Who is Kosha Dillz?
If you were to describe Kosha Dillz in one word you probably would spend too much time trying to figure out that it would be a word which not exist. Resilient, daring, complex and confident could also be intertwined with honorable, loyal, charismatic to say the least. He is as an artist who is in love with his performance, his energy, and dreams of uniting various groups of people for the better. Many call him a Jewish Rapper and many call him a hustler, or the “hardest working rapper in the game” but there are others who know him simply as Rami Even-Esh.
Born to Israeli Parents in NJ, he grew up with two brothers (Zach and Eilon) that pushed each other into collegiate wrestling. While Hip Hop first came in the form of bar mitzvahs he attended in his middle school years, a lot of his influences combined familiar pop and party rocking elements via groups ranging from Digital Underground to the Beastie Boys, The Fat Boys, Wu Tang and Biggie Smalls. That didn’t exclude him from listening to the Ramones, Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins and Pantera as well as Metallica and Nirvana. Most of the music was interchangeable between warming up for wrestling matches and heading off to Jersey Shore teen-clubs. At Age 17, he entered a rap battle called Braggin Rites with a neighborhood friend Yak Ballz at the famous Nuyorican Poets Cafe, where he battled under the name Kosher Dill. Although he didn’t make it out the first round, he received an enormous applause which gave him the courage to return to the battlefield. Later on in the next year, he shortened the name to KD FLOW and continuously entered battles in the NYC area going against the likes of famous NYC emcees like Iron Solomon, Immortal Technique, JIN, and more. To him rapping was very much like wrestling, in which competition was about victory.
His trip to New brunswick’s Rutgers University started with a college scholarship for Division I wrestling, but also ended up with multiple felonies, jail time, parole and probation. During the time span of 7 years, he participated on college wrestling team for two, but his choice to exist within college party culture and dealing drugs naturally progressed into dropping out of the team, school, and soon becoming a full time addict and dealer. After being arrested numerous times, addiction became his main reputation, and drug use was his main occupation. He was arrested in 2002 for distribution charges and paroled in 2003, where he later entered back into school for about a 18 month period. Although many would learn their lesson, he delved even deeper into the world of drug dealing and addiction more than he was previously.
His Life Changes for the Better
In July 29th of 2004, Rami started his day by working his job of door to door cemetery sales, and later went to a summer class at Rutgers College. Rami received his final arrest in a sting operation where he was set up selling to undercover informant, and went to Jail once again, this time facing even more serious charges than ever before.
Faced with humiliation, embarrassment and emotional hopelessness, he entered rehab and began his quest in recovery, where his quest to music also became a reality. After incarceration, rehab, and living in various 3/4 and half-way houses, he began to release music under the name Kosha Dillz, showing the acknowledgement to his Jewish Culture, although most of his music was referencing the street life culture he chose to partake in. His first vinyl release was in 2005 via Matzah Fo Yo’ Mouf Records, and it hit as high as #4 on the USA college radio charts next to Eminem’s artist Obie Trice. Beginning his journey with his 12” record and homemade burned Cd’s, Kosha is nearly 10 years clean off all drugs and alcohol to this day.
Musical Releases and Accomplishments
Kosha went on to released a project with C Rayz Walz called Freestyle Vs Written, which symbolized the correlation between Black and Jewish Culture. The record received great reviews in Spin Magazine. His album Beverly Dillz, produced by Belief, also sold thousands of copies and featured Yak Ballz on it as well, and later licensed his song “cellular phone” to Bud Light for A Superbowl as, which was rated as the #1 Superbowl commercial via USA Today. In 2011, Gina and The Garage Sale featured his famous sweatpants song that landed him a gig on Yo Gabba Gabba Live! In 2009 he won the infamous Hot 97 Summer Jam Rap battle and earned a promo deal with Duck Down Records. His tenacity and hustle as an artist earned him his own playable celebrity character in NBA 2k11/2k13 , and he even collaborated with Wu Tan Clan’s Rza for in 2011 / 2012 for a song and performance at the acclaimed BET Hip Hop Awards. Kosha Dillz became the first emcee to ever perform in Hebrew on BET in its entire history. In Rza’s own words “He is one of the rawest kats I know, proving that hip hop comes in all forms shapes and sizes.” His most recent album , Awkward in a Good Way, was released on Murs’ LABEL 316 and features Murs and Gangsta Boo of Three 6 Mafia. The album premiered on BIllboard for it’s official stream and has received rave reviews on numerous sites. To this day, he has been featured on MTV, BET, VH1, Sundance, Billboard Magazine, Los Angeles Time, The Village Voice and more.
