Yoav Eliasi ( he, יואב אליאסי; born November 22, 1977), commonly known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

The Shadow ( he, הצל, ''Ha-Tzel'') is an Israeli

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 ...

blogger A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in Reverse ...

, and right-wing

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

. He was part of the roster of artists on the label TACT Records.

Background

Yoav Eliasi was born in

Safed Safed (known in Hebrew as Tzfat; Sephardic Hebrew & Modern Hebrew: צְפַת ''Tsfat'', Ashkenazi Hebrew: ''Tzfas'', Biblical Hebrew: ''Ṣǝp̄aṯ''; ar, صفد, ''Ṣafad''), is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevat ...

, Israel. His parents are of both

Ashkenazi Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

(

Romanian-Jewish The history of the Jews in Romania concerns the Jews both of Romania and of Romanian origins, from their first mention on what is present-day Romanian territory. Minimal until the 18th century, the size of the Jewish population increased aft ...

) and

Sephardic Jewish Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefa ...

( Persian-Jewish) descent. His family relocated to

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

two years later. By his teenage years he had formed a deep bond with Kobi "Subliminal" Shimoni, and the two began performing together at hip-hop shows. After finishing his mandatory military service in the IDF, he decided to stay on. This is where his rap name allegedly derives from. The official TACT Records profile says that Yoav Eliasi was in an elite undercover unit where he could not show his face, though in an interview with

Yehoram Gaon Yehoram Gaon ( he, יהורם גאון, born December 28, 1939) is an Israeli singer, actor, director, comedian, producer, TV and radio host, and public figure. He has also written and edited books on Israeli culture. The son of Sephardic Jewish ...

on Channel 1, Eliasi claims that he was a ''M'faked Mishma'at'' ("Discipline Officer"). He was featured with Kobi "Subliminal" Shimoni and their colleague,

Tamer Nafar Tamer Nafar ( ar, تامر النفار, he, תאמר נפאר; born June 6, 1979) is an Israeli rapper, actor, screenwriter and social activist who identifies as Palestinian. He is the leader and a founding member of DAM, the first Palest ...

in the documentary ''

Channels of Rage ''Channels of Rage'' ( he, ערוצים של זעם) is a 2003 documentary film by Anat Halachmi. Synopsis The film focuses on two young rap artists, Subliminal, an Israeli Jew, and Tamer Nafar, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, and focuses o ...

''. In July 2014, Eliasi was a central organiser of a right-wing confrontation on a demonstration by Israeli left-wing anti-war protesters opposing

Operation Protective Edge The 2014 Gaza War, also known as Operation Protective Edge ( he, מִבְצָע צוּק אֵיתָן, translit=Miv'tza Tzuk Eitan, ), was a military operation launched by Israel on 8 July 2014 in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territories, Pale ...

against

Gaza Gaza may refer to: Places Palestine * Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea ** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip ** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Lebanon * Ghazzeh, a village in ...

. An editorial in the left-leaning

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner ...

described him as "the dangerous product of incessant incitement by extreme right-wing elements." Yoav aliasi in confrontation with peace activists in Tel Aviv

Yoav aliasi in confrontation with peace activists in Tel Aviv

In 2014, he officiated a wedding ceremony in Israel of two gay men.

Discography

Studio albums

Solo

* ''Lo Sam Zain'' (

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 ...

: לא שם זין, "Doesn't put a dick" Non-literal translations: "Don't give a shit" or "Don't give a fuck" or "Don't give a damn" fficial translation by TACT) (2008)

With Subliminal

* '' Ha'Or Ve'HaTzel'' (

: האור והצל, "The Light and the Shadow") 2002

With TACT (Tel Aviv City Team)

* ''TACT All-Stars'' (

: תאקט אול סטארז, "TACT All-Stars") (2004)

Singles

Solo

=From Lo Sam Zain

= * ''Meantezet 2007'' (

: מענטזת 2007, "Moves Her Ass 2007") (2007)

With TACT

=Non-album singles

= * ''Shir Shel Rega Ehad'' (

: שיר של רגע אחד, "Song of One Moment") (2005)

=From TACT All-Stars

= * ''Hineni/Viens Ici'' (

: הנני/VIENS ICI, "Here I am") (2004) * ''Lama'' (

: למה, "Why?") (2004) * ''Prahim ba'Kaneh'' (

: פרחים בקנה, "Flowers in the Turrets") (2004) * ''Peace in the Middle East'' (

: שלום במזרח התיכון, "Peace in the Middle East") (2004)

Collaborations

Ha'Tzel has worked with Israel house duo "Knob" on a re-work of

Haddaway Nestor Alexander Haddaway (born 9 January 1965) is a Trinidadian-born German singer best known for his 1993 hit single " What Is Love", which reached number 1 in 13 countries. Early life Nestor Alexander Haddaway was born in Trinidad and Tobago ...

's song "

What Is Love "What Is Love (Baby Don't Hurt Me)" is a song recorded by Trinidadian-German Eurodance artist Haddaway for his debut album, '' The Album'' (1993). The song was released in 1993 as the album's lead single. It was a hit in Europe, becoming a numbe ...

Background

Discography

Studio albums

Solo

With Subliminal

With TACT (Tel Aviv City Team)

Singles

Solo

=From Lo Sam Zain

With TACT

=Non-album singles

=From TACT All-Stars

Collaborations

References

Related links