Machine gunning killer lyrics at the enemies of Truth, Justice and The American Way, Hip Hop artist Hi-Rez wages a fearless battle on Woke, COVID mandates and the political industrial complex.
From humble beginnings in the Bronx, and later in Fort Lauderdale, Hi-Rez, AKA Jesse Friedman, has developed his musical talents as well as political ideology in near realtime online. Evolving from gimmicky viral video Uber raps to leading political protests in Washington, DC, this 34-year-old artist has become a performer who isn’t afraid to take on the pervasive Marxist narrative of American culture through his witty and insightful music, reaching millions of listeners.
In this GWU! Unredacted exclusive, Hi-Rez raps about culture, censorship, God VS government, the future of music with the advancement of AI, and fatherhood. FACT CHECKED as a safe and effective radical freedom extremist interview that GWU! need to read.
We were scrolling through your online evolution from a fun loving NYC/Florida kid rapping his McDonalds order to being banned on social media for medical misinformation (with some rather endearing rap Uber driving in the middle) and thought, that’s a real musical journey. How would you describe the impact the viral video nature of your career has had on the type of music you make?
Thank you for acknowledging all of that and my whole journey. Not many people have understood or been able to explain that as well as you just did. It has been a wild ride. I have always just been passionate about so many things and I usually act first and think second when it comes to art. In my personal life I have tamed that a bit because it doesn’t work as well in the real world to do things before thinking about it haha. But artistically it has helped me more than hindered me.
I have had times of being lost on the journey and straying from the path at times but God and my wife and support system always pull me back. I never expected to be performing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial protesting the medical mandates. I never expected to hit millions of subscribers from gimmicky pranks. I was always called corny or gimmicky and I used to hate it. Now I love it. It feels right. I leaned into all the negative comments. Now I’m “far right” for wanting big government to stay out of our homes haha.
During the so-called Covid-19 pandemic you were one of the leading musicians speaking out about the harms of lockdowns and draconian government mandates. What was the tipping point during that time period (or was it a slow slow burn) that led to you crafting impactful protest songs such as ‘Welcome To The Revolution’ and ‘God Over Government’?
It was a slow burn at first for sure. Then when families started getting divided and people couldn’t go to funerals or weddings or births of their own children I said “okay if I don’t stand up now this music and this money will all be worthless anyway.” I had the police called on me for not showing my vax card at a restaurant. Mind you it was at a place I was free to eat at weeks before. I figured enough was enough.
How much would you attribute the path of truth telling that you’re on to the tragic death of your cousin, Nicholas Dworet, in the 2018 Parkland shooting?
Yeah, I think his death sparked something inside of me that I didn’t realize until years later actually impacted me. I kind of repressed it and took the initial more liberal route of “guns bad.” Then I realized that the police, the government and the school system all failed in this situation and that more trust in these institutions wouldn’t keep any of us safer. That is when I became more of a 2A advocate. You can’t put the toothpaste back in the bottle. In a perfect world I’d be anti-gun but then again we wouldn’t need guns in a perfect world. And we are living in a far from perfect world.
Your quick takedowns of social trends such as wokeness, the NWO, transgenderism, environmental doom and gloom seem to respond to what’s happening in the world in near real time. What is your creative process like, how do you so masterfully deconstruct and then criticize these ideologies considering that you write, perform, produce and film all your own content?
First off I am not saying this to defend myself because I find once one defends themselves in today’s age they already lose. A lot of baiting and trapping – sadly no more regular debate and arguments. That being said, I have no problem with adults choosing to cut off their breasts or their penis. My issue has and will always be with the normalization of this and exposing this ideology to impressionable children. We can all disagree on religion or sports or politics. But how are we disagreeing on basic biological facts like gender? Stupid. Clown world.
How would you describe the overall feeling of performing at the anti-mandate rally for 50,000 people in front of the Lincoln Memorial in 2021?
Thank you for mentioning that. It is probably the highlight of my rap career and I do not think anything may ever top that feeling. It was surreal.
You’ve had some pretty heavy hitters in the freedom movement in your more recent videos. How did you get JP Sears and Robert Malone, who you’ve described as being like an uncle, to be in your music video ‘2+2=5’?
I met them through the medical freedom movement over the years. They are both like family and so sweet and kind to me always. JP once left me a 5 minute voicemail about how talented he thinks I am. It’s humbling that someone as funny, talented and well-known as he is would care to do that. Malone and his wife Jill were at my wedding and they are really like family for real. They are great people. God brought us together for sure. They are like mentors and second parents to my wife and I.
Donald Trump was at your wedding. Uhm, how did that happen and what did Trump say to you?
I got married at Mar-a-Lago so he lives there and stops by often at weddings haha. I was a bit drunk and told him I was going to work for his campaign whether he knows it or not. I told him I don’t want a dollar and I will get him re-elected haha. It was a surreal moment. A PRESIDENT on the night you got married to the love of your life. It was such a high. The come down was insane. I was like … wow. Even now I’m like … woah haha.
