Nissim Baruch Black (born Damian Jamohl Black; December 9, 1986) is an American-Israeli rapper, songwriter, and record producer.
Under the stage name D. Black, he released the albums The Cause & Effect (2006) and Ali'yah (2009) and was featured on producer Jake One's debut album White Van Music (2008). He retired in 2011 to focus on his conversion to Orthodox Judaism, but soon returned under his new legal name Nissim Black and began focusing on Jewish hip hop. He appeared on Shtar's song "Rabbit Hole" (2012) and has since released the mixtapes Miracle Music (2013) and Love Notes (2020), as well as the studio albums Nissim (2013), Lemala (2017), and Gibor (2019).
Early life
Black was born Damian Jamohl Black in Seattle on December 9, 1986, the son of rappers Mia Black and James "Captain Crunch" Croone, members of the pioneering Seattle hip hop groups the Emerald Street Boys and Emerald Street Girls. His grandparents had also been musicians, playing alongside Ray Charles and Quincy Jones. He grew up in Seattle's Seward Park neighborhood and was raised in his grandfather's Sunni Islam faith, but was non-practicing and converted to Christianity at age 14 after attending an evangelical summer camp. Prior to this conversion, he had been a member of the Gangster Disciples gang, which he would later reference on the song "Mothaland Bounce". His parents divorced when he was two years old, and his mother took him with her and remarried shortly thereafter. Both his biological parents and stepfather used and sold drugs from home, prompting the FBI to raid the house in 1995, leading to his mother's arrest; she later died from an overdose at the age of 37.
Career
First Sportn' Life recordings: Behind the Dirt and The Cause & Effect (2002–2007)
Black began rapping in his preteens, recording under the name Danger. When he was 13, producer Vitamin D moved his studio into Black's stepfather's basement and began mentoring the boy, producing some of his first official recordings. Black also recorded with producer Bean One of Dyme Def.
In 2002, Sportn' Life Records published its first release, a split vinyl single between Black and the group Last Men Standing. The following year, Black appeared on a Sportn' Life compilation album, alongside several members of Oldominion. In 2004, the 18-year-old Black was selected by his stepfather to replace him as co-CEO of Sportn' Life, together with his father's partner, DeVon Manier. In addition to running the label, Black began releasing singles like "You Need a Thug" and "This Is Why" (the latter produced by Jake One, whom he had associated with early on). On May 24, 2005, Black released his first Sportn' Life mixtape Behind the Dirt, which featured appearances from J Smooth and Darrius Willrich of Maktub.
In 2007, he released his debut album, The Cause & Effect. Jake One, Bean One, and Vitamin D contributed to the production, though the album did not get much attention outside of the Pacific Northwest scene. Despite this, the album sold over 4,500 copies regionally, and Black was invited to perform on the Vera Project stage at the 2007 Capitol Hill Block Party alongside Blue Scholars.
Ali'yah, retirement, and conversion to Orthodox Judaism (2008–2011)
After The Cause and Effect release, Black, now a husband and father, began questioning his Christian beliefs, turning to Messianic Judaism and convincing his wife to follow suit. He also started listening to artists like Common and Lauryn Hill; both developments began to strongly influence his music. In 2008, he contributed to Jake One's debut album, White Van Music, with the song "God Like", which received play on MTV.
In 2009, Black released his second album, Ali'yah. The album spent five weeks at number 4 on CMJ's hip hop charts, while the video for its lead single, "Yesterday", also gained regular rotation on MTV. That same year, he performed at Bumbershoot and returned to Capitol Hill Block Party. He was also one of the candidates to portray rapper The Notorious B.I.G. in the 2009 biopic Notorious, a role that ultimately went to Jamal Woolard.