Born in Tel Aviv, Israel on December 4, 1978, Ben-Ari is one of the most eclectic artistes in the music scene today. What ultimately sets her apart from other illustrious violinists such as Mae or the all-female string quartet Bond is her unique fusion of classical music with hip-hop, R&B and jazz, which has earned her the mantle “The Hip-Hop Violinist”.
Humble Beginnings in Israel and New York
From a young age, Ben-Ari had been classically trained, and taken master classes with acclaimed violinists Yehudi Menuhin and Isaac Stern. She played with the Israeli Army String Quartet during her stint at military service, and it was during then that she fell in love with American Jazz music.
Inspired by Charlie Parker, she moved to New York and to pursue studies in Jazz. Homeless and struggling to make ends meet, she had little but dreams to keep her going, as she testified, “There were many doors that shut in my face when I got here. Everybody kept telling me “You have to play another instrument, [the violin]’s definitely not commercial.” I fought real hard because I believed in my dream. If ten doors say no, and one says yes, you walk through that door.”
The Hip-Hop Violinist Wins Acclaim
It did not take long for Ben-Ari’s star to rise. In 1998, she was signed by Half Note Records and was carving a name for herself in the realm of jazz, but her musical direction took another turn when she came across One More Chance by The Notorious B.I.G. “Hip-hop is the one genre where you can feel free to speak your mind,” she proclaimed.
Ben-Ari is no stranger to rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, having worked with – and blown away – music heavyweights such as Kanye West, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, John Legend and more. In addition to her staggering resume, she has also earned rave reviews from her celebrity counterparts – Wyclef Jean has declared her “the world’s greatest violinist”.
Even West, who shared a Grammy Award win with Ben-Ari for co-writing Jesus Walks, has raved, “Miri Ben-Ari is to hip-hop now what Miles Davis was to Jazz back in the day! She’s re-inventing a whole new hip-hop sound!”
Social Activism and Remembering the Holocaust
Ben-Ari’s social activism is much more than a vanity project, as her music can attest to. Her 2007 single Symphony of Brotherhood samples Martin Luther King Jr’s historical “I Have a Dream” speech. The single peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hip-Hop and R&B sales chart.
“The greatest thing about this song is that I utilise my strings to be a soundtrack for the greatest speech in the world. This speech and Martin Luther King Jr. inspired me in so many ways. It was the greatest opportunity to serve his legacy, with the sound of my strings.”
Another project close to her heart is Adom Olam at Matei (which means “God Almighty, when will it end), a song she recorded with Israeli rapper Subliminal in honour of the Holocaust Remembrance Day. Having grandparents who went through the harrowing experience of the Holocaust, she personally understood that scars sustained from the past lasted across generations. “It really traumatised me...I couldn’t talk about my family for years, and that I was a daughter to Holocaust survivors.”
Crossing Boundaries with Music
Talented and genuinely passionate about human rights, Ben-Ari successfully blends the universal language of music with social issues, just as she fuses two seemingly incompatible genres of classical and hip-hop music.
“I use my music to deliver a message that is bigger than me.”
References:
DJBooth (2007) "Miri Ben-Ari interview". Retrieved September 4, 2008 from http://www.djbooth.net/index/interviews/entry/miri-ben-ari-interview/
Miri Ben-Ari official website (2008) "Miri Ben-Ari latest news". Retrieved September 5, 2008 from http://www.miribenari.com/
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