Hadag Nahash

Hadag Nahash (Hebrew: הדג נחש‎ ha-Dag Nachash, [(h)aˈdaɡ naˈχaʃ]) is an Israeli hip hop/funk band, founded in 1996 in Jerusalem. The band is known for its leftist political statements in many of its songs. Some of the band's songs have been used in protests.

Hadag Nahash
The band's logo
Background information
OriginJerusalem, Israel
GenresIsraeli hip hop
Hip-hop
Funk
Years active1996–present
LabelsHed Arzi
Websitehadagnahash.com
MembersSha'anan Streett
Guy Mar
David Klemes
Moshe "Atraf" Asaraf
Yaya Cohen-Harounoff
Shlomi Alon
Past membersShahar Mintz
Yaron Mohar
Meir Shalivo
Amir Ben Ami
Rafi Malkiel
Nir Mantzur

Name and symbols

The group's name literally means "The Fish-Snake". It is also, however, a Hebrew spoonerism on the phrase nahag chadash (Hebrew: נהג חדש‎, "A New Driver"). In Israel, people who have only recently gotten their driver's licenses must place a tag on their back window with these words.

The band's icon, depicting a child urinating, comes from a Hebrew idiom loosely translated as I will show you from where the fish pisses (אני אראה לך מאיפה משתין הדג) meaning something akin to "I will show you how it's done."

Musical Style

Like many Israeli pop musicians such as Teapacks and the Idan Raichel project, Hadag Nahash blends Western pop music with Eastern elements to create a sound tapestry containing influences from funk and world music. The band notes that although its style is hip-hop-oriented, its music is placed in that section in Israel because marketing executives at the group's label did not know how to classify the band's style, despite it being closer to groups such as the Brand New Heavies rather than Wu-Tang Clan or A Tribe Called Quest.

History

Hadag Nahash has been a major contributor to the Israeli hip-hop scene, and is presently one of Israel's most successful bands, with eight studio albums released to date. The band's songs call for peace, tolerance and equality, and include political and social protest. Most songs are written by Sha'anan Streett, the band's lead vocalist.

On 15 September 2000, Hadag Nahash released its first studio album "Hamechona Shel Hagroove" (Hebrew: המכונה של הגרוב‎, "The Groove Machine"), which was written by and composed by the entire band. The album included well-known songs such as "Lo Mevater" and "Af Ehad," which both featured Israeli singer Mazi Cohen.

Hadag Nahash's second studio album, "Lazuz" (לזוז, "To Move"), was released on 10 January 2003 and produced by Yossi Fine. The album was an immediate success and sold over 30,000 copies, with hits such as "Gabi ve Debi," "Misparim," and "Lo Frayerim." The song "Bella Belissima" was also featured on popular crime drama TV show NCIS in 2007, creating a path for Hadag Nahash music to trickle in through to the United States and worldwide. The album featured famous Israeli musicians such as Berry Sakharof.

"Gabi ve Debi" was notable for its political message. Hadag Nahash sings about meeting Gabby and Debby, characters from a children's show that was part of the Let's Learn English series, who, in the show, had a magic stick that could transport them to any time and place. They offer to take the narrator wherever he wants – as long as it has a positive Zionistic message for the children. The three visit first Herzl and then Trumpeldor, two famous promoters of Zionism, and find each to be a far cry from their idealized images. Most notably they see Herzl on drugs and offering them the same, using a paraphrase of the motto of Zionism: "If you will it, it is not a legend." This audacious and controversial song is typical of Hadag Nahash.

Yossi Fine also produced the band's third studio album, "Homer Mekomi" (חומר מקומי, "Local Material"), which was released in 2004. The biggest hit out of the album was "Shirat Hasticker" (שירת הסטיקר, "The Sticker Song"), which was written by Israeli novelist David Grossman.[1][2] The lines of the song are all slogans seen on Israeli bumper stickers. The opposing political slogans are juxtaposed to create an angry and ironic portrait of political and religious life in Israel. Other notable songs from the album are "Halifot," "Hakafa Metzaltzelet" and "Rak Po". The album attained platinum status and the band was named Band of the Year by Galgalatz and Reshet Gimel, Israel's leading popular radio stations.

