Sagol 59

Sagol 59 is a Jerusalem-based hip-hop MC [cite news |url=http://www.orthodoxanarchist.com/press/cornerprophetshaaretz.html |title=Rap riffs to heal the rifts |accessdate=2008-04-02 |last= Berman |first=Daphna |date= 2005-05-04 |publisher=Haaretz] . Raised on a Kibbutz in Israel, Khen Rotem took the name Sagol 59, or “purple 59,” from his personal Kibbutz laundry bag tagFact|date=April 2008. After his required 3 year stint in the Israeli Defense Forces, Sagol turned to music, beginning his career in blues, funk and rock before moving on to hip hop in the late 1990scite news |url=http://www.riotsound.com/hip-hop/rap/interviews/Sagol-59/index.php |title=Live From Jerusalem Interview|accessdate=2008-04-02 |last= Rotem |first=Khen |date= 2005-05-25 |publisher=Riot Sound] . Shortly after he relocated to Jerusalem, Sagol was picked up by the city’s seminal (and now defunct) indie label, Fact Records [cite news |url=http://cornerprophets.com/2006/03/09/hip-hop-einstein-comes-to-ta/#respond |title=Hip Hop Einstein Comes to TLV |accessdate=2008-04-02 |last= Rotem |first=Khen |date= 2006-03-09 |publisher=Corner Prophets]

Since crashing into the Israeli hip hop scene with his 2000 debut (Blue Period)cite news |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/jpost/access/1316090501.html?dids=1316090501:1316090501&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Aug+5%2C+2007&author=DAVID+WAINER%3BISRAEL21c&pub=Jerusalem+Post&edition=&startpage=24&desc=A+lyrical+co-existence |title=A lyrical co-existence |accessdate=2008-04-02 |last= Wainer |first=David |date= 2007-08-07 |publisher=Jerusalem Post] , Israeli hip hop pioneer Sagol 59 has built a formidable reputation as an MC. Boasting 5 full-length albums to dateFact|date=April 2008, plenty of musical collaborations with diverse artists Fact|date=April 2008and many live shows in Israel [cite news |url=http://www.forward.com/articles/music-3/ |title=Hip Hop as Conflict Resolution |accessdate=2008-04-02 |last= Gelfand |first=Alexander |date= 2006-09-08 |publisher=Forward] and overseas (U.Scite web |url=http://www.afropop.org/multi/feature/ID/650/A%20Musical%20Stage%20for%20Dialogue:%20Israelis%20and%20Palestinians%20Rap%20for%20Peace%20at%20S.O.Bs%20Hip%20Hop%20Sulha%2006
title=A Musical Stage for Dialogues |accessdate=2008-04-02 |last=Korat |first=Yael |date=2006-09-13 |publisher=afropop.org] , Europe)cite news |url=http://oybay.wordpress.com/2007/10/06/big-beats-hit-bay-area-y-love-jake-break-dj-handler-sagol-59-and-ragtop-of-the-philistines |title=Big Beats Hit Bay Area |accessdate=2008-04-02 |last= Girl |first=Challah Back |date= 2007-10-06 |publisher=oybay.wordpress.com] , Sagol has anticipated Israel's current Rap boom and cemented his position as one of its leaders.

Within the last decade, Sagol has participated in many events alongside Palestinian and Arab musicians cite news |url=http://israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enDispWho=Views%5El200&enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enVersion=0&enZone=Views&
title=Can Hip-Hop Heal? |last= Sieradski |first=Dan |date= 2005-08-21 |publisher=Israel 21C] , and has performed alongside many well known artists and overseas Fact|date=April 2008(Matisyahu, DJ Spooky, Kenny Mohammed The Human Orchestra, Remedy, Killah Priest, Sole of Anticon, Spearhead’s Michael Franti, Yitzchak Jordon aka Y-Love, Taskforce [cite news |url=http://www.guiltandpleasure.com/index.php?site=rebootgp&page=gp_article&id=10|title=Two Sworn Enemies and a Microphone |accessdate=2008-04-02 |last= Lynskey |first=Dorian |date= 2006-Spring |publisher=Guilt and Pleasure] and Israeli artists such as Hadag Nachash, Coolooloosh, Mook-e, Teapacks and many others. cite news |url=http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enDispWho=Articles%5El801&enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enVersion=0&enZone=Culture
title=Israeli Hip-Hop Set to Rhyme |last= Hazan |first=Jenny |date= 2004-10-10 |publisher=Israel 21C]

In 2001 he received critical praise for his groundbreaking collaboration “Summit Meeting"(feat. Tamer Nafar of Palestinian crew DAM (band) & Shaanan Streett of Hadag Nachash), the first-ever collaborative recording featuring both Israeli and Arab MCs. He regularly hosts the Corner Prophets/Old Jeruz Cipher Hip Hop series, a cultural initiative meant to unite the diverse cultural communities located in Jerusalem through a shared interest in hip-hop. By working with Corner Prophets, Sagol’s goal is to inspire a new generation of Israelis and Palestinians that turn to art, not violence, as a means to find a common ground.

Sagol was also an integral part of the groundbreaking Unity Sessions featured at the 2004 Celebrate Brooklyn concert seriesFact|date=April 2008. Unity Sessions featured internationally renowned Jewish, Israeli, Muslim, and Arab musicians in hip hop and traditional Middle Eastern musicFact|date=April 2008, many of whom were performing for the first time in the United StatesFact|date=April 2008. The Unity Sessions was produced by JDub Records and Aliza RabinoffFact|date=April 2008.

Sagol's 1st American and most ground-breaking project to date, Make Room hits the streets on May 6th 2008 on JDub Recordscite news |url=http://jdubrecords.org/artists.php?id=21 |title=Sagol 59 Bio |last= Goldsher |first=Emily |date= 2008-04-03 |publisher=JDub Records] . Make Room features full production by the youngest producer in Israel, 16 year old Johnny Hakatan aka Little Johnny, who first came to prominence on "Chomer MiKomi," an album by Hadag Nachash. In August of 2008 Sagol embarked on an American tour, performing concerts in New York, Denver, Cleveland and Los Angeles.

Discography

2000: The Blue Period (Fact Records - Israel only)Fact|date=April 2008
2002: Where Did We Go Wrong (Fact Records/MCI - Israel only)cite news |url=http://www.israel-music.com/purple_59/
title=Discography |date= 2005-08-21 |publisher=Israeli-Music]
2003: Reason to Die EP (9 Records - Israel only)Fact|date=April 2008
2003: The Two Sides of Purple 59 (NMC Records - Israel only)
2006: Hip-Hop Einstein (NMC Records - Israel only)
2008: Make Room (JDub Records - 1st US Release)Fact|date=April 2008

References

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