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)