80 | MAY 28 • 2020 

T

his March, rapper Jay Electronica 
released his debut studio album, A 
Written Testimony. The album, which 
features Jay-Z on eight of the 10 tracks, 
received wide praise in the music world. But 
it’
s also been criticized for lyrics and content 
that hint at possible anti-Semitism.
JN Editor Andrew Lapin discussed these 
issues with Detroit-based music writer Reisa 
Shanaman, a graduate of Frankel Jewish 
Academy and Michigan State University who 
writes about modern music for VICE, XLR8R
and other outlets.

Andrew: Let’
s begin with the basics. Who 
is Jay Electronica, and what is the buzz and 
controversy surrounding A Written Testimony?
Reisa: Jay Electronica is a hip-hop artist 
originally from New Orleans, where he grew 
up in the Magnolia Projects. He signed on 
to Jay-Z’
s label, Roc Nation, in 2010. There’
s 
also a local connection: Detroit rapper 
Denaun Porter is a longtime collaborator of 
Electronica’
s.
The raps on A Written Testimony are clever, 
the rhyme schemes complex and the beats 

compelling. Electronica refers to his autobi-
ography as “Quranic;” Islamic themes and 
Arabic phrases run throughout. 
Electronica is also a member of the Nation 
of Islam (NOI), and the album includes 
samples of speeches delivered by the move-
ment’
s notorious anti-Semitic leader Louis 
Farrakhan. That and some alarming lyrics 
carry connotations of anti-Semitism.
Andrew: Let’
s talk about those lyrics. On 
the song “Ghost of Souja Slim,
” Electronica 
raps, “
And I bet you a Rothschild I get a bang 
for my dollar / The Synagogue of Satan want 
me to hang by my collar.
” Why might he be 
referencing the Rothschilds, a family that has 
historically been the target of anti-Semitic 
conspiracy theories, and what is the phrase 
“Synagogue of Satan?”

Reisa: Let’
s start with the first line, which, 
like most good rap lyrics, I sense has multiple 
layers. I don’
t doubt the Rothschild name 
is alluding to the conspiracies marking the 
family as a symbol of absolute affluence and 
power, given the context within the song and 
themes of wealth throughout the album. 
However, it helps to know that Electronica 
had an extramarital affair with the heiress 
Kate Rothschild, his former manager, and is 
rumored to be responsible for the breakup 
of her marriage. There’
s definitely a double 
entendre here, and a cheeky one at that.
“Synagogue of Satan” is the lyric that 
really sent some reeling, and understand-
ably so. The phrase originates in the New 
Testament. Revelation 2:9 reads, “I know the 
blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, 
and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
” 
Farrakhan has frequently used the phrase 
“synagogue of Satan.
” His intentions are more 
obvious, considering his well-documented 
anti-Semitism. In Electronica’
s usage, it’
s 
worth keeping in mind the phrase’
s Biblical 
roots and broader definition: those who try 
to destroy a community and its values from 
the inside. Like Jay-Z says in the song, “No 
civilization has conquered from the outside 
until they destroy themselves from within.
”
Andrew: When Electronica uses the line, 
it’
s difficult to tell who he’
s addressing. It’
s 
common in rap to employ lines with slippery 
meanings, and Electronica is surely aware of 
these connotations. Could he be deliberately 
courting anti-Semitism?
And then there’
s Farrakhan, whom 
Electronica clearly admires. He samples the 
minister on this song and in album opener 
“The Overwhelming Event.
” Farrakhan says, 
“The Black people of America are the real 
Children of Israel.
” What do you make of 
that? Farrakhan and the NOI have a close 
lineage with hip-hop, right? 
Reisa: I doubt he’
s trying to prompt accu-
sations of anti-Semitism, as another line in 
the same song is, “The thing he need like a 
hole in his head is publicity.
” However, it’
s 
hard to know his true intentions.
Hip-hop’
s ties to Farrakhan, NOI and the 
group’
s offshoot The Five Percent Nation 
go back to some of the genre’
s originators, 
Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa. The links 
include everyone from the Wu-Tang Clan 

ANDREW LAPIN EDITOR | REISA SHANAMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Arts&Life

music

What’s in
‘A Written Testimony’?

A Jewish conversation about rapper Jay Electronica’
s 
controversial debut album.

LEFT: Jay Electronica. FACING: A Written Testimony
album cover.

DPHILLIPSRN VIA CREATIVE COMMONS)

