Sagol 59

Sagol 59 is a Jerusalem-based hip-hop MC. Raised on a Kibbutz in Israel, Khen Rotem took the name Sagol 59, or “purple 59,” from his personal Kibbutz laundry bag tag. After his required 3 year stint in the Israeli Defense Forces, Sagol turned to music, beginning his career in blues, funk and rock before moving on to hip hop in the late 1990s. Shortly after he relocated to Jerusalem, Sagol was picked up by the city’s seminal (and now defunct) indie label, Fact Records.

Since crashing into the Israeli hip hop scene with his 2000 debut (Blue Period), Israeli hip hop pioneer Sagol 59 has built a formidable reputation as an MC. Boasting 4 full-length albums to date, plenty of musical collaborations with diverse artists and many live shows in Israel and overseas (U.S, Europe), Sagol has anticipated Israel's current Rap boom and cemented his position as one of its leaders.

Within the last decade, Sagol has participated in many events alongside Palestinian and Arab musicians, and has performed alongside many well known artists, in Israel and overseas (Matisyahu, DJ Spooky, Kenny Mohammed The Human Orchestra, Remedy, Killah Priest, Sole of Anticon, Spearhead’s Michael Franti, Yitzchak Jordon aka Y-Love, Taskforce and Israeli artists such as Hadag Nachash, Coolooloosh, Mook-e, Teapacks and many others).

In 1997 he received critical praise for his groundbreaking collaboration “Summit Meeting” (feat. Tamer Nafar of Palestinian crew DAM (band) & Shaanan Streett of Hadag Nachash), the first-ever collaborative recording featuring both Israeli and Arab MCs. He regularly hosts the Corner Prophets/Old Jeruz Cipher Hip Hop series, a cultural initiative meant to unite the diverse cultural communities located in Jerusalem through a shared interest in hip-hop. By working with Corner Prophets, Sagol’s goal is to inspire a new generation of Israelis and Palestinians that turn to art, not violence, as a means to find a common ground.

Sagol was also an integral part of the groundbreaking Unity Sessions featured at the 2004 Celebrate Brooklyn concert series. Unity Sessions featured internationally renowned Jewish, Israeli, Muslim, and Arab musicians in hip hop and traditional Middle Eastern music, many of whom were performing for the first time in the United States. The Unity Sessions was produced by JDub Records and Aliza Rabinoff.

Sagol's 1st American and most ground-breaking project to date, Make Room hits the streets on May 7th on JDub Records. Make Room features full production by the youngest producer in Israel, 16 year old Johnny Hakatan aka Little Johnny, who first came to prominence on "Chomer MiKomi," an album by Hadag Nachash

Discography

2000: The Blue Period (Fact Records - Israel only)
2002: Where Did We Go Wrong (Fact Records/MCI - Israel only)
2003: Reason to Die EP (9 Records - Israel only)
2003: The Two Sides of Purple 59 (NMC Records - Israel only)
2006: Hip-Hop Einstein (NMC Records - Israel only)
2008: Make Room (JDub Records - 1st US Release)

References

Slate Magazine - Aug. 18, 2006
Riot Sound - Dec. 2006 Interview