Jews in Hip Hop
Shyne isn't the first rap luminary to rep the Star of David.
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Jews and Hip Hop - Former Bad Boy superstar Shyne surprised many when he converted to Judaism during his eight-year prison bid. Since his release, he's been seen sporting Jewish garb in Israel, letting his beard and sideburns grow, and at times renouncing his gangster-rap roots in favor of his new religious path. On August 1, he unveiled a new song, "King Crown of Judah," featuring Hasidic rap-reggae singer Matisyahu, which addresses his faith and conversion head on. We're not sure why people have been that surprised though — hip hop and Judaism have been crossing paths for years now. Click on for a look at some of the most prominent Jews in rap. (Photo: UPI/Debbie Hill /Landov)
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Beastie Boys - Though the late Adam "MCA" Yauch later took up Buddhism, the Beastie Boys were rap's first Jewish superstars. Mazel tov! (Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
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Rick Rubin - Super-producer Rick Rubin — who co-founded Def Jam and helped launch the careers of Run DMC and the Beastie Boys with his rap-rock mash-ups — may look like Jesus, but he was raised Jewish. (Photo: Evan Agostini/PictureGroup)
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MC Serch - MC Serch is Jewish, and before becoming a renowned radio and TV personality, he spit more fire than a menorah as a member of slept-on golden-era group 3rd Bass. (Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Bing)
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Drake - Drake is half Black and half Jewish, and he tipped a yarmulke to his heritage in the video for "H.Y.F.R.," which featured him getting "re-bar-mitzvah-ed" as a commitment to Judaism. "I went to a predominately Jewish school growing up," Drake said in a 2010 interview with Peter Rosenberg. "I definitely had a bar mitzvah...I was in synagogue; I had my yarmulke on."(Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images For The Recording Academy)
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