They wanted to put them on trial: The storm caused by "Esek Shahor" on Galgalatz
Kobi Oz defines "Esek Shahor" as a unique radio phenomenon, while former Galgalatz manager Eldad Koblenz recalls the angry public demands to take the show off the air. Watch a glimpse of the second episode of "Zahav Shahor," tonight at 22:00 on Kan 11.
The radio program "Esek Shahor" ("Black Business") became one of the most important platforms for Israeli hip-hop, but within the military station, its wild broadcasts sparked sharp complaints, demands to take it off the air, and even calls to put its hosts on trial. A glimpse into the second episode of the documentary series "Zahav Shahor" ("Black Gold": The Story of Israeli Hip-Hop), which airs tonight (Tuesday) at 22:00 on Kan 11 and Kan Box, returns to the rise of "Esek Shahor" and the storm that developed around it.
Kobi Oz, lead singer of Tipex, describes the program as a creation that deviated from the accepted format of a music show:
"'Esek Shahor' was a radio show like no other. The program itself was a work of art. An amazing fruit stand of hip-hop, where the sellers were sometimes cooler than the hip-hop fruits they were selling themselves."
Eldad Koblenz, who managed Galgalatz during the years the program aired, tells how the number of listeners calling and leaving messages for the hosts grew:
"It started with a few individuals and turned into dozens, and dozens of dozens, and hundreds. It eventually led to the collapse of the telemarketing lines."
Success brought with it attention of a different kind. "And then the real fun begins," says Koblenz. "Complaints start coming in from the public about the foul language."
Archive clips illustrate the program's liberated style. In one, Liron Tani says, "We are all homosexuals here at Army Radio," and in another, he sings: "We will hang Kwami and Liron on a high tree, kick them in the ass, throw them to Goa."
Koblenz quotes some of the expressions that appeared in complaints: "Disgrace on the air," "prostitution of Army Radio," and "unbelievable audacity." According to him, the appeals were not limited to expressing shock: "There was a demand to stop the broadcast immediately, and there was even one instance of 'put them on trial'."
"Esek Shahor" launched on Galgalatz in 1996, hosted by Liron Tani and Eyal "Kwami" Friedman, and was broadcast on Thursdays at midnight. The two combined hip-hop music with unbridled humor, conversations with listeners, and hosting rappers, some of whom gained significant exposure on the program at the beginning of their careers. Kwami later left and was replaced by Guri Alfi, and the program was taken off the air in 2007. Over the years, "Esek Shahor" became a central meeting point for the local hip-hop scene and a cult program.
Koblenz managed Galgalatz between 1995 and 2005 and was the one who approved Tani and Kwami to receive a slot on the station, even though the program was very unusual compared to the polished line he led at Galgalatz. During his time, the playlist system was implemented at the station, and it became one of the most influential in Israel.
"Zahav Shahor," created by Rom Attik and Emri Dekel-Kadosh, traces about four decades of Israeli rap and hip-hop and presents the development of the genre alongside the social and political changes in Israel.
