Kosha Dillz, a rapper with dual US/Israeli citizenship, explains the origins of his recent video, “No More War” (Drums of Peace), which was inspired by his take on the recent escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza.
“We just had a friend who sent us a video of a guy playing a beat on a tank and we made it into a beat and kind of a cool video,“ Kosha Dillz says during an interview with HipHopDX. “The guy who was on the tank said ‘no more war,’ so it’s called ‘No More War.’ It’s a quick song and we have a little video to go with it, too.”
The metallic tinge of the military tank-influenced beat produced by Diwon serves as an energetic canvas for Kosha’s pun-filled bars that blend English and Hebrew.
Kosha Dillz recorded “No More War” with Diwon, who is a Yemeni Jew, at Studio Bancs in Culver City, California. Dillz said they felt it necessary to explain the decades-long conflict from the Israeli perspective because the social media conversations often seemed one-sided. Rihanna recently made headlines when she tweeted then deleted “#FreePalestine.”
“There are a lot of things like #FreePalestine which are popular in Hip Hop culture,” Kosha Dillz says. “Hip Hop came from being oppressed, but I think Hamas [a Palestinian Sunni Islamic organization] is the oppressor. People should look up ‘Free Palestine From Hamas.’ Free Palestine from Hamas leadership, which would give a chance for peace. I think what people need to differentiate is that there are Palestinian people and there is also people who support Hamas, which is an international terrorist organization.
“I think it is crucial to know that this isn’t a current war between Israel and Palestine,” he adds. “This is the war of Israel versus Hamas, and Hamas is not actually fighting to free Palestine, but to pursue their own causes of profiting from the war machine and continuing their crooked ideology. This is a war between the [Israeli Defense Forces] and Hamas, which is a self-seeking and death-seeking terrorist organization unfortunately leading the plight of the Palestinian people. Their goal is to wipe Israel off the map, kill Jews. I feel horrible for my family that lives in shelters but more so I feel for the Palestinian people who must suffer from deranged leadership, which is not progressive and incites more hatred throughout the world. My ultimate thought is to oust Hamas.”
In regards to the current armed conflict in Israel, he said that people must look past blame and toward healing.
“To truly understand this conflict can take many years, and not actually being part of it will continuously side a person to read news which is of two narratives, one from the Israeli side and one from the Palestinian side,” Dillz says. “People should try to look for ways to help the innocent people who are affected, if they choose to get involved in discussion, and not try to figure out who is right or wrong.”
Kosha Dillz, whose latest album, Awkward In A Good Way, was released through Murs’ 316 imprint, says that his goal is to engage with people and inform them from his perspective.
“I’m not here to become a spokesperson,” Dillz says. “If people want to engage in conversation, then I am willing to engage. Not everyone is willing to engage on both sides. That’s what’s happening. Even Jewish people don’t want to talk about it.”
Hamas was democratically elected. Fk this idiot. If Israel wasn’t carrying out a genocide against Palestinian people they wouldn’t have voted for a such a shit political party like Hamas.
Instead of listening to this dickhead (who isn’t oppressed) talkn bout Hip Hop is for the oppressed and that’s why Palestinians need to be free from Hamas, we should listen to Palestinian rappers who focus on Israel as the main oppressor – DAM, Shadia Monsour and Stormtrap (Ramallah Underground).
Let the Religious nutobs blow each other up, stop complaining, its just evolution, after they are all gone from their belief conflicts between their imaginary sky-gods the people with free will and smarts will be able to use the land.
I rarely ever comment but reading this brainwashed zionist piece of sh*t try to influence the hiphop community encouraged me to do so. I saw this old guy do the promo freestyles in between sets at rock the bells like 4 years ago. Glad to see he hasn’t progressed much since then, although he probably gained a few rabbi fans.
Free Palestine. F*** Israel.
His is a message of healing and anyone who can’t see that is blinded by hate, which never sees straight. Believe me, I’m just as guilty of this.
It gives further than being a war of IDF against Hamas. It is literally against an ideology. People throw Zionism around without even knowing what Zionism means – the belief that jews have the right to live in their land. However, Dills has NOT touched on this whatsoever in this article, as such, to bring up an attempted slam by calling him Zionist sh*t only demonstrates the mentality that stems from lack f knowledge, hatred, and ignorance.
His is also a message of no more war. I didn’t realize this was so wrong! I suppose he’s right after all, but it’s not only Hamas who holds this mentality and ideology, but every day joe blows too
A very enlightening message of hope and peace.
I found this interview interesting. Kosha Dillz brings a unique point of view to the table. He is well informed and articulate and offers a rare glimpse at a more serious side of himself. This is incredibly emotional subject matter for people on both sides of the issue and he approaches the situation with candor and respect. I find what he said to be fair and accurate. I think he is brave to stand up and share his honest thoughts on the situation. Especially in this business. And as to the disparaging comments about his skill and ability as an artist, I’ve seen him perform live and he was outstanding. I’ve listened to his cd Awkward In A Good Way and it is a cohesive and well put together album with some really great beats. Haters are gonna hate no matter what you say or do. Keep up the good work, Kosha Dillz. Thanks for this article/interview hiphopDX!!!
thanks Mary
Nice work Mistah Dillz..The truth ain’t for everyone…keep looking up into the light.Folks stuck in hate will hate in spite of the TRUTH. It’s nice to see your progress.Your path is your own.The harder they come..The harder they fall…for real!
