Miri Ben-Ari
Few artists can say they're career launch involved both superstar rapper Kanye West and Carnegie Hall favorite Isaac Stern, but Hip-hop violinist Miri Ben-Ari can. When the Israeli-born virtuoso's family couldn't afford her violin lessons anymore, it was Stern who stepped in, gifting the young prodigy a violin. She was later chosen to play in the prestigious Israeli Army String Quartet and fell in love with jazz, a love that brought her to the United States and the Mannes School of Music in New York City. Straight out of school she released her debut in 1999. Titled Sahara and released on the Half Note label, the album drew positive reviews, most pointing out how sure and diverse this new violinist sounded. Recorded live at the famous Blue Note Club, 2003's Temple of Beautiful furthered Ben-Ari's status as an up-and-coming jazz musician.
But Ben-Ari's love of music knew no borders, and even the diverse world of jazz couldn't contain her for long. She became a studio musician, and while most studio musicians play their bits without too much of an impact, Ben-Ari's genuine love of R&B and hip-hop was soon to take her from the background to the foreground. Sessions for Britney Spears, Alicia Keys, Patti LaBelle, Joe, Wyclef Jean, and many more led her to Kanye West. West hired Ben-Ari to write, produce, arrange, and perform all of the strings on his smash debut album, The College Dropout. The team also worked on Twista's hit single "Overnight Celebrity" and its accompanying video, which gave Ben-Ari plenty of face time on BET and MTV. A feature spot on tour with Kanye West and appearances on BET's 106 & Park and Rap City had audiences talking about this new hip-hop star and set the stage for her more street-savvy third album, The Hip Hop Violinist, released by Universal in 2005. . A year later she co-founded she co-founded Gedenk, a not-for-profit youth organization fighting against anti-Semitism and promoting Jewish Holocaust education. Her 2007 single "Symphony of Brotherhood," featuring the "I Have a Dream" speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., would climb to number two on Billboard's R&B/hip-hop chart while in 2011 she became the first Israeli to receive the Martin Luther King Award from Israeli president, Shimon Peres. That same year she was invited to the White House by Michelle Obama to be honored as a "Remarkable Woman", with a return visit arranged for 2012, this time to perform for the President, Barack Obama.
© David Jeffries /TiVo
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Discography
17 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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The Hip Hop Violinist
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Motown on 1 Jan 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hello (Violin Cover)
Classical - Released by Mirimode Productions on 23 Jul 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Symphony of Brotherhood Rise (feat. MLK)
Miri Ben-Ari, Flo Rida, Erik E Smooth Hicks
Soul - Released by Mirimode Productions on 14 Jan 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fur Elise
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mirimode Productions on 22 Sep 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Whatcha Gonna Do (Remix)
Miri Ben-Ari, DOREL, Mark Quashie
Dance - Released by Mirimode Productions on 4 Apr 2019
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Intense
Armin van Buuren, Miri Ben-Ari
Trance - Released by Armada Music on 22 Nov 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
When the Party's Over
Classical - Released by Mirimode Productions on 26 Feb 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jam with Me
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Human Re Sources on 16 Feb 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hallelujah
Afrostringz, Young D, Miri Ben-Ari
Christmas Music - Released by Afrostringz on 6 Nov 2020
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Leg Work
Afrostringz, Young D, Miri Ben-Ari
Dance - Released by Afrostringz on 22 Jan 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Let's Stay Together (feat. B. Howard)
R&B - Released by Afrostringz on 24 Apr 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
איך שהיא רוקדת (Baila) (ShrekDiMC & Tzukush Remix)
סאבלימינל, Miri Ben-Ari, Diamond Platnumz
Alternative & Indie - Released by Tact Records on 11 Jul 2019
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Jam With Me 2.0
Dance - Released by Mirimode Productions on 5 Feb 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
איך שהיא רוקדת (Baila)
סאבלימינל, Miri Ben-Ari, Diamond Platnumz
Alternative & Indie - Released by Tact Records on 27 May 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
איך שהיא רוקדת (Baila) (Dj BrainDead Remix)
סאבלימינל, Miri Ben-Ari, Diamond Platnumz
Alternative & Indie - Released by Tact Records on 23 Jun 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo