Blood of Abraham

Blood of Abraham is an American hip-hop duo composed of Benyad (Benjamin Mor) and Mazik (David Saevitz), two 21-year-old rappers who share a singular vision of positivity based not on some naive idealism but on mutual regard for all cultures, people and religion. The group's brand of hardcore rap consisted not of gory street stories, but of simple truths communicated from a universal perspective.

Their debut album, "Future Profits"(1993), released on Ruthless Records, the label of the late Eric "Eazy-E" Wright, put a message across without sacrificing their musical integrity.

A key characteristic of the group was the novelty of their unapologetic Jewish identity. Their best-known track is "Niggaz and Jewz [Some Say Kikes]", an irreverent call for Black-Jewish unity in the face of shared struggle against bigotry. Made at the height of the strain on Black-Jewish relations in the United States. its opening sample was an actual recording of the ravings of a Ku Klux Klansman, and it featured a spirited verse from Eazy-E as well as the first recorded appearance by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas (the group was then known as "A.T.B.A.N. Klann".) Other tracks dealing with Jewish themes were "Father of Many Nations" (a song in praise of the Biblical patriarch Abraham) and "Stick To Your Own Kind".

A video was shot for the track "Stabbed by the Steeple," and print ads were centered around large text proclaiming "Jesus was a Black Jew," but the album did not receive much publicity beyond that. Blood of Abraham fell into anonymity; their status worsened in 1995 with the death of Eazy-E and the subsequent folding of the Ruthless and Relativity Records labels.

Mazik and Benyad then went on hiatus until 2000, which saw the unofficial release of the LP "Eyedollartree" on Mastergrip Records, which folded shortly thereafter. Eyedollartree featured guest appearances from maverick rappers Kool Keith and Divine Styler, as well as will.i.am. Basement Records oversaw the official release of "Eyedollartree" in late 2005.