Your Old Droog Enlists MF DOOM, Matsyahu, Mach-Hommy & More for "Chanukah Celebration" Album Jewelry (Mongoloid Banks/Nature Sounds)
Just in time for Hanukkah, Your Old Droog AKA YOD has returned with his third full-length album of 2019. Jewelry was surprise-released on Monday, December 23, 2019—the first full day of Hanukkah—along with a special holiday blessing from Droog: "A Chanukah Celebration." Jewelry is the proper follow-up to both It Wasn't Even Close & Transportation, which were surprise-released in succession in a very similar fashion earlier this year. Jewelry is a sonic celebration of Your Old Droog's own Jewish heritage, which he is now officially revealing publicly for the first time. For Jewelry, YOD recruited Tha God Fahim, Quelle Chris, Preservation, Edan, and CohenBeats on the production end of things with frequent collaborator Mach-Hommy as Executive Producer. Droog receives lyrical assists from the likes of Mach-Hommy, fellow Jewish emcee Matisyahu, The Metal Face Villain himself, MF DOOM, and Tha God Fahim. Jewelry's companion cover artwork was designed by FWMJ/Frank William Miller Junior from FWMJ's Rappers I Know.
Jewelry's wide-release was preceded by two music videos released back-to-back, "Jew Tang" Feat. Matisyahu and "BDE" Feat. Mach-Hommy & MF DOOM; both clips were directed by Jonah Schwartz, edited by Matthew C. Levy, and produced by SHOTCLOCK and show YOD & Mach-Hommy lighting the menorah, spinning a dreidel, and enjoying Hanukkah Seder with latkes, challah, breaded fish, red wine, decadent desserts, etc. I'm just gonna go out on a limb here and say (as a fellow Jewish man) Jews have never looked as effortlessly cool as YOD, Matisyahu & Mach-Hommy do in their "Jew Tang" video! Your Old Droog's Jewelry is now available to purchase, stream, or download in both physical and digital formats, via Mongoloid Banks/Nature Sounds. If you haven't already, I would, also, strongly suggest checking out YOD's It Wasn't Even Close & Transportation, as well! Happy Hanukkah & Happy New Year, my friends! L'chaim! 🥂
"In the early years of my career, I sometimes shared the story of my immigration to The US, from The Ukraine, in time for kindergarten. At that age, I was already aware that I was not really "Ukrainian," as the natives confidently classified... maybe, because in The Ukraine, my family and I were simply identified as "Jews," or any of the number of unfriendly terms that Jewish people were, and often still are, called. So, as far back as I can remember, I was never taught to hide that I was a Jew, this reflex habit developed so early that it seems like a natural-born instinct. An instinct which was still required in considerable magnitude when we moved here to another environment that doesn't exactly embrace Jews. Well, I'm no longer going to diminish my heritage for your comfort, some people hate simply for the sake of hating, let them crumble under the weight of that burden... we will celebrate light and life... I'm a Jew in America. This is my story. Shalom."
- YOD (@YourOldDroog)