Ya'akov "Kobi" Shimoni, generally known by his stage name Subliminal (Hebrew: סאבלימינל), is an Israeli hip hop artist and music producer.
Subliminal was born in Tel Aviv, Israel to a mother from Mashhad, Iran and a father from Tunisia. Subliminal started performing music at age 12, and at age 15 met Yoav Eliasi. The two quickly became friends as a result of their mutual love of hip-hop.
In 1995 the two began performing in Israeli clubs geared toward a hip-hop audience, wearing baggy clothes and gold chains. They quickly developed a following among the nation's youth, and soon put out their first album, "The Light From Zion".
After the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000 the two began writing patriotic songs. They became known as creators of "Zionist hip-hop", a label still applied to them. In further contrast to the generally rebellious, "outlaw" nature of most hip-hop, they also praise army service and eschew drugs and smoking.
Subliminal's being the son of Jewish refugees is at the core of his hard-line politics. "In Tunisia, my father grew up with his family locking all the doors and windows whenever performing a Jewish ceremony -- out of fear of attacks." Both parents, he says, "ran for their lives" to Israel, where they spent decades recovering from the persecution they had faced.
Subliminal and Ha'Tzel also helped discover the Arab Israeli rapper Tamer Nafar; they collaborated but eventually fell out over Subliminal and Nafar's political disagreement. The bitter end of their musical relationship is chronicled in the documentary film, Channels of Rage.
