2009, p. 25. is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults and wordplay. Battle rap is often performed or freestyled spontaneously in live ...

scene at

Nuyorican Poets Café The Nuyorican (Puerto Rican New Yorkers) Poets Cafe is a nonprofit organization in Alphabet City, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It is a bastion of the Nuyorican art movement in New York City, and has become a forum for poetry, music, hip ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Other prominent participants were

Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

Immortal Technique Felipe Andres Coronel (born February 19, 1978), better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is an American rapper. Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics, from a radical left-wing perspective. Immortal Techn ...

and

C-Rayz Walz Waleed Shabazz (born August 3, 1975), better known by his stage name C-Rayz Walz, is an American rapper from the Bronx, New York. He has been a member of the collective Stronghold. Early life Waleed Shabazz was born and raised in the Bronx, New ...

.Jaime Owen
"Kosha Dillz Interview: SXSW 2010,"
Spinner.com, March 3, 2010. That same year, he attended an

MF Doom Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...

concert at The 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." He originally went by Kosher Dill, saying, "I was

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

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. Kosha Dillz put out his first 12-inch, "Chainsaw Music," in 2005. In 2006, he appeared alongside

Matisyahu Matthew Paul Miller (born June 30, 1979), known by his stage name Matisyahu (; ), is an American reggae singer, rapper, beatboxer, and alternative rock musician. Known for blending spiritual themes with reggae, rock and hip hop beatboxing soun ...

on the song "Childhood" off the

album ''The Dropping''. Two years later, C-Rayz contacted Kosha about collaborating. They released ''Freestyle vs. Written'', an album on which Kosha rapped written verses, and Walz freestyled. Okayplayer stated that the album contains “witty, irreverent lyrics and candor.” 2009 saw the release of his debut solo LP, ''Beverly Dillz'', recorded in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

with local producer Belief. A lot of the LP was written while "in socks on a couch." Okayplayer called the album “an interesting mix of danceable tracks and powerful rhyming” and "at times wildly original and entertaining." 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. Along with Snoop Dogg and

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

, Kosha has a playable character in the basketball video game '' NBA 2K11''. His song "Cellular Phone" was featured in a Bud Light commercial that debuted in 2012 during Super Bowl XLVI. In 2013, Kosha's second solo album, ''Awkward In a Good Way'', was released on

Murs Murs may refer to: People * Marc Athanase Parfait Œillet des Murs (1804-1878), French ornithologist * Olly Murs (born 1984), English singer-songwriter * Murs (rapper) (born 1978), American rapper Places * Murs, Indre, France * Murs, Vaucluse, ...

' label, Murs 316. Murs and producer

Jesse Shatkin Jesse Samuel Shatkin (born 1979) is an American songwriter, producer and engineer. He has worked with Sia, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Lopez, Fitz and the Tantrums and One Direction, among others. Shatkin was nominated in 2014 for Grammy Awards a ...

under the alias ''Belief'',"Valuable Mistakes: How I Turned Freestyling Outside the GRAMMYs into a $50,000 Check"
Djbooth.net, February 12, 2018 assisted in shaping the feel of the album. The album also featured

Gangsta Boo Lola Chantrelle Mitchell (born August 7, 1979), better known by her stage name Gangsta Boo, is an American rapper, who was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. She was the second female member (after K-9) of the Memphis-based hip hop group Thr ...

Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia is an American hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip hop group, they would eventually go on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mystic Stylez'' ...

."kosha dillz - Where My Homies Be Feat. Gangsta Boo & Murs"
Hotnewhiphop.com, October 25, 2013 ''What I Do All Day And Pickle'' was released on July 15, 2016 on Oy Vey!, led by the single "Dodging Bullets" featuring reggae artist

. The video for "Dodging Bullets" premiered on '' Billboard'' on June 28, 2016. ''What I Do All Day And Pickle'' peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, number 42 on the Billboard

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...

