Y-Love facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Y-Love
Yitz 'Y-Love' Jordan
Background information
Born	(1978-01-05) January 5, 1978 (age 47) Baltimore, Maryland
Genres	Jewish hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Shemspeed

Yitz Jordan (born January 5, 1978), known as Y-Love, is an American hip hop artist. He is an Orthodox Jew. Y-Love is also a web developer and activist. He raps using a mix of English, Hebrew, Yiddish, Arabic, Latin, and Aramaic words. His songs often talk about social, political, and religious ideas.

About Y-Love

Early Life and Interests

Yitz Jordan grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. He was an only child. His father was from Ethiopia and his mother was from Puerto Rico. When he was young, Yitz enjoyed the thoughtful songs of rappers like KRS-One and Chuck D from Public Enemy.

Yitz became interested in Judaism when he was seven. He saw a TV ad that said "Happy Passover." This made him curious about the holiday and Jewish culture. By age 14, he started wearing a kippah (a small cap) and observing Shabbat (the day of rest). He later converted to Judaism. He even spent time studying at a yeshiva (a Jewish school) in Jerusalem.

Y-Love's Music Career

In 2001, Yitz moved to Brooklyn. He started performing at open mic nights as Y-Love. Some people in the local Jewish community were surprised by his choice to be a hip hop artist. Besides music, he also works as a web developer and an activist.

Y-Love released his first mixtape in 2005. It was called DJ Handler Presents Y-Love: The Mixtape. This mixtape helped him win an award for Best Hip Hop Artist in 2006. A few years later, he worked with beatboxer Yuri Lane. They made an a cappella album called Count It (Sefira). This album only used voices, no musical instruments. This was important because Orthodox Jews can listen to it all year, even during times when musical instruments are not allowed.

In 2008, Y-Love released his first full album, This Is Babylon. A music magazine called XXL said the album mixed Jewish spirituality with party songs and political comments. It aimed to share Y-Love's idea of global unity. His 2011 EP (Extended Play) called See Me became a "New and Noteworthy Release" on iTunes. The music video for its song "This Is Unity" was praised by URB magazine.

In 2014, Y-Love was featured in a documentary called Punk Jews. In 2020, he became a chief product officer at Tribe Herald. This is a news website for Jews of Color.

Y-Love's Musical Style

Y-Love often creates his rhymes by freestyling. This means he makes up lyrics on the spot. He waits until he finds something "hot" or really good.

The Jerusalem Post newspaper called Y-Love a "spiritual, rapping guru." They said he was a leader in a new hip-hop movement. In 2009, he was named one of The Jewish Week's "36 Under 36." This is a list of 36 notable Jewish people under the age of 36. Y-Love has said, "I'm using hip hop to elevate." He means he uses music to inspire and uplift people.

Y-Love uses many Jewish themes in his songs. He believes that just as ancient psalms used instruments of their time, today's music can use modern digital tools.

Y-Love's Music

Albums

Extended Plays

Singles

• "Change" - DeScribe & Y-Love, produced by Prodezra. Released May 14, 2010.
• "Boom Selecta" - Shemspeed MCs vs. Electro Morocco (featuring Y-Love, DeScribe, Kosha Dillz & Eprhyme). Released July 12, 2010.
• "Move On" - Y-Love featuring DeScribe. Released August 10, 2010.
• "The Takeover" - Y-Love featuring TJ Di Hitmaker & Andy Milonakis. Released October 18, 2011.
• "Focus on the Flair" - Y-Love featuring Onili. Released May 15, 2012.

Mixtapes

• DJ Handler Presents Y-Love: The Mix Tape (2005)

TV Appearances

• London & Kirschenbaum - Israeli Channel 10 (July 2007)
• BBC World TV (September 2008)
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien - with Erran Baron Cohen (December 12, 2008)
• The Jewish Channel (multiple appearances since 2008)
• "Faith, Music and Culture" - CBS Special (June 7, 2009)
• Fox 2 Detroit (March 25, 2011)