Why Jewish Content within the Music?
While being called a Jewish Rapper based off the association of his name, it should be noted that the majority of Kosha Dillz fans are not Jewish. Aside by his friend Matisyahu ( one of the first orthodox jew Kosha met ever) , Kosha became part of the Jewish community solely by his name, which attracted people who came across it. Much denouncing his association with Judaism while caught up in his drug addiction, he changed his name to KD Flow as to hide his Jewish association. By going with the name Kosha Dillz, officially in his 2005 release, he set himself up to be attract to future Jews to his work as part of his Tshuvah. A strong part of his Jewish music identity was brought to fruition via producer /director Diwon of Shemspeed, who introduced him to various Jewish publications on what was known as then known as the largest Jewish music site in the world. While different from so many other artists on the label, it rekindled the raw flames many Jewish community members saw with Kosha’s “in your face” rap hustle, and landed him gigs at many Jewish organizations for his Jewish and Israeli pride.
Due to the broadness of his reach and style, Kosha Dillz ideally wishes to bring together all the communities for more cultural understanding through his improvisational style of life and hip hop music. He continues to rap with Jewish references, topics and themes within his lyrics, and performs in venues ranging from 10,000 people (such as Red Rocks) to venues as small as ten people. A lot of times you catch him performing with his favorite improv friends Matisyahu and Rza, and friends such as Flex Mathews or Verbs.
Upcoming Albums
In the anniversary of his 10 years of being clean from all drugs and alcohol, Kosha Dillz is currently working on the Rami project, which will be a deeper revelation of his true self with deeper sounding production, as he has used party rocking music with humor to relieve himself of his emotional depression and personal struggle.
Education:
Since Kosha Dillz can rap about anything and everything , he has begun rap classes that will bring you to the level he is on. While in school, he continued to work on rhymes and not listen to teachers, scribbling in notepads and kicking rhymes. Instead of losing an educational experience, you can now find out how to bring Rami aka Kosha Dillz and his Rappercamp to your school, university, or work place. In 45 minutes you can become a rapper. You might as well give it a shot because the next rap star could be your most distracted student right now.
Private Performance and Team Building:
During these current times,many people have trouble finding work and when they do, they even have trouble remaining inspired to finish their work all day! Instead of going out to a Kosha Dillz show, let us bring the show to you. Speaker session is include, learn how to rap, and rock out while eating your lunch with 20 – 200 co-workers.
Speaking Engagement…Ten Years Later.
His story is an interesting story. Ten years Later combines Drug addiction, depression, incarceration, opportunity, religion, spirituality and hope all tied into one kick ass cliche yet comical tale of never giving up. Follow him from his drug dealing of new brunswick to his battle rap days in the Matawan Oxford House in New Jersey. Hear what it was like to perform at his rehab Christmas Party, rocking side by side with Matisyahu around the globe for hundreds of thousands of fans and then tell you the difference of that and being Des Moines Iowa for at risk middle schoolers. What was is like to hearing himself in the Superbowl commercial, and figure out the meaning of life while rapping next to Sponge Bob and Spiderman on Hollywood Blvd. How can he tour with the Wu Tang Clan and schmooze his way 0n the Morning Show to rap over the sounds of a tap dancer?
Don’t worry about the music. He’ll kicking you raps that will intrigue anyone from age 8 to age 80. It’s a story of hustle, determination, humility, and inspiration. All you have to do is show up.
Street Performing
Not everyone can sell out a venue and hustle up that online presence to where you can sit and relax. What better way tointeract with new and real time fans than performing in the street? Kosha Dillz performs in the street all over the world, from Tel Aviv to the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, come learn how to freestyle with him. Freestyling changed his life and it’s never to late or early to change yours. Follow @koshadillz for live on the street updates and locations.