, and number 50 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart. In march of 2020 Kosha collaborated and was featured on a song with

EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...

artist

Kaskade Ryan Gary Raddon (born February 25, 1971), better known by his stage name Kaskade, is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. ''DJ Times'' voted Kaskade "America's Best DJ" in 2011 and 2013. ''DJ Mag'' named Kaskade fifty-first on its 20 ...

called "Sexy". On October 16, 2020 Dillz released his 14 track album "Nobody Cares Except you" that was crowdfunded on Kickstarter."Exclusive: Kosha Dillz Discusses New Album ‘Nobody Cares Except You’"
Theknockturnal.com, March 30, 2021 On October 26, 2021 Dillz was freestyle rapping outside New York Knicks Game during a

Nor'easter A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below), or an East Coast low is a synoptic-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. The original use ...

in New York City and caught the attention of rapper Fat Joe who walked by. Fat Joe started rapping with Kosha and the performance was caught on video which caused the performance to go viral. October 30, 2021 Fat Joe was performing with DJ Nasty (Johnny David Mollings) of Nasty Beatmakers at the

Masquerade party in Denver, Co and invited Kosha Dillz up on stage to perform after seeing him in the crowd.

UNILAD UNILAD is a British Internet media company and website owned by LADbible Group. The company markets itself as "a primary platform for youngsters for breaking news and relatable viral content", and has offices in London and Manchester. UNILAD wa ...

made a short documentary on Kosha after they saw the performance."Kosha Dillz on leveling up after going viral with Fat Joe"
Hypebot, November 14, 2021 In 2022, the '' Jewish Journal'' named him one of "The Top 10 Jewish Reality TV Stars of All Time."

Performances

Kosha has toured and performed with a variety of artists, including

Ghostface Killah Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 C ...

, Snoop Dogg,

Cage the Elephant Cage the Elephant is an American rock band formed in 2006 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They moved to England, U.K. and settled in London in 2008, shortly before their self-titled first album was released. The band currently consists of Matt S ...

Yak Ballz Yak Ballz, born Yashar Zadeh is an American independent hip hop artist, who was brought up in Flushing, Queens, New York. He is one of the original members of The Weathermen. He is also a member of Cardboard City. Since 2019 he has worked f ...

and

Aesop Rock Ian Matthias Bavitz (born June 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American rapper and producer from Long Island, New York. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emer ...

.Erin Broadley
"Kosha Dillz Freestyles at Sundance, Unveils Tour Video,"
'' LA Weekly'', January 20, 2009. He won the 2009

Hot 97 WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared ser ...

"Summer Jam" Rap Battle at Giants Stadium. He performed at Sundance in 2009 and South By Southwest in 2010. He performed in 2011 on the ''

Yo Gabba Gabba! ''Yo Gabba Gabba!'' is a children's musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz. The series is about five costumed toys come-to-life and their friend DJ Lance Rock (Lance Robertson). It is co-produced by Magic Stor ...

'' Live tour. He hosted official showcases at South By Southwest in 2015, 2016 and 2017, called ''Kosha Dillz Presents: Oy Vey''.

Honors

Kosha was honored as one of ''

The Jewish Week ''The Jewish Week'' is a weekly independent community newspaper targeted towards the Jewish community of the metropolitan New York City area. ''The Jewish Week'' covers news relating to the Jewish community in NYC. In March 2016, ''The Jewish W ...

''s 2013 36 Under 36, an annual list of "young visionaries reshaping and broadening the Jewish community." He was also mentioned as #14 on BuzzFeed's 2016 List of Best Jewish Rappers: Passover Edition."15 Best Jewish Rappers: Passover Edition,"
BuzzFeed, March 21, 2016.

Artistic style

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 from RZA of the

Wu Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affi ...

, with whom he has since recorded, on the 2010 track "Operator," also featuring

Kool G Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper from Queens, New York City. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and a ...

."RZA 'Operator' feat. Kosha Dillz & Kool G Rap,"
Okayplayer.com, July 7, 2011. RZA calls Kosha "one of the rawest Jewish kids I know, proving again that hip-hop comes in all shapes, sizes, forms and races." The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' 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." Kosha is influenced by

, Mobb Deep and jazz artists such as

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

. Growing up, he listened to

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

, Notorious B.I.G., Wu Tang Clan, Rancid, Green Day, Metallica, Pantera and "music in Hebrew."

Discography

Albums

Extended plays

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kosha Dillz 1981 births Living people 21st-century Sephardi Jews American male rappers American people of Israeli descent Israeli Sephardi Jews American Sephardic Jews East Coast hip hop musicians Jewish Israeli musicians Jewish American musicians Jewish rappers People from Perth Amboy, New Jersey Rappers from Los Angeles Rappers from New Jersey Rutgers University alumni Shemspeed Records artists Hebrew-language singers Spanish-language singers of the United States Yiddish-language singers 21st-century American rappers 21st-century Israeli male musicians 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century Israeli Jews 21st-century American Jews