Rami Even-Esh, perhaps best known by the name Kosha Dillz, is WeWork Hollywood’s resident hip-hop head. His busy schedule keeps him touring both coasts and everywhere in-between, sharing stages with everybody from Nas to Matisyahu. As WeWork’s only full-time rapper, Rami brings a unique perspective to the community. You can read all about his favorite projects, trilingual spitting skills, and why he chose a rap career over “a regular job” below.
When did you discover you loved hip-hop and had a knack for it? Who are some of your favorite artists?
I grew up rapping on the East Coast, when I was 17, entering rap battles. I continued to perform everywhere, and starting when I was 24 to 25, I put out my first record, and I started touring. This was a time that I was traveling around the country, back when Myspace started. People were coming to my shows who I’d never met before. And now it’s grown into a full-fledged business. It’s all I do. When people started paying me good money for it, that’s when I was like, “I could either do this or have a regular job—and why would I do that?”
I’m a big fan of the Beastie Boys, Nas, Biggie Smalls, Wu-Tang Clan—obviously they’ve affected my music, and working with RZA, I’ve ended up being able to work and do shows with people that I grew up listening to.
What are some projects by you that people should check out to get a feel for your work and style?
My most recent record Awkward in a Good Way. I’ve also released Live from the Brooklyn Bowl—it was a full live set. We were opening up for Slick Rick at the Brooklyn Bowl, and you can see my onstage character as well as hear the music. You can listen to the show while you’re at WeWork, just listen and hear a full 50-minute thing, which is a little bit of a way to get into my personality.
What are some of the most fun projects you’ve worked on so far?
I’ve been shooting a documentary for about five years—bits and pieces. So I’ve basically documented my travels for five years—from the BET awards, to SXSW every year, to touring with Matisyahu, to going to Sundance Film Festival. As far as projects, creating a documentary and trying to tell my own personal story—it’s my favorite thing because it’s a never-ending quest, trying to help people “get it.” I think that resonates a lot with WeWork because we are pursuing our personal passions, and we’re trying to have other people “get it”—because other companies didn’t get it, so we had to go into business for ourselves.
I like miracle stories. I had a Super Bowl commercial in 2012, and it was the number one rated commercial that year—my music was in it, and I had to re-record the song in a bathroom, at a truck stop, on a $50 mic, at a shower room.
Have you had the chance to collaborate with other WeWork members? What was that like?
I have honestly not collaborated yet with any other WeWork people. I’m trying to, but my main goal is to create rap songs for startups and other companies here. And bring in my lunchtime performances—a lot of people get so caught up in work that they aren’t able to come to a show, so I hope to bring them a show.
What is your dream project?
I’m currently almost finished with my book from when I was incarcerated. I’m re-analyzing my thoughts from when I was 21 years old, and so I’m going to put this out. People might not know this about me: that I used to live this completely illegal lifestyle.
This year, I just finished a Sundance film I was involved with—my music was licensed to it. So I’m hoping that I finish my own documentary, and that it gets in. That would be my dream.
Anything else we should know?
I rap in Spanish, English, and Hebrew. I can freestyle about anything in the world. And for the best pickles, you have to go to The Pickle Guys on the Lower East Side.
And I really feel that freestyling can improve the flow of your life—business, relationships, whatever. I teach a rap class, and that’s what I’d love to share with other members—even though people might not rap, everyone should try it no matter how bad you are. That will help you get better at anything that you do.
Photos: Noah Eberhart