Photo: Tamar tact-records · CC BY-SA 3.0 · credits
Timeline
9 events▣ Album 7◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1
1970s
2000s
· Debut release
Debut release: האור מציון
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography481 words · 3 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1375703307
Biography
Ya'akov "Kobi" Shimony (Hebrew: יעקב "קובי" שמעוני; born November 13, 1979), generally known by his stage name Subliminal (Hebrew: סאבלימינל), is an Israeli rapper, singer and record producer.
Background
Subliminal was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, to a Persian Jewish mother and Tunisian Jewish father from Gafsa. Subliminal started performing music at age 12, and at age 15 he met Yoav "HaTzel" 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.
Being the son of Jewish refugees is at the core of Subliminal's 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 his rapping partner at the time, Ha'Tzel ("The Shadow"), also helped discover the Palestinian 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.
In 2006, Subliminal collaborated with countertenor David D'Or to produce the song "Ten Koah" ("Give Me Strength") on Subliminal's hip-hop album, Just When You Thought it Was Over.
In 2010, Subliminal married Ines Goldberg.
Social impact
Through lyrics and concerts, Subliminal and his rap group aim to inspire and encourage a new generation to stand as a unified Israeli nation. At many of his concerts, Subliminal begins by calling to the audience, "Who is proud to be a Zionist in the state of Israel, put your hands in the air! Hell yeah!" Subliminal can be seen at many of his concerts wearing American hip-hop clothing and a large Star of David chain necklace. Journalist Joshua Mitnick writes that with Subliminal's patriotic, 2002 chart-topping album "Ha’or v’Ha’tzel" (The Light and the Shadow),
He transformed the Star of David into a fashion statement and helped integrate the music of urban America into the fold of Israeli pop… For Subliminal, the music has generated tens of thousands of record sales. For Israeli teens, it has given voice to their outrage at the state of affairs in their country. Hip-hop, a quintessentially American art form, is helping bolster national morale in a country bruised by… years of fighting between Israelis and Palestinians.
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 13 | 67.6th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 17 | 85.9th |
| Studio albums | 7 | 87.5th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 9 | 85.5th |
| Recording span (years) | 25 | 55.9th |
| Genres | 1 | 56th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (17 release groups · 7 studio albums)
Albums · 7
2001 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:00:00
1Hakdama2:362Beit Hasefer Hayashan4:453From T.A. To L.A.4:194Hollywood5:005Chai Miyom Leyom4:256Resume4:527From Aleph To Tav4:148Yoter Mi'chaver4:129Hariviyah Hapotachat Machrizim1:1510Ha'Kazablan Shel Shnot Ha'tishim4:4311Ha'adrichalim3:1112Banu Choshech Legaresh0:3813Ha'or3:2514Aizeh Seret4:3515Lo Poched2:5416Yoter Mi'chaver4:3117Ha'chagiga Nigmeret0:252002 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 20 tracks · 1:11:21
1Hakdama1:122Banu Hosheh Legaresh4:193Hefred U'mshol4:024Ani Yahol4:185Ha'Finali4:096Tni Li4:117Ha'element Ha'hamishi0:208Hayinu Asinu3:529Bor Le'lo Tahtit4:5710Biladi2:4411Non Stop4:1612Adei Dika'on0:5113Zazim Im Ha'bass4:1014Ha'tzel Mi'tzion0:5815Lo Tatzlihu La'atzor Oti4:0416Shumu Shamayim (Ha'arhion)2:5017Hazir4:3418Yeled Rehov5:1919Tikva3:5620Ha'Or Ve'HaTzel6:192006 · studio album
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Tracklist · 20 tracks · 1:15:33
1הקדמה1:052אם סי ניטו4:163תן כוח3:524באבה בה2:515קלאסית ופרסי4:266המקום המושלם4:207היי סקסית3:418טורו4:139פרופורציה3:3510לפעמים אני מרגיש3:5411מטרו2:2912קומנדו מוחי4:3713זה הגיע עד לכאן3:2414In Tel Aviv3:5215ארץ אהובה4:5116מפה לשם2:4117יותר מדי3:4718אל תהיה תינוק4:2519לא יכול לישון5:2020בדיוק כשחשבתם שהכל נגמר!3:542012 · studio album
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Tracklist · 40 tracks · 2:37:55
Disc 11יש לנו אהבה3:342באה לי טוב3:263מאו...הב3:154התקווה3:545תיזהר ממנה3:386בת 604:267טורו4:128הסוד4:409אני יכול4:1910יותר מזה אנחנו לא צריכים3:5111עליי3:4212פרחים בקנה4:4613הוזה אותך מולי (רמיקס)2:4714זה קורה3:3015בילאדי2:4416הכל מלמעלה4:0317מאמי4:0018לנצח3:5619המקום המושלם4:1920Peace In The Middle East5:17Disc 21עיניים להם3:452חי מיום ליום4:253הפרד ומשול4:014חי בגדול4:335הפינאלי3:516בתל אביב (רמיקס)4:177קלאסית ופרסי4:268זזים עם הבס4:089תזרום בדיבור3:3210אינטרנשיונל4:1611פעימות4:1012הלוואי3:3313שנים עלמתי על1:3414ארץ אהובה3:1615שטח ההפקר4:2216תני לי4:1117יותר מחבר4:1318ילד רחוב5:2019לפעמים אני מרגיש3:5220זה כתוב בספרים3:512017 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks
1שרוטים2צבע לחיים3יום גדול4חלום של כל גבר5אל כל הבריות6(Skit) איפה הקאץ׳7פלורנטין8אם יש עולם9נס10ספינת טרופה11אל האור12חלום של כל גבר (מזרחית)13צבע לחיים (אקוסטית)14לנצח הוזה אותך (גרסת הקונצרט)15(מהקונצרט Live) אל האור2021 · studio album
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Tracklist · 25 tracks · 1:23:36
1אלמוג2:172כולם ביחד עוד3:323עדיין4:274הרחוב משגיח (2006)3:405טיפ ל MC ישראלי (1998)2:446במעבדה (2000)4:177ניקיטה (2001)4:108אללה יסטור (skit)0:459סמל (2001)4:0910פולוסופיה3:0711נבגד (2003)5:0312יש לו מזהב (skit)0:2013סתם תמים3:2914מה זה קלאסיקה (skit)0:1715בין הימים ללילות3:5116להתחשגז מיד (skit)0:3217עוד ועוד ועוד…2:4418תתעורר (Karlo 2003)1:0219סופר MC5:4020חומות (1999)4:3721Big Big Ups3:4822להבות בעיניים4:5123חזיז ורעם3:2224מתפלל (1996)5:2325האור מציון בשבילי (outro)5:292025 · studio album
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Tracklist · 20 tracks · 1:02:11
1אבינו4:162זה עלינו4:283עוף החול4:014דמוקרטיה2:485שיעור בזהות (דויד בן גוריון)0:396עם הנצח3:017אל תירא ישראל3:408אשת שיח (סקיט)1:489מציאות אחרת3:1110סופרסטאר2:2211אפה אפה3:3512רק אל תתאהבי2:3413ילד שכונה4:4514אלף כוכבים2:5215VATOS LOCOS (ידיים באוויר)3:3016כולם יחד4:1217מיני בר3:0818אמרנו ביחד (סקיט)2:0019בוסית2:2620סופרסטאר (הגרסה המזרחית)2:55
Single · 9
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | לפעמים אני מרגישSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 11:361לפעמים אני מרגיש3:54 2לפעמים אני מרגיש (instrumental – remastered)3:54 3לפעמים אני מרגיש (a cappella)3:48 | 2006 | ||
| 2008 | בת 60Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 13:001בת 604:26 2בת 60 (Instrumental)4:28 3בת 60 (Acapella)4:06 | January 2008 | ||
| 2015 | חלום של כל גברSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 11:311חלום של כל גבר3:51 2חלום של כל גבר - Instrumental3:51 3חלום של כל גבר - Acapella3:49 | 2015 | ||
| 2016 | שרוטיםSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 4 tracks1שרוטים 2לנצח גרסת הקונצרט 3שרוטים אינסטרומנטל 4שרוטים אקאפלה | 2016 | ||
| 2018 | תן למוזיקה לדברSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 11:551תן למוזיקה לדבר4:01 2תן למוזיקה לדבר - Insturmental4:01 3תן למוזיקה לדבר - Acappella3:53 | 4 January 2018 | ||
| 2019 | זה קורהSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 9:561זה קורה3:29 2זה קורה - Instrumental - Remastered3:29 3זה קורה - Acapella2:58 | September 2019 | ||
| 2021 | שבת לשבתSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 12:271שבת לשבת4:14 2שבת לשבת - Instrumental4:14 3שבת לשבת - (a cappella)3:59 | 12 August 2021 | ||
| 2021 | נייר עיתוןSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 8:011נייר עיתון2:43 2נייר עיתון - Instrumental2:43 3נייר עיתון - Acapella2:35 | 17 October 2021 | ||
| 2025 | اتحاد | Unity | מאוחדיםSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 7:281اتحاد | Unity | מאוחדים4:28 2اتحاد | Unity | מאוחדים - Short Edit3:00 | 25 June 2025 |
EP · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | ימים טובים באיםSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 6 tracks · 18:051ימים טובים באים2:59 2דור הניצחון - הקשב!0:42 3יהיה טוב2:36 4לא אהבתי די4:37 5היום3:50 6אין עליה3:21 | 25 March 2026 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Subliminal head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 13 | 67.6th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 17 | 85.9th |
| Studio albums | 7 | 87.5th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 9 | 85.5th |
| Recording span (years) | 25 | 55.9th |
| Genres | 1 | 56th |
Awards & honours
Line-up
| Name | From | To | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| シスターラビッツ(band) | — | present | eponymous |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Subliminal_star_of_david.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/5b30fd00-8b38-4fe1-8356-6f4223ea43cbdiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/5b30fd00-8b38-4fe1-8356-6f4223ea43cbcore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q657013genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q657013seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subliminal_%28rapper%29biography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subliminal_%28rapper%29
Why this artist is in the database
- List of hip-hop musicians
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: Tamar tact-records · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q657013 · MusicBrainz: 5b30fd00-8b38-4fe1-8356-6f4223ea43cb
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