In 2006, Hadag Nahash released their fourth studio album, "Be'ezrat Hajam" (בעזרת הג'אם, With Help of the Jam, a wordplay on the expression "With God's Help"), which was named Album of the Year at the Israel Music Awards.[3] The album, recorded at In the Pocket studios in California, was the first album in which the vocals were divided equally between Sha'anan Streett and DJ Guy Mar. "Be'ezrat Hajam" contained the hit "Hine Ani Ba" (Hebrew: הנה אני בא‎, "Here I Come") written by Guy Mar about moving from his hometown Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. "Hine Ani Ba" is also an example of a song with a political or cultural message, as it depicts a cultural struggle between Jerusalem, a symbol of Israel's heritage, and Tel Aviv, a hub for young people and nightlife.[4] One marker of its success is that this song is also featured in the Adam Sandler movie You Don't Mess with the Zohan.

In March 2008 Hadag Nahash released its first live album, Hadag Nahash Live, released both as a CD and a DVD.

In December 2009, Hadag Nahash released the first single from its sixth album (fifth studio album), 6: a protest song against the rising internal violence in Israeli society, called "Od Ach Ehad" (עוד אח אחד, "One More Brother").[5] Further singles from the album were "Shir Nehama," which featured Israeli traditional guitarist Yehuda Keisar; "Ani Ma'amin"; and "Lo Maspik." The latter was selected by EA Games for soundtrack of The Sims 3 expansion pack The Sims 3: Late Night, and was re-recorded in Simlish.

In February 2013, Hadag Nahash released their sixth studio album, "Zman Lehitorer" (Time To Wake Up). This album included hit songs such as "Zman Lehitorer", "Kovlana Al Miflagot Israel", "Pizmon", and "Yom Shishi".

In March 2016, the band's seventh studio album, "Shutafim Ba'am" (Partners of the People), was released. It included songs such as "Ten Ii Mangina", which was worked on with Israeli artist Avraham Tal, "Lo Ma She Yapil Oti", which featured rapper Peled, and "Legal Eyes", which was released in both Hebrew and English.

Hadag Nahash released their hit single "Od Yihye Tov" (Things Will Get Better) in early 2017, and it climbed to the top of the charts instantly. Since their first album in 2000, the music of Hadag Nahash has reached worldwide, even stretching to Western countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Their eighth studio album, "Welcome to Israel", was released in March 2018, and it instantly took off. It features 14 brand-new songs, including the previously-released singles "Od Yihye Tov" (Things Will Get Better), "Matzbi'im BaRaglaim" (Vote With Your Feet), and "Sa!" (Go!). The title song, "Welcome to Israel", is an eclectic, traditional Middle-Eastern-style song, which perfectly reflects the tone of the album. This album draws influences from famed music styles such as dubstep and electronica, while still keeping in line with the traditional flavour of Hadag Nahash which audiences around the world love.

Group members

Current Members
  • Sha'anan Streett (שאנן סטריט)- Rapping, Vocals (1996-present)[6]
  • Yair "Yaya" Cohen-Harounoff (יאיר "יאיא" כהן־חרונוף)- Bass Guitar, Backing vocals (1996-present)[6]
  • David "Dudush" Klemes (דוד "דודוש" קלמס)- Keyboard (1996-present)[6]
  • Moshe "Atraf" Asaraf (משה "אטרף" אסרף) - Drums (1996-present)[6]
  • Guy "DJ Guy Mar" Margalit (מרגלית "DJ גיא "גיא מר)- Rapping, Vocals, Turntables, Sampling (1998-present)[6]
  • Shlomi Alon (שלומי אלון)- Saxophone, Flute, EWI, Rapping, Vocals (2001-present)[6]

Touring members
  • Daniel Shoham (דניאל שוהם) - Guitar
  • Matan Gov Ari (מתן גוב־ארי) - Trumpet
  • Yair Slutzki (יאיר סלוצקי)- Trombone

Former members
  • Shahar Mintz ((שחר מינץ- Guitar (1996-1998)[6]
  • Yaron Mohar (ירון מוהר)- Saxophone (1996-2001)[6]
  • Meir Shalivo (מאיר שליבו)- Trumpet (1996-2000)[6]
  • Amir Ben Ami (אמיר בן־עמי)- Guitar (1998-2007)[6]
  • Rafi Malkiel (רפי מלכיאל)- Trombone (2000-2003)[7]
  • Yossi Fine (יוסי פיין)- Guitar
  • Avi Lebovich (אבי לייבוביץ׳)- Trombone
  • Guy David (גיא דוד)- Trumpet
  • Nir Mantzur (ניר מנצור)- Percussion
  • DJ Johnny Balista- Turntables
  • Yotam Afik (יותם אפיק)- Guitar
  • Roy "Shu Ismak" Sunak (רוי "שו איסמק" סונק)- Trumpet

