| Shemspeed | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | Erez Safar |
| Distributor(s) | Modular Moods |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Brooklyn, NY |
| Official Website | shemspeed.com |
Shemspeed is an American independent recording label & promotional agency, working primarily in the genres of hip hop, dancehall, pop and world music.
Contents |
Shemspeed was introduced in 2007 by Founder and CEO Erez Safar, along with its website, Shemspeed.com (billed as the Internet’s largest Jewish music site).[1]
Shemspeed.com is updated daily, giving users around the world instant access to Jewish music and music videos; events listings; features and reviews; and a music and apparel store.[2] To celebrate the website’s launch, Safar booked four concerts in four nights at venues across the globe – in Jerusalem, London, New York and Los Angeles – featuring over 40 live acts in total.[3]
In early 2010, Shemspeed began selling a blue and white "Israeli keffiyeh" featuring Stars of David and the Hebrew slogan "Am Yisrael Chai" ("The people of Israel live"). Manufactured by Baruch Chertok’s company, Dveykus, the scarves caused some minor controversy by putting a Jewish spin on the Middle Eastern garb most prominently associated with former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.[4] Safar defended the sale of the keffiyehs, noting that Jews indigenous to the Middle East have worn some variation of the keffiyeh for thousands of years.[5]
Shemspeed organizes the Sephardic Music Festival in an effort to bring Sephardic music to a greater audience.[6] The seven day celebration takes place annually in December around Hanukkah at venues across New York,[7] with plans to expand to Los Angeles and Mexico City. The New York Times described the festival as having an "eclectic lineup of traditional and contemporary artists, including many dedicated to fusing disparate sounds or bridging new and old."[8]
Shemspeed released the 2010 compilation album Sephardic Music Festival, Vol. 1, featuring Middle Eastern-tinged tracks from a variety of acclaimed Jewish artists, including Matisyahu, Pharaoh's Daughter, DeScribe and Moshav.
Shemspeed also organizes Hip Hop Sulha, a concert series promoting interfaith tolerance. The concerts have featured Jewish acts such as Yuri Lane and Y-Love, along with Arabic artists like the N.O.M.A.D.S.[9]