You have been moving steadily into creating eerily authentic sounding AI music. Hits with vocals by Donald Trump ‘First Day Out’ along with ‘Clean Your Room’ featuring Joe Biden and Jordan Peterson sound pretty real. Are AI parody style songs like these a novelty that will fade or do you worry that this technology will one day be writing, recording and releasing AI Hi-Rez songs!
So, for the record I write, record, produce and even do the impressions as close as possible on these songs. There is a reason not many people are doing it with as much success as I have had. Using AI is not as easy as typing: “make me a trump song.” Not yet anyway. I do think technologically it will advance to be able to do that but I think people will still crave authentic human connections and interactions. Automation, AI, and robots can only mimic so much. God, nature, love, compassion, emotions and feelings will always be something you can not properly explain or mimic IMO.
We came across a recent interview where you voiced your concerns on rap music normalizing degeneracy and changing American culture. Do you think Hip Hop and rap can ever return to their true roots and junk songs about girls having junks?
Great point you bring up. I think originally Hip Hop was far from degeneracy. It was about freedom, love, peace, respect, and having fun. Even when it was first considered “degenerate” in the 90s and early 2000s it was still about working hard and providing … and love and family to some degree. Then it became about drug use and abuse and sexualizing women. I think it would require a huge awakening to step away from glorifying gang violence, drugs and sex to make that shift. I think we are closer than ever to tipping the scales though.
What influence does your faith as an Orthodox Jew and recent fatherhood have on your music?
People in today’s time are so used to secular Hollywood Judaism. It is a shame that is what gets the stage on the forefront. Judaism is a beautiful religion/nation where God and your wife and family are centered around everything you do. It is very traditional, structured, and legalistic. If you meet a true Jew who isn’t lost in Hollywood or Wallstreet you will understand the true essence of what it means to be a Jew. Not just the worst parts of the community and what you see on the news or social media.
God and Yiddishkeit has changed my life for the better. As a young man I was confused about my identity and heritage and lost. Now my life revolves around my wife, family, and God. Even the money I attain has a purpose to further my relationship with God and bring me and my family closer to our roots. It isn’t for fancy vacations or nice cars.
How did you and the soulful Jimmy Levy meet? The two of you were the dream team of inspiring anti-mandate hip hop hymns. Will you be collaborating again with him any time soon? Bro gives us the chills!
Jimmy and I really were brought together by God. I do think we will work together again but I started focusing on my family and he went down his own path. Despite whatever people say online or privately, I have no issues with Jimmy. It’s just that sometimes life gets in the way and we focus on our own journeys and career paths. For the record we still keep in touch and check in every so often with each other. I do think God will bring us together again to work when the time is right and we will both feel it in our hearts.
You’ve described your music as a “reverse physiological operation that is an attempt to pull people who’ve been brainwashed by Hollywood out of the Matrix.” Do you feel you’re breaking through the propaganda? How often are you told by fan that your music woke them up?
Yes, Jimmy actually came up with the idea of a ‘reverse psyop’ haha. He basically said we have to unbrainwash people in the exact opposite way they were brainwashed in the first place. It’s pretty profound and has totally worked. I have seen my fans grow with me and say exactly what you said. Yup.
Can you expand on the idea you’ve mentioned before about “needing to know where the extremes are, so we don’t end up on either side of them”? What exactly did you mean by that?
I think we need true anti-Semites, homophobes, bigots, racists, Nazis, radical leftists, communists, Marxists, etc. We need to know how far the spectrum goes on both sides so we can fall somewhere in the middle or not too far to either side. Without these extremes we would all just be a number. With our identity stripped from us … all wearing gray clothing, heads shaved, branded with a serial number. People get excited when opposing voices or dissenting voices are silenced but you are one step closer to that serial number and communist regime.
Your recent song ‘Anti-everything’ has you hilariously playing various villains as they expose the anti-movement. It’s a hilarious and insightful take down of … well … everything. How do you manage to make light of such heavy topics?
I think comedy and music and parenthood are all a great combo to destroy the New World Order! Look at SNL or late night talk shows. It’s all propaganda to program us to think a certain way. Now lets do it back and tip the scales.
When does your battle against the forces that should not be end for you?
They will probably end the day I die haha. But truthfully I will just want to raise resilient children to think freely and fight for the freedom of all. That is the day it will end. But a parent never stops parenting.
You’re mostly known for your political songs although your love song ‘Impatient’ and early work clearly shows your talent in that area. Do you ever feel unfairly pigeonholed in the Truth Music genre?
Brilliant question. I did at times feel pigeonholed growing up and as a younger artist. But I have proven to myself so many times that I can break out of a box and regain and retain a lot of the same audience plus a new audience. I refer to your original question. I was The Uber Guy, The McDonalds Guy, The Conspiracy Guy, The Political Guy, The Comedian Rapper Guy, now the AI Rapper Guy … haha. I will continue to break out of the boxes they put me in.