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums
  1. HaMekhona Shel HaGruv (The Groove Machine, 2000)
    1. Lo Mevater ("Not Giving Up", לא מוותר)
    2. HaMekhona Shel HaGruv ("The Groove Machine", המכונה של הגרוב)
    3. Shalom Salaam Peace (שלום סלאם פיס)
    4. Jerusalem (ג'רוזלם)
    5. Trumpeldor (טרומפלדור)
    6. Mebit [Eize Ganuv!] ("Look Ahead [So Kewl!]", מביט [איזה גנוב!])
    7. Af Ehad ("No One", אף אחד)
    8. Avaryan ("Criminal", עבריין)
    9. Tza'atzua' ("Toy", צעצוע)
    10. HaVolyum Ole ("The Volume Rises", הווליום עולה)
    11. Ha-Dag Nahash [Jam] ("Hadag Nahash [Jam]", הדג נחש [ג'אם])
    12. Kusamamak ("Motherfucker", קוסאמאמאק)
  2. Lazuz (To Move, 2003)
    1. Kamti ("I Got Up", קמתי)
    2. Lazuz ("To Move", לזוז)
    3. Sod HaHatzlaha ("Secret to Success", סוד ההצלחה)
    4. Misparim ("Numbers", מספרים)
    5. Lo Frayerim ("Not Suckers", לא פראיירים)
    6. Frayerim ("Suckers", פראיירים)
    7. Gabi VeDebi ("Gabi And Debi", גבי ודבי)
    8. Gan Eden ("Garden Of Eden", גן עדן)
    9. Gan HaTut ("The Strawberry Garden", גן התות)
    10. Bela Belisima (בלה בליסימה)
    11. Belis Dub (בליס דאב)
    12. Mekhonat HaTut ("The Strawberry Machine", מכונת התות)
    13. Ze Lo Ani ("It Wasn't Me", זה לא אני)
  3. Homer Mekomi (Local Material, 2004)
    1. Mithamem ("It's Heating Up", מתחמם)
    2. Bereshit ("In The Beginning; Genesis", בראשית)
    3. Shirat Hasticker ("The Sticker Song", שירת הסטיקר)
    4. Halifot ("Uniforms", חליפות)
    5. Johnny HaKatan ("Little Johnny", ג'וני הקטן)
    6. HaKafa HaMetzaltzelet ("The Ringing Slap", הכאפה המצלצלת)
    7. HaPe Liftoah ("The Mouth To Open", הפה לפתוח)
    8. Shvita ("Strike", שביתה)
    9. Muzika ("Music", מוזיקה)
    10. Yatziv ("Stable", יציב)
    11. Rak Po ("Only Here", רק פה)
    12. Melodika ("Melody", מלודיקה)
    13. Ma Na'ase? ("What Can We Do?", מה נעשה?)
    14. Ratziti SheTeda' (Elohim Sheli) ("I Wanted You to Know [My God]", רציתי שתדע [אלוהים שלי])
  4. Be'ezrat HaJam (With The Help Of The Jam, 2006)
    1. Lotus (לוטוס)
    2. California (קליפורניה)
    3. Ma SheBa Ba ("What Comes Comes", מה שבא בא)
    4. Hine Ani Ba ("Here I Come", הנה אני בא)
    5. Kol HaCucot ("All The Čučot", כל הצ'וצ'ות)
    6. Lehitchalek Ba'Ir ("To Share The City", להתחלק בעיר)
    7. Statistika ("Statistics", סטטיסטיקה)
    8. Saga (סאגה)
    9. MehaBama Lehaftzitz ("To Bomb From The Stage", מהבמה להפציץ)
    10. Tiraga' ("Relax", תרגע)
    11. Eize Keyf ("What Fun", איזה כיף)
    12. Lehavi' Et HaMaka ("To Bring The Hit", להביא את המכה)
    13. Shabhi Yerushalayim ("Bless Jerusalem", שבחי ירושלים)
  5. 6 (2010)
    1. Super Groove (סופר גרוב)
    2. Ani Ma'amin ("I Believe", אני מאמין)
    3. Lo Maspik ("Not Enough", לא מספיק)
    4. Shir Nehama ("Consolation Song", שיר נחמה)
    5. BaSalon Shel Salomon ("In Salomon's Living Room", בסלון של סלומון)
    6. Od Ah Ehad ("One More Brother", עוד אח אחד)
    7. Little Man
    8. Many Lights
    9. Jambalaya
    10. Ma'arbolet Shel Hol ("Vortex of Sand", מערבולת של חול)
    11. War
    12. Super Groove (סופר גרוב)
    13. That Ain't What It's All About
  6. Zman LeHit'orer ("Time To Wake Up", 2013)
    1. Mistovev ("Wandering Around", מסתובב)
    2. Mabsut ("Satisfied", מבסוט)
    3. Zman Lehit'orer ("Time To Wake Up", זמן להתעורר)
    4. Meir Ma'Ir ("Meir Comments", מאיר מעיר)
    5. Koblena Al Miflagot Yisrael ("A Complaint About Israel's Political Partys", קובלנה על מפלגות ישראל)
    6. Eineni Boged ("I'm Not A Traitor", אינני בוגד)
    7. Pizmon ("Chorus", פזמון)
    8. Hakol Yistader ("Everything Will Be Alright", הכל יסתדר)
    9. Noga'at ("She Touches", נוגעת)
    10. XL
    11. Maher ("Fast", מהר)
    12. Ilu Ze Haya ("If It Was", אילו זה היה)
    13. Yom Shishi ("Friday", יום שישי)
  7. Shutafim Ba'am (Partners of the People, 2016)
    1. Ten Li Mangina ("Give Me a Melody", תן לי מנגינה)
    2. Ad HaSof ("Until the End", עד הסוף)
    3. Shutafim Smuyim ("Hidden Partners", שותפים סמויים)
    4. Ra'ada HaAdama ("The Earth Quaked", רעדה האדמה)
    5. Shemesh ("Sun", שמש)
    6. Lo Ma SheYapil Oti ("Not What Would Knock Me Down", לא מה שיפיל אותי)
    7. Resisim El HaHof ("Shrapnel on the Beach", רסיסים אל החוף)
    8. Af Itakh ("Flying with You", עף איתך)
    9. Hakol Hozer ("Everything Comes Back", הכל חוזר)
    10. Ezrah Shel HaOlam ("Citizen of the World", אזרח של העולם)
    11. Legal Eyes
    12. Marvadim ("Carpets", מרבדים)
  8. Welcome to Izrael (2018)
    1. Sa
    2. Welcome to Izrael
    3. Matzbiim Ba Ragalim
    4. Tipot Shel Or
    5. Ana Anachnu (feat. Tzlil)
    6. Seret Milhama
    7. Yotse Laderech
    8. Meshahrer
    9. Yomuledet 40
    10. Bua
    11. Od Yihye Tov
    12. El Hazipor
    13. Bayamim Balaylot
    14. Etsba Meshuleshet

