ISIS hacked website of L.A. Jewish rapper Kosha Dillz

ISIS struck close to home this past week when Los Angeles-based rapper Rami Even-Esh, better known as Kosha Dillz, found his website had been hacked by ISIS members in Algeria. The Jewish-American performer, originally from New Jersey, has released several rap albums in English and Hebrew and openly embraces his Jewish identity.

Jewish Journal: How did you first find out that your website had been hacked?

Kosha Dillz: I found out through a message on sound cloud. Someone checked my site and told me it was hacked.

JJ: How do know it was ISIS?

KD: I don't technically known what makes you part of ISIS. I don't think it is like the AE Pi fraternity where you pay dues to be a member. It praised ISIS on my site and also was referred to in other articles as an Algerian cyber branch. I didn't know they cut off websites as well as limbs and heads. I think they do anything as a hacker to gain notoriety and stay in the media. I was contacted by the ADL [Anti-Defamation League] and we spoke about it in this regard. They knew a lot about the hackers.

JJ: Why do you think you were targeted?

KD: Well if you consider what I do, and see how much I represent being Jewish and hip-hop and all that combined with Israel and peace, it sort of stands for everything that ISIS is not. I'm sure the guys were also just searching “Kosher” or “Jewish rapper,” who knows? Some people are speculating that my video “No More War ft. Diwon and Dror Gomel,” who is an IDF soldier famous for drumming on his tank, is responsible. The song is blatantly anti-Hamas.

JJ: What authorities did you contact? 

KD: I don't contact authorities out of habit. Not my style. People saw the news on my site through a Facebook post, and people started telling everyone. I have friends who work in D.C., and by the time other people told them, they said they already knew about it. It sort of spread itself.

JJ: What are you doing to remedy the situation? 

KD: Basically now my Facebook page is redirected from my website, but I am paying some site to fix and protect my website as it goes back up.

JJ: Are you scared? Are you worried about follow up cyber attacks? 

KD: I try not to be scared of an ideology or group of people. I have never been scared before of personal attacks, so a computer attack is sort of childish to me. If it endangers my family, it is a serious thing to be dealt with. If it endangers my business, which it did, it is harder to earn income and causes drama and needs to be dealt with.

I live in an area of L.A. where people have been shot in broad daylight, so it would be silly to be scared of an ISIS attack in L.A. on me. I would like to attack them on the other hand, or at least direct them to someone who is capable of giving them the love they lack in their life.

JJ: Has anything like this ever happened to you before? Or any other anti-Semitic act?

KD: Being pro-Israel in hip-hop is a very rare thing. For me, it is what I always enjoyed since my whole family is Israeli and have fought in the military since our State's inception in 1948. People have definitely sent me hate mail on various occasions, or shown up and shouted things at my shows and even accosted me, but I am a fairly strong guy and was a Division I wrestler at Rutgers [University]. I have learned to realize a lot of anti-Semitism comes from misguided information people receive over the years. In Europe and in the U.K. I have witnessed anti-Semitism, but also in Wisconsin and Michigan, as well. I think sometimes it is more direct and other times part of a drunken truth at a show I do. The more anti-Semitism occurs, the more I realize I don't hate people, and the more those haters need real help. Since it is hip-hop, there is a lot of jealousy and ego involved. It makes people uncomfortable to see how comfortable I am to speak about being a Jew or about Israel. People who feel “anti” have never experienced something like that.

JJ: Do you think this will have an impact on your career as a Jewish rapper?

KD: It definitely has scared people off from working with me, Jewish or not. We as Jews need to be strong and stick together. I am a peaceful guy and have been through a lot in my life, and I hope people reach out to me to work with me more as I progress in my career. To think people will stop working with you because you are a victim is weird.  For as many people that are reaching out to me to work with me right now, there will also be a few who are scared. The thing I realize most is that all of us in the world need to reject prejudice and be a proponent for peace and awesomeness.