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Blood of Abraham Review Misleading
I received an email today from "MK" who questioned my comments about the band Blood of Abraham's debut album Future Profits as discussed within my review of their new album Eyedollartree. Below you'll find his letter. My only response would be that while he does have vaild arguments, I was tying the racism argument to the fact that from the time of the Black Arts movement (late 60s, early 70s) prominent black writers often resorted to racism against Jews, and I was aware that it was that racism that "Niggas and Jews" was calling out. I've heard the song, and we've come to different conclusions on it (I wasn't reviewing that album, I was simply trying to provide context for what I found to be better about the new album). Either way, everyone's opinions are important, which is why I'm printing the letter. I only took down the ability to comment on this site directly because of spam.
- - -
After reading your review, I was quite disappointed by the claims you make about the first album, "Future Profits."
I would like to question the following of what you wrote:
"Twelve years ago NWA-member Easy-E discovered rappers Benyad and Mazik, who were performing in Los Angeles as Blood of Abraham. Becoming their mentor, Easy-E helped them record 1993's Future Profits, which received mixed reviews due to the band's attacks on the rap culture for what the two perceived as anti-Semitism. Blood for Abraham missed the irony evident when two white rappers write a song called "Niggaz and Jews (Some Say Kikes)" in which they perpetuated the worst stereotypes about black people to stop black people from stereotyping them."
and
"Perhaps with the death of their mentor they found a better way of voicing their displeasure with the state of race relations in America -- that it isn't possible to bring differing sides together when hate is used to decry hate."
I do not believe you fully understood the message of the 1993 album. It was indeed evident that Mazik and Benyad represented their Jewish roots on this album. However, the anti-Semitism present in the rap world did not serve as the driving force behind the album. "Future Profits" was not about simply attacking back after having been attacked. If you were aware, "Niggaz and Jewz" was not a track meant to stop black people from stereotyping Jews. If you had listened to the track, you would take note that not only is the voice of an anti-Semitic man sampled (in the beginning of the track), but a racist man's voice is also sample at a point in the track.
Furthermore, I highly doubt your claims about the irony of white guys writing a song called "Niggaz and Jewz" are accurate. In fact, of the minimal guests featured on the album, 2 of those guests artists were featured on track 13, "Niggaz and Jewz." These two guest artists were two black people, Willonex of ATBAN Klann (Will.I.Am of Black Eyed Peas), and Eazy-E himself. I am sure that Mazik and Benyad were doing "Niggaz and Jewz" completely indepedently, and that they wrote the verses for Will.I.Am and Eazy-E to spit simply disrespecting themselves as they said the lyrics. Also, between Mazik and Benyad, the word "nigga" is only said once throughout the whole album, on that one track with Eazy-E and Will.I.Am.
Additionally, you must consider the time at which this album was recorded and released. 1993 was definitely a much more liberal time than 2005 is. The PC police were not nearly as prevalent then as they are now, which indirectly causes many people to form certain judgements concerning things that are not so PC. Also, the use of the word may have been an understood use between BOA and Eazy-E and company. If you want to make claims about the unsanctioned use of that word by white rappers, then I suggest you check out Necro (ironically also a Jew), one of the most insane (not necessarily meaning skilled or talented, but just simply mentally crazy) MCs in the rap world today.
Benyad and Mazik are not racist. Another track on the album, "Stick To Your Own Kind" (Featuring Yomo), stresses brotherhood between blacks and Jews. In an interview I once read, Mazik was quoted as saying that some of the first hip hop he ever listened to was Public Enemy. Now if you can tell me how Blood of Abraham used hate on their first album, while signed to the largest black independent music label at the time, I invite you to please do so.
They have considerably toned down their controversy from 1993 to 2000/2005, and you definitely grasp what they are doing on "Eyedollatree," at least in my opinion. However, not to be a bitch, I wanted to bring some of your words to your attention because I felt they were not as unbiased as I had read your reviews usually are.