Live albums
  • Hadag Nahash: Live (2008) (הדג נחש: לייב)
    1. "Lotus" (5:38)
    2. "California" (4:06)
    3. "Lazuz" (4:44)
    4. "Misparim" (2:47)
    5. "Halifot" (5:39)
    6. "Statistika" (4:35)
    7. "Af Ehad" (3:37)
    8. "Ma SheBa Ba" (4:06)
    9. "HaKafa HaMetzaltzelet" (4:47)
    10. "Kol HaManayak" (3:53)
    11. "Ma Na'ase" (7:20)
    12. "Lo Mevater" (6:42)
    13. "Eize Kef" (5:49)
    14. "MeHaBama Lehaftzitz" (4:46)
    15. "Lo Frayerim" (4:47)
    16. "Shirat HaSticker" (6:53)
    17. "Hine Ani Ba" (5:28)
    18. "Gan HaTut" (5:25)
    19. "Shibhi Yerushalaim" (4:07)
    20. "Ratziti SheTada" (5:53)
    21. "Lehavi Et HaMaka" (8:32)
  • Hofa'a Haya ("live performance", 2015)
    1. Ani Maamin
    2. BaSalon Shel Salomon
    3. Machrozet: Lo Maspik, Lo Mevater, Lo Frayerim
    4. En Li Af Ehad (feat. Efrat Ashkenazi)
    5. Misparim
    6. Hakafa Ha Metzalzelet
    7. Little Man
    8. Maarbolet Shel Hol
    9. Shir Nehama
    10. Ratziti She Teda
    11. Gabi Ve Debby (Hip Hop Zioni)
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References
  1. Freedman, Samuel G. (August 16, 2004). "Honk if You Love to Sing Bumper Stickers; Israeli Author Turns Slogans Into Rap Hit". The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  2. Curriculum based on "The Sticker Song" Archived 2011-07-09 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Santa Barbara News-Press". Newspress.com. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  4. Snakes, fishes, rhymes and Hollywood interest for Jerusalem nightlife
  5. הדג נחש - "עוד אח אחד". Mako.co.il. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  6. "One Pager | הדג נחש". Retrieved 2019-11-10.
  7. "Rafi Malkiel -Trombonist, Composer". www.rafi-malkiel.com. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
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