Los Serenos Sefarad
Los Serenos Sefarad | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Seattle, Washington |
| Genres | Jewish hip hop, Sephardic music, Judaeo-Spanish hip-hop |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Members | Rabbi Simon Benzaquen Alejandro "Alex" Hernandez Netzaj Mendoza |
| Website | Los Serenos Sefarad |
Los Serenos Sefarad ("The Sefarad Watchmen") is an American Judaeo-Spanish-language Jewish hip hop group from Seattle, Washington. They were formed in 2014 by Rabbi Simon Benzaquen (vocals, songwriting), Alejandro "Alex" Hernandez (rapping, producer, guitar), and Netzaj Mendoza (producer).[1] They released their debut album, Los Bilbilikos, in September 2017.
History
[edit]Los Serenos Sefarad was formed in January 2014 by Moroccan-born[2] Sephardic Rabbi Simon Benzaquen and Mexican-born rapper/guitarist Alejandro "Alex" Hernandez. Benzaquen, the former rabbi of Bikur Holim Congregation in Seattle's Seward Park neighborhood, was initially uninterested in hip hop but gained a deeper understanding while overseeing the conversion studies of rapper Nissim Black (formerly D. Black), and prominently collaborated with Black on his song "Sores" [3] and several concerts.[1][4] Hernandez had moved to Seattle from Chihuahua, Mexico.[1] One of their first collaborations in 2013 was a rap version of the Ladino Hanukkah song "Ocho Kandelikas".[5] Their first performances in Seattle were at Seward Park's SPARK Jewish Music Festival.[1]
On November 9, 2015, the group released their first music video, "La Vida Do Por El Raki".[6] In 2016, they released the songs "La Serena" (The Sentinel)[7] and "Adyjo Keryda Espanya" (Goodbye My Beloved Spain),[8] the latter written about the expulsion of Jews during the Spanish Inquisition on 1492.
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]- Los Bilbilikos (2017)
Singles
[edit]Music videos
[edit]- "La Vida Do Por El Raki" (2015) [6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Large, Jerry (2 September 2015). "Infusing ancient Ladino songs with rap to keep a culture alive". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ "Shimon Benzquen".
- ^ "Sores Feat Rabbi Simon Benzaquen and Nissim Black". YouTube. Retrieved Sep 12, 2013.
- ^ Tomky, Naomi (21 May 2015). "Meet the Rapping Rabbi of Seattle". The Forward. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ Emily K. Alhadeff (July 23, 2014). "In Seattle, a Sephardi Ladino Revival Takes Hold". Tablet. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ^ a b c "La Vida Do Por El Raki". YouTube. Retrieved Nov 9, 2015.
- ^ a b "La Serena". YouTube. Retrieved Feb 26, 2016.
- ^ a b "Adyjo Keryda Espanya". YouTube. Retrieved Aug 16, 2016.