Local rapper shows who’s boss
Energetic, hardcore and exhilarating – Muki’s performance successfully combines hip-hop and rock, and shows everyone who’s in control
Lots of good vibes ran wild onstage at the Zappa club at the premiere of Muki’s new tour. Israel’s very first hip-hop kid has grown up nicely, and hasn’t lost any of his joie de vivre and his love for the music. He obviously treasures the rhymes of protest he kept throwing back at the crowd.
The show is based on Muki’s two successful solo albums – “Shema Israel” (2001) and “Bypassing from above” (2005). He successfully works his way between hit songs like “Sugar Girl,” “Talking about the Peace” and “God,” and lesser-known cuts like “It’s not over” or “All passengers”. There is hardly any older material, except for an encore song with his Jamaican buddy Filliponi - “Fall and getup.”
Unlike many hip-hop groups, such as De La Soul, which recently performed in Israel, Muki’s show is laden with notes and instruments - Michael Prost on Bass, Tamir Brazilay on the drums, Pilony on the guitar, Eyal Shahar on the keyboard and Mary Ingdesht on background vocals. In this respect, it is closer to the rock-and-roll tradition.
But let there be no doubt: Muki is a rapper, and his tunes are influenced in large measure by black music in all its different variations.
As expected in the first show, there were some problems, mostly technical (care to check the microphone before the show?). The show limped on occasion, and some of the song breaks should be shortened to avoid a drop in energy levels.
Yet, overall, Muki radiates from the stage the persona of a true artist, who is not afraid to experiment and manages to bring different worlds together – Rasta folks, alternative rock fans, and even Army Radio listeners. And he does it all without giving in to his ego.
His tendency to mess around like a kid can be annoying at times, but at least in Muki’s current phase this is all at low dosage. Today he is at the peak of his career, ‘bypassing from above’ many of his contemporaries, and positioning himself as one of the leading voices around.
