Nissim Black. Photo: Yisroel Teitelbaum

Hassidic international recording artist Nissim Black talked to The Algemeiner on Thursday about the premiere of his new podcast, where he will interview his guests about their spirituality, faith and struggles.

“I feel like there’s a major lacking in the world of people who talk about G-d, spirituality and these things on podcasts and in a public forum. And I have a platform so I feel like [this podcast] is just something that needed to happen,” the He Is The King singer, 36, explained.

The hip-hop artist also said he hopes The Nissim Black Show, which will premiere on Sunday, will be uplifting for listeners because that was one of his biggest motivations for wanting to create the podcast, especially after the turmoil the world experienced during the coronavirus pandemic that began in 2020.

“I never understood the value of hearing good news until the coronavirus happened, because there was almost never any good news,” he noted. “We watched the whole entire world crumble and with more and more bad news — I never felt stressed, anxiety none of those things before until 2020 happened. It changed the world forever. And I understood the value of just having good news, of hearing good things, and how important that is for a person. So hopefully [the podcast] is something that spiritually motivates people.”

Born in Seattle, Washington, where his parents were part of the hip-hop scene, Black was selling drugs by the time he turned 12 and joined a gang shortly after. He was raised Muslim but converted to Christianity after he joined a hip-hop program during his adolescence that was run by a Christian organization. After a confrontation with another rapper almost cost him his life, Black turned to Orthodox Judaism. He and his wife converted in 2013 and made aliyah in 2016. They now live with their seven children in Beit Shemesh, where Black is recording his podcast.

The rapper had already recorded 11 episodes of The Nissim Black Show. So far all his guests have been Jewish including businessman and movie producer Berel Solomon, professional matchmaker and dating coach Aleeza Ben Shalom from the Netflix series Jewish Matchmaking, NBA prospect Ryan Turell, business executive and investor Charlie Harary, Founder and Director of Outreach Judaism Rabbi Tovia Singer, musician Uncle Moishy and Jewish content creator Melinda Strauss. The podcast’s premiere episode on Sunday will feature LaDerryl and Danielle Hart, also known as House of Lev on their YouTube channel, who will discuss their experiences being African American Jews and their conversion to Judaism.

Black also has a new album, titled Glory, coming out in November and its first official single will be released on Aug. 27. He said with this record “I’m really laying out my heart on a platter.” Black has not released an album since 2019 and his goal for this new record is that it will instill hope and optimism among its listeners, just like his podcast.

“I feel like a lot of times we get trapped and we don’t feel like we necessarily have the words when we need to pray [or] words of encouragement when we’re down and need somebody to lift us up,” he said. “My essence and my being, and the reason why I am here in this world, is to not just to elevate the world but I’m here to spread G-d’s light … to be a tool to bring light into the world.”