2 Live Jews


2 Live Jews was a comedy hip hop duo composed of MC Moisha and Easy Irving. Its name is a parody of 2 Live Crew. It is known for songs that mix and spoof hiphop culture and Jewish American stereotypes; the members were purportedly two elderly Jewish men who had recently discovered their rhyming ability. In reality Lambert and Stone were young men who were raised Jewish.

Style

2 Live Jews' original rhyming style involves hiphop lyrics typical of Golden Age hiphop of the early 1990s but includes sung and non-hiphop tunes. Its lyrics tend toward cliché or stereotypical Ashkenazi Jewish topics. In keeping with Jewish stereotypes the duo’s lyrics are full of Yiddish words, often unknown to most non-Yiddish speakers. Because of Moisha and Irving's age, they have haggard voices.

History

2 Live Jews released its debut album, As Kosher as They Wanna Be, in 1990. The name of the group and the album were spoofs of 2 Live Crew's 1989 hit As Nasty as They Wanna Be. With songs such as "Oy! It's So Humid", "Young Jews be Proud," and "Shake Your Tuchas", the album was a success and launched 2 Live Jews into the spotlight.
As Kosher as They Wanna Be was the duo's most successful and popular album. 2 Live Jews released four others. Fiddling With Tradition is a hip-hop reworking of the 1964 musical Fiddler on the Roof; it got only minor attention and was not a successful novelty album. 2 Live Jews released Disco Jews in 1994 and Christmas Jews in 1998. On VH1 the duo guest-starred as talking heads for the special "40 Least Hip Hop Moments." In 2005 Moisha and Irving released a greatest-hits album, The Worst of 2 Live Jews...the Best of the Shticks.

Discography