I was recently contacted by Jesse Marcus who had read my profile of his older brother, the Daily Targum columnist Aaron Marcus, in the first issue of the Rutgers Review this semester. Jesse Marcus was mentioned in the article, but he felt that my description of him failed to capture who he really was. Jesse wanted to share his voice with the public. Since he’s an interesting character, I obliged him.
Jesse Marcus, now an underclassman at Rutgers Newark, has a life filled with passion—passion for Judaism and passion for hip-hop. When Jesse was younger, he fell in love with socially-conscious underground hip-hop. Not necessarily the most mainstream stuff, but high-quality stuff that spoke to his heart. He spent his early high-school days immersed in the hip-hop scene in New York, attending and promoting shows and getting to know the artists. Before going to Israel to finish his high school education (as many Jews attending Yeshivas in the United States do) Jesse feared that he would lose the very active connection to hip-hop he had while living in the New York area. This was his life.
However, while in Israel, Jesse became heavily involved in the Jerusalem hip-hop scene, which was certainly smaller than New York’s but just as vibrant. It was then that his connection to hip-hop grew even stronger and he began to rap himself. Many of the artists he associated with there were Hassidic (or ultra-Orthodox) Jews in addition to secular and non-religious Jews, and along with his passion for hip-hop, he developed a great passion for Judaism.
Though Jesse is still very much a religious pluralist and does not necessarily identify with any specific Hassidic sect, he holds Judaism as close to his heart as hip-hop, often seamlessly melding the two in his life and music. While staying in Jerusalem, he lived and studied with the rapper Shyne, who, since rapping in the United States and spending time in prison, has become an Orthodox Jew, going back to the Ethiopian Jewish roots of his family.
There is also a third dimension to Jesse. Remember how I said that it was socially-conscious hip-hop that first appealed to him? Though on the other end of the liberal/conservative spectrum, Jesse has the same passion for politics as his brother Aaron. Jesse is a huge supporter of progressive causes, promoting his beliefs in human rights, social justice, and economic equality through both his music and his proud participation in groups like Occupy Wall Street. Like his brother, Jesse is a huge supporter of gay rights. Jesse also is a strong believer in racial and religious unity and, in particular, supports Israel being “a land with no security barriers, checkpoints, missiles, rockets, discrimination… a land with no war.”
You may not agree with all of Jesse’s beliefs, religious, political, or otherwise, but surely you have to admit that the man drips passion and has a giant heart. Since he is 20 years old, it’s your prerogative if you want to now invoke the Winston Churchill quote “If you’re not a liberal at 20 you have no heart; if you’re not a conservative at 40 you have no brain,” but do check out his music, which will be featured in a compilation album called Jenerouz Skills coming out this year. The album contains Jewish artists who run the gamut from secular to Hassidic and puts a voice to the diverse experiences of rappers from the diverse Jewish community. You can see a video of him rapping along with others here.
Ed Reep