From guns and gangs to Orthodox Judaism: Meet the Haredi rapper taking Israel’s music scene by storm

Interview: Nissim Black tells Bel Trew his music explains what he goes through every day – ‘turning heads’

‘The rabbis told me I need to shift my focus. Instead of preaching to the choir, I wanted to able to reach more people and ultimately help’ (Yitzchak Meltz)

It is an unusual journey: from drug-dealing west coast gang member to ultra-Orthodox father-of-six living near Jerusalem.

But then again nothing about Nissim Black, 33, an African-American Hasidic rapper, is ordinary.

For a start the Seattle-born singer, who started off his musical career alongside Macklemore, has improbably taken Israel’s Orthodox community by storm since moving there in 2016.