Miami, Fla. — Miami Art Week brings out a cornucopia of talented artists and musicians that come together to cultivate a creative energy unlike any other.
The influence that this week will have on the visual art, fashion, and music scenes is apparent as you navigate the series of gallery shows, Grit Daily live journalism, and after parties across Miami. One of the unique artists to make an appearance this season is the Israeli-American rapper Kosha Dillz who will be headlining the official Grit Daily Live! Miami Art Summit After Party, co-hosted by JADA Immersive Art.
Dillz got Verse to Hook to Verse
Dillz is a student of the old school and it is apparent in his form; his verbal dexterity and technical rhyme schemes come together to form cohesive stories throughout his tracks. His auto-tune free flow slithers from verse to hook to verse and provides you with what feels like true content rather than random thoughts linked together by lazy rhymes.
He takes his lyrical abilities and puts them to a plethora of different styled productions, whether they are happy-go-lucky new school beats or soulful hip-hop ballads featuring the styles of Matisyahu. His on stage energy is where he really sets himself apart, going from performing his songs to free-styling and back again, engaging the audience and keeping the party going.
A Target on His Back
You might recognize Kosha Dillz from Logic’s ‘ISIS’ music video, or perhaps from the news after ISIS sympathizers hacked his website and replaced it with anti-Semitic rhetoric. The pride he has of his Jewish heritage put a target on his back for the infamous terrorist organization — a tricky situation that he handled in the best way possible — using it to further his career and add fuel to his drive.
An ISIS hack was not the first obstacle Dillz had to overcome, nor was it the most dangerous. Dillz — birth name Rami Matan Even-Esh — fought and beat the murderous monster that is addiction. His substance abuse issues landed him in prison twice and put his budding rap career on pause. He cut his teeth at various freestyle battle events in New York City, standing shoulder to shoulder with hip-hop icons like Mos Def and Immortal Technique at venues such as the Nuyorican Poets Café, before his music career was derailed.
What I do All Day and Pickle
Since getting sober in 2004, his output has been steady and consistent. He crafted an album with C-Ray Walz titled Freestyle vs Written, an examination of styles released via Modular Moods, before releasing his solo debut Beverly Dillz on the same imprint in 2009. His sophomore LP Awkward In A Good Way was released on Murs’ label Murs 316, an album that shows off his sense of humor and personality as well as his lyricism. What I Do All Day and Pickle, his third and most recent studio album, saw him leave his comfort zone by working with a new producer in addition to increasing the gravitas of the subject matter at times.
The New Jersey born, Los Angeles-based artist is a captivating individual who has parlayed his noted stage presence into public speaking engagements – such as his TedX Talk, “Freestyle Rap Saved My Life” – and contributions to Variety. Being given such public platforms requires more than charisma, it requires substance: something that goes hand in hand with wisdom, a trait that Kosha Dillz has in spades. His life experiences lend credence to his Op-Ed pieces for Variety confronting the deaths of Lil Peep and Mac Miller.
In an era where drug abuse is rampant to the point of becoming a fashion statement, it is refreshing to see an artist making waves in the scene while living a life free of all substances.
You can listen to his latest single ‘Nobody Cares Except You’ on Apple Music, or his Billboard charting album ‘What I Do All Day and Pickle’ on Spotify.
Be sure to sample some of his songs and to get your ticket to see him perform at the Grit Daily! Miami Art Summit After Party via Eventbrite.
