Shabak Samech

Shabak Samech (Hebrew: שבק"ס,שב"ק סמך) (aka Shabak S) is the first recognized rap and hip-hop group to come out of Israel, from the small town of Yavneh. Their sound is primarily hip-hop, but includes elements of rapcore, dancehall, ska and funk. Their sound has been compared to the Beastie Boys, Ugly Duckling, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jimmy Cliff, Elephant Man and more. The group had two and three vocalists (Fuck A and Miro being replaced by Nimi Nim for their second album, Be'atifa shel Mamatak), two guitarists, a drummer and a bassist. The group continued to distinguish itself from the rest of the hip-hop acts in Israel as the scene continued to grow with unique sound and minimal reliance on beats and samples.

The word Shabak as it is written in Hebrew (שבק) is a misspelling of the Hebrew acronym for the Internal General Security Service of Israel.

Timeline

• 1992 – Shabak Samech original members (Plompy, Mook E., Fuck A, Miro, Assaf B. and Albert) form the band, then called FFM (Floating Fat-Man)
• 1993 – Assaf B. leaves and is replaced with Piloni. Davidi joins as bassist, replacing Mook E. (who was playing bass at the time). The name is changed to Shabak Samech.
• 1994 – Mook E. returns as vocalist, and James joins as drummer, replacing Albert.
• 1995 – First album, 7, is recorded in January. First radio airplay is in July, 1995 ("Shin Business" from 7). The album goes......
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