Shalam Aleikhem,
MK (Mjkess@aol.com)
I received an email today from "MK" who questioned my comments about the band Blood of Abraham's debut album Future Profits as discussed within my review of their new album Eyedollartree. Below you'll find his letter. My only response would be that while he does have vaild arguments, I was tying the racism argument to the fact that from the time of the Black Arts movement (late 60s, early 70s) prominent black writers often resorted to racism against Jews, and I was aware that it was that racism that "Niggas and Jews" was calling out. I've heard the song, and we've come to different conclusions on it (I wasn't reviewing that album, I was simply trying to provide context for what I found to be better about the new album). Either way, everyone's opinions are important, which is why I'm printing the letter. I only took down the ability to comment on this site directly because of spam.
- - -
After reading your review, I was quite disappointed by the claims you make about the first album, "Future Profits."
I would like to question the following of what you wrote:
"Twelve years ago NWA-member Easy-E discovered rappers Benyad and Mazik, who were performing in Los Angeles as Blood of Abraham. Becoming their mentor, Easy-E helped them record 1993's Future Profits, which received mixed reviews due to the band's attacks on the rap culture for what the two perceived as anti-Semitism. Blood for Abraham missed the irony evident when two white rappers write a song called "Niggaz and Jews (Some Say Kikes)" in which they perpetuated the worst stereotypes about black people to stop black people from stereotyping them."
and
"Perhaps with the death of their mentor they found a better way of voicing their displeasure with the state of race relations in America -- that it isn't possible to bring differing sides together when hate is used to decry hate."
I do not believe you fully understood the message of the 1993 album. It was indeed evident that Mazik and Benyad represented their Jewish roots on this album. However, the anti-Semitism present in the rap world did not serve as the driving force behind the album. "Future Profits" was not about simply attacking back after having been attacked. If you were aware, "Niggaz and Jewz" was not a track meant to stop black people from stereotyping Jews. If you had listened to the track, you would take note that not only is the voice of an anti-Semitic man sampled (in the beginning of the track), but a racist man's voice is also sample at a point in the track.
Furthermore, I highly doubt your claims about the irony of white guys writing a song called "Niggaz and Jewz" are accurate. In fact, of the minimal guests featured on the album, 2 of those guests artists were featured on track 13, "Niggaz and Jewz." These two guest artists were two black people, Willonex of ATBAN Klann (Will.I.Am of Black Eyed Peas), and Eazy-E himself. I am sure that Mazik and Benyad were doing "Niggaz and Jewz" completely indepedently, and that they wrote the verses for Will.I.Am and Eazy-E to spit simply disrespecting themselves as they said the lyrics. Also, between Mazik and Benyad, the word "nigga" is only said once throughout the whole album, on that one track with Eazy-E and Will.I.Am.
Additionally, you must consider the time at which this album was recorded and released. 1993 was definitely a much more liberal time than 2005 is. The PC police were not nearly as prevalent then as they are now, which indirectly causes many people to form certain judgements concerning things that are not so PC. Also, the use of the word may have been an understood use between BOA and Eazy-E and company. If you want to make claims about the unsanctioned use of that word by white rappers, then I suggest you check out Necro (ironically also a Jew), one of the most insane (not necessarily meaning skilled or talented, but just simply mentally crazy) MCs in the rap world today.
Benyad and Mazik are not racist. Another track on the album, "Stick To Your Own Kind" (Featuring Yomo), stresses brotherhood between blacks and Jews. In an interview I once read, Mazik was quoted as saying that some of the first hip hop he ever listened to was Public Enemy. Now if you can tell me how Blood of Abraham used hate on their first album, while signed to the largest black independent music label at the time, I invite you to please do so.
They have considerably toned down their controversy from 1993 to 2000/2005, and you definitely grasp what they are doing on "Eyedollatree," at least in my opinion. However, not to be a bitch, I wanted to bring some of your words to your attention because I felt they were not as unbiased as I had read your reviews usually are.
Shalam Aleikhem,
MK (Mjkess@aol.com)
posted by Jonathan Sanders @ 9:39 PM
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