Sagol 59 (Born Khen Rotem, October 1, 1968) is a Jerusalem based hip-hop MC. Raised on a Kibbutz in Israel. 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 Mid 1990s. Shortly after, he relocated to Jerusalem. Sagol was picked up by the city's seminal (and now defunct) indie label, Fact Records. He was later signed to major label NMC Records. With 5 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 and overseas: Matisyahu, DJ Spooky, Kenny Mohammed The Human Orchestra, Remedy, Killah Priest, Sole of Anticon, Spearhead's Michael Franti, Yitz Jordan aka Y-Love, Taskforce, and Israeli artists such as Hadag Nachash, Coolooloosh, Mook-e, Teapacks, Yossi Fine and many others. In 2001 he received critical praise for his groundbreaking collaboration “Summit Meeting"(feat. Tamer Nafar of DAM & Shaanan Streett of Hadag Nachash), the first-ever collaborative recording featuring both Israeli and Palestinian MCs. He regularly hosts the Corner Prophets 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. Notable Israeli hip hop crews and rappers Fishi Ha-Gadol Muki Tamer Nafar Strong Black Coffee Marvin Casey Itay Lukach Ron Nesher Shabak Samech See also Music of Israel Miri Ben-Ari Palestinian hip hop References External links Mitrck, Joshua, Israeli Hip-Hop Takes on Mideast Politics Hartong, Kelly, Israeli Hip-Hop Debating Gaza 1990s in music 2000s in music Israeli music