“Yo!” to DailyJews for introducing Eshy, a Jewish rapper who doesn’t want to be a joke.

You may recall how much the Yenta detests Jewish joke rap but adores the tribal truth beats known as Jewish hip-hop, so I had to listen to a coupla Eshy’s tracks before I could be certain this was the latter, delivered “without any comic novelty associated with it.”

His album “Attention Deficit Disorder” does boast some fine tracks that showcase Eshy’s New York spoken word roots: “Blacks and Jews” might become the rallying street cry for all rhyming Jews looking for street cred, and as far as requisite MC meglomaniacal self-intros go, “Hebrew” solidly places Eshy among the genuine players.

But there are couple of disappointments. The sad irony contained within the main loop of “School Sucks”, “I don’t really want to go to school ‘cuz they don’t really teach me nothin” doesn’t exactly evoke respect for someone who purports to be a word artist. And while “Kill the Boss” echoes Eminem’s “Kill You,” so-angry-it’s-funny aesthetic, it’s not much of a message for the young people.

Overall, though, Eshy’s effort is worth a listen. The surface attitude belies an obvious knowledge and care for language; the lyrical complexity and original beats buoys this artist into the ranks of the authentic rappers, Jewish or not.

*photo courtesy of Daily Jews.