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)