Wu-Tang affiliate Remedy is not your typical rapper. Not only is he white, but he's Jewish and fiercely proud of that fact, imbuing most of his songs with Judaism-related lyrics. He brings his live act, which includes spoken-word and sometimes audience discussion in addition to songs, to Memorial Union tonight in a Jewish Cultural Collective-sponsored performance.
Daily Cardinal: You're the first white and the first Jewish artist affiliated with Wu-Tang Clan. How did you initially connect with those guys?
Remedy: We're all from the same hometown, Staten Island, New York. I went to school with a few of them, but they weren't even really the Wu-Tang then. Method Man was called Shakwon the Panty Raider.
DC: So, how did you get the name Remedy?
R: I was just looking around at the world one day, saying, 'Damn. The world is needing some help, man, it needs some type of remedy.' And then I figured maybe I could try to do something.
DC: How do you think your Jewish identity contributes to who you are as a rapper and as a person?
R: I am Jewish, you know, and that's me. I know who and what I am, and I represent it through my lyrics and my music. I think that's what all MCs are supposed to do if they want to keep it so-called 'real.'
DC: Your Holocaust-themed song 'Never Again' was on Wu-Tang's album The Swarm, as well as each of your albums. How important is that song to you?
R: It's on each of my albums because I don't want people telling me they can't find the song or this and that. Nowadays they even use 'Never Again' as an educational tool for Holocaust education at schools all over the country. 'Never Again' made a lot of different things happen, which was great, but I didn't make it for that purpose. I was doing my own research and learned that my great-uncle was shot in the back and his family was taken to the camps, never to be seen again.
I just thought about learning and doing research about everything and came up with the song, but I didn't even know RZA was going to put it on the Wu-Tang album. I was just doing it because that's what I do: make music from the heart.
DC: With the recent events in the region, how are you feeling about the conflict now?
R: I mean, things aren't going to change. I think there's always going to be a conflict as long as both sides exist. Israel knew exactly who was going to win the government for the Palestinians, I think. I try not to get too political with it because everyone is really opinionated. I try to stay in the middle, because I represent Judaism and I represent Israel. I can't save the world; I tried to save the world with the Code Red album. It didn't work.
DC: Rap is getting pretty popular now in Israel with artists like Subliminal and Hadag Nahash. What do you think of that scene?
R: I'm cool with Kobi Shimoni [Subliminal]. Me and Killah Priest went out to Israel a few years ago and did a tour out there, and we did a big show with Subliminal. I just did an album called Remedy Presents New York to Israel Vol. 1, and I recorded about 90% of it while I was in Israel. It's an album with everyone that was anybody in Israeli rap, even people who weren't and were just on the come-up.
DC: What did you get out of your three months in Israel?
R: Israel's the best place in the world, man, for anybody to live. You just feel different when you're there. If I was there for 90 days I think I saw the sun rise 73 of them. You just get a constant energy when you're there. I did, at least. I mean, Jerusalem? Come on, there's nothing like the Old City, I don't care what religion, race, color, anything.
DC: If you have one message for young Jewish people today, what is it?
R: Know where you came from, follow your dreams, work hard, search for the truth and l'chayim!
