5 Rappers Who Should Replace Kanye @ Madame Tussauds
Jewish Artists Deserve Some Shine
Writing about Kanye this week is sorta like talking about the weather. Yes, we know, it’s hot out. But sometimes you gotta know which way the wind blows, and with the news this morning that the figure of Kanye is being removed from Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum in London, we’ve been thinking about which rappers might deserve the spot that has opened up.
1. DRAKE
It doesn’t come up much, but the most successful rapper in the world (in terms of streaming numbers) is a Jewish MC from Canada. The Jewish day school graduate already has his wax doppelganger on display at the Madame Tussauds in Las Vegas. Hopefully, they didn’t throw away the mold.
Hey, remember when Ye and Drake squashed that beef with a giant concert in Los Angeles? That was only 10 MONTHS AGO!!!
2. BEASTIE BOYS
The original Jewish rappers were no strangers to controversy during the first part of their careers. They probably would have been #metoo’d had that existed when License To Ill dropped in 1986. Fortunately, the sophomoric stupidity didn’t stick and the trio went on to become one of the most critically and commercially successful acts of all time, setting trends for another few decades before MCA’s untimely death.
Today, Ad-Rock and Mike D remain absolute mensches and all three deserve Ye’s place in the pantheon.
3. RICK RUBIN
And while we’re on about the Beastie Boys, why not give Rick Rubin his own waxy shine. The super-producer certainly had his hand in enough legendary hip-hop, from LL Cool J to Jay-Z to Tyler the Creator. Not to mention his legendary four albums with Johnny Cash during the late country icon’s final years.
Everyone thinks of Reuben as some sorta musical Buddha, but he had a Bar Mitzvah.
4. MAC MILLER
Miller had a Jewish star tattoo his hand, but was by all report a living CoeXisT bumper sticker, one singing “Jewish Buddhist tryna consume the views of Christianity.” He practically became Saint Mac after his passing in 2018, so Madam Tussaud doesn’t have to worry about Miller tweeting some crazy shit next year and blowing it all up.
5. KOSHER DILLZ
Friend of the Substack Rami Matan Even-Esh is an Israeli-New Jersey rapper whose been repping his religion non-stop since 2008. But he’s gotten a lot of attention this week for dropping a diss track with some funny, “Please disguise ya racist ‘cause ya ex is f**king funny dudes by fireplaces,” and not so funny, “Burn a pair of Yeezys, see the shoes of Birkenau.” lines referencing this whole messy business.
You can support Jewish arts and artists. Learn more by visiting Reboot.
TAKEAWAYS
Salient statements from this week’s music news.
1. See Tickets’ Credit Card Skimming Breach Caused by Malware in Tracking Software
Investigators discovered fraud for fans attending independent events like Pitchfork Festival, Freaky Deaky Festival and the Troubadour.
Takeaway: The breach is the second major hack of a ticketing company in five years. In 2018, hackers briefly took over the Ticketfly home page and took parts of the company offline for months grinding much of the independent music industry to a halt.
2. Global Songwriter Royalty Collections Topped $10bn in 2021, but Were Still Below Pre-Pandemic Levels
Streaming continued to grow, but the stunted live sector held revenue back.
Takeaway: CISAC expects further growth in 2022, helped by the return of live concerts, theaters and exhibitions.
3. Spotify Will Not Match Apple, YouTube Subscription Hikes, for Now
Daniel Ek remains steadfast in his pricing strategy, despite precipitous drops in the company’s stock price.
Takeaway: Spotify is much more focused on growth than Apple Music. So while rate hikes will likely come at Spotify, it will not happen today.
