The University's Cultural Forum has been involved in plenty of international events over the years, but director Darrel Kau believes Israeli hip-hop is a first. And that's not a bad thing.
"At the Cultural Forum, we want to help support culturally diverse activities on campus, and this fit perfectly well into that," Kau said.
HaDag Nachash, a popular Israeli hip-hop group, will perform tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the EMU Ballroom. Oregon Hillel worked jointly with the Cultural Forum and the Jewish Student Union to bring the show to campus.
What: HaDag Nachash hip-hop concert
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"After the success of that, I told the promoter that any time he had something of interest to contact us," Applebaum said. "We heard that (HaDag Nachash was) going to do a U.S. tour, and I immediately put everything in motion to get them here."
With the band already set to play a show in Los Angeles this Friday, organizers picked the Wednesday date to accommodate its schedule. The show also coincides with the upcoming 60th anniversary of Israel's birth as a modern nation later this year, Applebaum said.
Tonight's concert will expose University students to a cultural side of Israel that often goes unnoticed, Applebaum said. He added that the show is geared toward people who haven't heard of the band as much as it is for fans.
"I would say the primary aim is to expose people to Israel in a way that's not only about the conflict," Applebaum said. "It's a source of pride for the Jewish students, and it's also an opportunity to celebrate diversity together - to celebrate multiculturalism and learn more about Israeli culture."
University sophomore Jeremy Markiz, who is active with Hillel, agreed.
"I think it's very important," he said. "I think especially here in Oregon, we don't quite get the full picture."
Though HaDag Nachash performs its songs in Hebrew, Applebaum said that shouldn't deter unfamiliar students from trying out something new.
"You don't have to speak Hebrew to get a sense of what a band is, and what they're singing about," he said. "People listen to opera in another language, don't they?"
HaDag Nachash has topped charts in Israel for several years, and the band has received international media coverage that includes a 2004 New York Times article. The seven-member group uses an eclectic sound that mixes rapping with keyboard, saxophone and guitar.
Markiz, who has heard HaDag Nachash before, said the band's music is "a little funkier than hip-hop or rap in the United States."
Having a collaborative approach to organizing the event helped get more members of the University community involved ahead of time, Kau said. He said he expects tonight's turnout to be good, and hoped it could match the crowd for the Idan Raichel Project show.
The HaDag Nachash concert also begins a busy week for the Cultural Forum, Kau said. In addition to tonight's concert, the Cultural Forum is sponsoring a Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company show at the McDonald Theater on Thursday and a 24-hour gaming party Friday.
"We have Hebrew, Flamenco and gaming - what more could you want?" Kau said.
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