| Kosha Dillz | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Rami Even-Esh |
| Born | August 26, 1981 Perth Amboy, NJ |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupations | Rapper |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Shemspeed |
| Associated acts | C-Rayz Walz Diwon Y-Love Yak Ballz Matisyahu RZA Kyle Rapps |
| Website | koshadillzworld.com |
Rami Matan Even-Esh (born August 26, 1981), better known by his stage name Kosha Dillz, is an Israeli-American Jewish hip hop MC based in Los Angeles.[1] He raps in English, Hebrew and Spanish.[2]
Contents |
Even-Esh was born and raised in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, to Israeli immigrant parents, spending summers in Kiryat Tiv'on, Israel. A graduate of Rutgers University, he was a member of the wrestling team[3] and studied creative writing, which he has said helped to expand his writing skills.[4] In his youth, he played the trumpet.[5]
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, Zach Even-Esh, who is now a bodybuilding coach.[6]
Even-Esh started rapping at the age of 17. For several years beginning in 1999, he was heavily involved with the freestyle battle rap scene at Nuyorican Poets Café in New York City. Other prominent participants were Mos Def, Immortal Technique and C-Rayz Walz.[7] That same year, he attended an MF Doom 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."[8]
He originally went by Kosher Dill, saying, "I was Jewish 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.[9]
Kosha Dillz put out his first 12 inch, "Chainsaw Music," in 2005.[10] In 2006, he appeared alongside Matisyahu on the song "Childhood" off the C-Rayz Walz album The Dropping.
In 2008, C-Rayz Walz contacted Kosha about collaborating. Later that year, they released Freestyle vs. Written, an album on which Kosha rapped written verses, and Walz freestyled.[11] Okayplayer stated that the album contains “witty, irreverent lyrics and candor.”[12]
2009 saw the release of his debut solo LP, Beverly Dillz, recorded in Beverly Hills with local producer Belief.[13] A lot of the LP was written "in socks on a couch."[14] Okayplayer called the album “an interesting mix of danceable tracks and powerful rhyming” and "at times wildly original and entertaining."[15]
In 2011, he released the EP Gina & the Garage Sale on his own label, Kosha Dillz World.
Kosha has toured and performed with a variety of artists, including Ghostface Killah, Snoop Dogg, Matisyahu, Cage the Elephant, C-Rayz Walz, Yak Ballz and Aesop Rock.[16] [17] He performed at Sundance in 2009[18] and South By Southwest in 2010.[19] He won the 2009 Hot 97 "Summer Jam" Rap Battle at Giants Stadium.[20] He appeared in a 2011 episode of the television show Yo Gabba Gabba![21] Along with Snoop Dogg and Drake, Kosha has a playable character in the basketball video game NBA 2K11.[22]
He is currently at work on a documentary, Kosha Dillz Is Everywhere, about his life as an Israeli-American Jewish hip hop artist.[23]
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,[24] with whom he has since recorded, on the 2010 track "Operator," also featuring Kool G Rap.[25] RZA calls Kosha "one of the rawest Jewish kids I know, proving again that hip-hop comes in all shapes, sizes, forms and races."[26]
The Los Angeles Times 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."[27]
Kosha is heavily influenced by Wu Tang Clan, Mobb Deep and jazz artists such as Herb Alpert.[28] Growing up, he listened to Nas, Notorious B.I.G., Wu Tang Clan, Rancid, Green Day, Metallica, Pantera and "music in Hebrew."[29]
| Release date | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| October 14, 2008 | Freestyle vs. Written (C-Rayz Walz & Kosha Dillz) |
Modular Moods |
| November 10, 2009 | Beverly Dillz | Modular Moods |
| Release date | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| March 15, 2011 | Gina & the Garage Sale | Kosha Dillz World / Foundation Productions |