H to the Izzo

They love you Jigga - they love you Jigga!

First, I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas was playing when my alarm clock went off this morning. The alarm clock will be set to another station as of tomorrow morning. But that is beside the point.

Then, on the way to work my iPod - in pseudo-random mode - chose to play Roc Boys (And the Winner Is), marking Jay Z's resurgence following Kingdom Come and my resurgence from the 1 train.

A higher power was speaking to me. How so? Not many songs (particularly in the rap genre) feature the Hebrew terms "Mazel Tov" and "L'Chaim." Is this a sign that I should become a better Jew? Possibly, but I will ignore that sign and instead pass judgment.
The Black Eyed Peas have come out with a song that will most likely infiltrate Bar Mitzvahs, sweet sixteens and weddings for years to come in a way that few songs have. I remember House of Pain at every Bar and Bat Mitzvah in the early 90s. But this song goes beyond that. There is "We are Family" and "Celebration" potential here. Here is the problem: the song sucks.
Jay Z is not family friendly. Somehow I cannot picture "it's a celebration bitches" going over well at a religious celebration. Nevermind the fact that this song is all about dealing drugs. That would escape the older relatives completely. Anything recorded after 1950 is noise to my grandmother. But words like "bitches" would stand out. That much I know. Such vulgarity.

Regardless, I applaud the use of Hebrew vocabulary in pop music. Not since the early days of the Hora has anything Jew been cool.

Winner:
Financially - Black Eyed Peas
Artistically - Jay Z