Kosha Dillz is doing just fine. All of you poor excuses for Muslims here are doing nothing but spreading filth and hatred. If you wanted “palestinians” free then why are you whining about Israel? Abdullah of Jordan has killed more “palestinians” than Israel ever will. You won’t have much to say about that though right…because you can’t blame Israel? Sure, Hamas was democratically elected…and now it’s being democratically rejected.
AM YISRAEL CHAI. Kosha Dillz keep spreading the light and fight for what is right.
Very good article. I think it is important for everyone to read this AND do further reading/study of the situation so they can come to a factual & rational understanding of it…rather than saying I am pro this and anti that because you THINK you know what is happening.
Kosha Dillz Can suck a big fat veiny cock, Israel killed 2000 palestinians including women and children. This guy is trash at rap too. he’ll go triple plastic at best. The real Jews were black not white people. bunch of culture vultures/ hijackers
Not white but semitic, they the same race as arabs, but take a look at these “jews” nowadays! Now you got a negro jew a blonde jew a chinese jew what the hell and they all got explanation for it. Looks like a jew is a state of mind – to say that youre a jew pointin at yo semi jewish gramma when they ask why you dont look like one, “but my gramma was half jewish so we claim this land”.
Aint nobody in the world support “this thing they calling” Israel, only America and only because of crazy islamists in Middle East who fuck it up for the whole arab world
To protest a song called No more war means you are a war loving blood thirsty hatefull person! Kosha dillz keep it up you are the man much love all the way from Houston Tx.
People just hate the truth an also people hate Love…. In the song he says ” i dont wanna die, lets be friends, Jews Arabs white boys mexicans” C’mon how could you not accept words like that? oh i know why! Because you are not for peace!!!
atleast this nigga kosha dillz got some bars – he rap with A$AP Rocky and Rza and at least he an Israel citizen. Everyone else commenting on this shit never even left America. He aint brainwashed, he’s just trying to explain he is for peace. At least it’s a solution involved, and a message in the music
Why play politics on a Hip hop website, we all know that a vast majority of Hip hop artists and probably a slight majority of listeners identify more with Palestine. Why? Because after 1948 half a million people were forcibly removed off their land after the British gave the land that we now call Israel, and the Palestinian territories. Promised to them in 1914 in the Balfour declaration. Historians have always taught that “the natural enemy of the Jewish people was not Arabs, they are Semites too.” The natural enemy of the Jewish people has always been Far Right/Imperial governments of Christian Europe.” Do your research, Spain, Poland, France, England, Portugal, Italy, Poland, Hungary. And it’s true, Anti-Semetism is very real, and it’s primarily through the vast majority of history been attributed and even in recent history to Europe. Yet that this isn’t really a religious issue beneath the surface, it’s a land issue. The Right Wing government in Israel, doesn’t EVER want a Palestine to exist. That’s the what people don’t get here. They never want that to happen. That’s what the Right Wing governments policy is there to enforce. The right wing her and there are VERY different, we have the image of wanting peace. And the sad part is when you make a factual statement without any raging emotions or calling for the destruction os someone, people might still try to play the Anti-Semetic card. Which is sad, because there are holocaust deniers out there. But if you accuse everyone who questions Israel of that, how will you know who the real enemy is. The answer is you’ve made an enemy of all popular opinion around the world. LOL Free Palestine from Hamas? You mean the guys with the Airstrikes with F-16’s, and encircling defenseless women and children packed in a tightly packed ghetto…bombing people claiming there are no civilians there, that Palestine doesn’t exist, that people who just got there have more right to the land than people who have been there since forever. You expect anyone to believe that this is rational or acceptable in the 21st century? I believe in peace, but this guy is totally out to lunch, he’s probably still spreading propaganda that there are no such things as Palestinians. Bottom line is Judaism is a religious that is thousands of years old, the first of the Abrahamic faiths. Zionism, is a political ideology from the late 1800’s (Germany/France) that justifies the creation of a homeland, regardless of who else was living there. What was this ideology in response to!?!? Massive Anti-Semetism. From Europe! SO sad to see people spreading misinformation.
In this current war, It’s Hamas vs Israel. If you read Hamas’ charter, it says they are completely out to kill JEWS. It seems you make judgement but the moral of the article is that he is pro-peace. That is what the song is about as well. That is what his message is. You can say its political but its religious too, but when HAMAS is not a defenseless woman and children organization. They are a war machine, who is funded by Qatar and Iran, to fight against Jews and kill civilian, and profit off the downfall of their own people. 1200 millionaires are in Hamas, and their leader hides in Qatar with 2.5 billion dollars. 22 Arab countries and no one wants to help the Palestinians. When they did, they used all the money to build terror tunnels under innocent peoples homes in GAZA and pay them money for it, rather than build shelters and communities to teach about peace and love. Zionism is Jews right for return to homeland in Israel. The reality is Jews aren’t giving back land, and people will cry for Palestine. The question is, how do you achieve peace? One by One, brick by brick. Don’t make assumptions. Nothing wrong with being ant-Hamas. Get moderates to lead govts. and the world will be a better place.
Yeah an isolated war machine with cheapass missiles who dont hurt nobody coz Israel has state of the art defense and large military? So what here is a war machine, huh? Count victims on both sides.
And this guy is so pro peace he hates Hamas. Btw his point of view dont represent Israel governments one. Who keep taking lands for the settlements.
Motherfucker is a tool.
that shit was hella wack