Weirdly Talented Rapping Orthodox Girls Star in Illicit Viral Hit

Image by YouTube

By Josh Nathan-Kazis May 19, 2016

What goes on in high schools for ultra-Orthodox girls? Surprisingly good rapping, apparently.

An illicit video of two Orthodox girls rapping and beat-boxing about the marriage prospects of their future daughters bubbled up through the dark net of Orthodox WhatsApp groups sometime Tuesday or Wednesday.

The two weirdly talented ultra-Orthodox high school hip-hop stars perform in long dark skirts in front of a row of lockers.

It’s an unusual sight, given modesty rules that generally ban Orthodox women from singing in front of men.

It’s also pretty delightful.

According to a helpful transcription posted on the website Genius.com, the girls are singing about Dor Yeshorim, an Orthodox genetic testing service that allows potential couples to check their risk for genetic diseases.

“Doing this test to see if we’re a match / And if it’s a yes, well I’m a really good catch,” the rapping girl opens.

From there, the rapper moves to her future pregnancy (“my first of 7”); the matchmaking “resumes” that will be sent to her future daughters; living in a cheap apartment with three of her future children while her future husband continues his religious studies; and, in a somewhat morbid ending, dying at the age of 120.

“Lived a full full life dedicated to Hashem / Thanks Dor Yeshorim — this is the end,” the rapper concludes, before swinging through the chorus one last time.

The video has been passed around gleefully on social media, but the genetic testing service that’s the subject of the rhyme is less than pleased.

“We are very disturbed about the whole video,” said Chaim Brown, marketing director for Dor Yeshorim.

Brown said that his not-for-profit had nothing to do with the video. “It is below our dignity as an organization to promote such a thing,” he said.

The anonymous girls in the video contacted Dor Yeshorim on Wednesday, according to Brown. They said that one of their friends had put the rap online without their permission.

“They are very disturbed about it,” Brown said.

Brown would not share the names of the video’s stars, or the name of the school at which the video was filmed.

Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.

Josh Nathan-Kazis is a staff writer for the Forward. He covers charities and politics, and writes investigations and longform.

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