Hip-hop hyperbole (review)

Jerusalem Post, Billbaord; December 23, 2005

It's hard for American hip-hop stars to get by with the tons of cash and fame that can be attained with a hit album. These days such stars just have to have their own record labels, their own restaurants, their own nightclubs, or their own bars. It's no different for the Israeli king of hip-hop, Subliminal (born Yaakov Shimoni), who, in the spirit of American hip-hop entrepreneurs Jay-Z and Diddy, has expanded his music enterprises to include a massive dance bar on Rival Street in Tel Aviv.

'Geha Mega Bar,' which cost over NIS 4 million to build, is the largest in the Middle East, stealing the title from Lanski. Long, immense black bar decks supported by metal girders and chains seem to float throughout Ge'ah's large industrial space. Brick walls recall some dark New York alleyway, warm and cryptic.

'It's a solution for people who go out at night,' said Subliminal at a recent fashion party at Geha featuring catwalks by Elite models. The place was sprinkled with hip-hop personalities, including Subliminal's right-hand man HaTzel (The Shadow) and American hip-hop stars De La Soul, in Israel for a concert at Hanger 11.

The Israeli hip-hop king opened the bar a few weeks ago with two other owners, but the place will probably become known as 'Subliminal's place.'

'You have a lot of bars, but none of them really have good sound,' Subliminal continued. 'Discos are not as popular as they once were, and bars are taking over. This combines both: a bar, a nightclub sound system, and a dancefloor.'

And talk about a steamy dance floor! It's made out of a 4 m x 4 m glass-framed panel that encases a hot tub, which bubbles when the dancefloor is elevated. That usually only happens during private parties, yet it's a nice thing to show off and it makes you feel like some Israeli version of Snoop Dog will arrive at any moment, surrounded by bikini-clad platinum blondes with black roots and plastic boobs.

'We kept it ghetto, but made it chic,' said Subliminal, referring to the design. 'It looks like a subway station, like a jail.'

This theme also carries into the crowd - from the Adidas-clad, rich ghetto wannabes to the black-collared, high-class arse (greaser).

The VIP section (for those who order champagne in advance) is open for all to see, and giant selectors make entrance seem formidable. In all, a mixture of pretense and the sense that it's obvious everyone's trying a bit too hard explode at about midnight - when the dancefloor is picked up by hot air, literally.

Geha, Rival 9, Tel Aviv. Music: Hip-hop, dance, Israeli, mainstream. Hours: From 10 pm. Tel: (03) 537-2661.