The trope of “Jewish lawyer” in rap music has a long history before Cardi B shouted out her Jewish lawyer on track 3 of her debut album, Invasion of Privacy. If you can think of a rapper, they’ve probably rapped about Jewish lawyers. Drake, Nicki Minaj, Jay Z, Kanye West, Migos, Gucci Maine, Action Bronson, Khloé Kardashian’s ex French Montana… this list goes on.
Why Jewish lawyers? We turn to our trusty Wikipedia:
The concept of the “Jewish lawyer” is a stereotype of Jews, which depicts Jews and Jewish lawyers as clever, greedy, exploitative, dishonest, and as engaging in moral turpitude and excessive legalism. Ted Merwin writes that in the United States the stereotype became popular in the mid-to-late 20th century when Jews started entering the legal profession. Jews entered the U.S. legal profession decades before the middle of the 20th century – by the time of the Great Depression, many Jews had already established themselves as lawyers.
In 2013, this compilation of rappers rapping about their Jewish lawyers went viral:
But it is not comprehensive, and frankly, just skims the surface.
A quick Genius search of “Jewish lawyer” brings up literally hundreds of results. That doesn’t even include searches for “Jew lawyer,” “Jewish attorney,” etc. — there’s simply too many mentions. On our journey to bring you as many “Jewish lawyer” rap references as possible, we narrowed them down to… well, actually, we sorta just included as many as we could handle. And sorted them chronologically for your listening pleasure.
Note on methodology: There’s literally too many songs to include them all. We tried to be as comprehensive as possible. We used that video compilation first, then used Genius. On Genius, we searched for “Jewish lawyer,” and we’ve hyperlinked the song titles to their lyrics. Song release is typically when the album came out.
Take a deep breath, try not to think too hard about anti-Semitic tropes, and dive in:
2004
December 2004: “Lord You Know“ by Cam’ron (ft. Jaheim & Julez Santana) (Purple Haze)
Hebrew lawyer on my side keep me out of jail the fees stew. Steep? whoo!
Not “Jewish lawyer,” but “Hebrew lawyer,” but this may be the first mention of Jewish lawyers in rap music (could it be..?)
2005
August 2005: “Baby Girl” by Jim Jones (Harlem: Diary of a Summer)
Jewish lawyers, n******, so I got to beat the charges
Jim Jones for the win! (Cause he has Jewish lawyers.)
2006
November 2006: “Bright Lights, Big City” by Jim Jones (ft. Max B) (Hustler’s P.O.M.E. (Product of My Environment))
Getting locked up for crimes and ya lawyer’s ain’t Jewish! (STUUUUUUUUUPID!)
Jim Jones insults someone because their lawyer isn’t Jewish. Sick burn!
2007
September 2007: “Going in for Life” by Drake (Comeback Season)
Repeat offender, Anita Baker / Playin’ in the whip as they pull me over my sweet surrender / I gotta Jewish lawyer as my lead defender / A real Menschkeit as they say he’s a legal bender
Comeback Season is Jewish rapper Drake‘s second official mixtape. This is actually a great mention of a Jewish lawyer, mainly because Drake himself is Jewish (so it feels OK) and he uses the word “menschkeit” in the next line. Menschkeit — the German version of “mensch,” which means a good person — shows Drake knows what he’s talking about. (Also he has great pronunciation.)
November 2007: “No Hook” by Jay Z (American Gangster)
My Jewish lawyer too enjoyed the fruit of letting my cash stack / And just in case a n**** gotta use his rat-tat-tat-tat
Jay Z’s lawyer, Murray Richman, is in fact Jewish. The second line, according to Genius, means “Jay doesn’t carry his own firearm, but if required he will shoot, and his Jewish lawyer will help him beat the case.” (Remember the name Richman, he re-appears! Richman, a Bronx lawyer, represented many rappers and earned the nickname “Don’t Worry Murray.” The New York Times paints a fun image of him in 2000: “Still, if one ever needed a lawyer who could put his heart in a case, it would be Mr. Richman, 62, relaxing at day’s end with a cigar, wearing a Versace tie so wild and bright as to dizzy the senses, holding forth with a favorite theory: that no matter the difficulties of the defendants, if they look good, they can make the jury their friend.”
December 2007: “Da 80’s” by Styles P (Super Gangster (Extraordinary Gentleman))
Used to ask yourself, what you wanna do this for? / Good Jewish lawyer turn a ten to a two-to-four
According to Styles P, a Jewish lawyer will turn a 10-year sentence into two-to-four years. Wow!
2008
March 2008: “Don’t Be Them” by Sheek Louch (Silverback Gorilla)
Jewish lawyer helping you but he cost Gs
Jewish lawyer will help “you” but he’s very expensive. Honestly getting a bit frustrated that all these Jewish lawyers are men!
2010
April 2010: “All Falls Down” by Jadakiss
Put it out there, see if it taste right / young Jewish bulldog keeping the case right
Here, “Jewish bulldog” means a Jewish lawyer who graduated from Yale. Clever! Genius says this lyric is outlining a “dual-sided plan”: 1. Put drugs out in the street 2. Have an aggressive Jewish lawyer.
June 2010: “Still A Regular N****” by Ab-Soul (ft. JaVonté) (Long Term 2: Lifestyles of the Broke and Almost Famous)
Your whip is like one of those in car shows, I still got ’09 tags on my Mitsubishi mirage / No gas, need new break pads, new tires to inspire to get money like Arabs / Jewish lawyers, NASDAQ stock holders / But for now I’m broke, I need a fix, I be borrowin’ the homie’s clothes to go to events
Ab-Soul is rapping about how he’s still regular, he’s not rich, not like “Arabs, Jewish lawyers, and NASDAQ stock holders.” Cool list!
October 2010: “Celebrate Life” by Skillz (The World Needs More Skillz)
On my side, Jewish lawyer with the hairpiece / WOO! Gotta get my team right
This combines stereotypes: Jews as lawyers, and Jews as bald. Two-for-one!
December 2010: “Don’t Stop!” by Child Rebel Soldier (ft. Pharrell Williams, Lupe Fiasaco & Kanye West) (G.O.O.D. Fridays)
Diamonds blue, his business manager’s Jewish / And if I get sued, my lawyer’s Jews
This is on Kanye’s verse, where he raps about both Jewish business managers and the fact that his lawyers are Jews. Phew, we were worried Kanye wasn’t going to make an appearance!
Same album, same December 2010: “Christmas in Harlem” by Kanye West (ft. Musiq Soulchild, Pusha T, CyHi The Prynce, Teyana Taylor, Cam’ron, Big Sean, Jim Jones & Vado) (G.O.O.D. Fridays)
Shouts to the coldest on my barometer / Berkman, Shapiro, Kalina, Hanukkah (My lawyers)
This does not actually mention “Jewish lawyers” but we had to include it, because Cam’ron really has an obsession with his Jewish lawyers. This is more creative (stereotypically Jewish last names), but the mention of “Hanukkah” is strange.
2011
June 2011: “The Bait” by Chop (Money, Power, Respect: The Mixtape)
Listen here, we couldn’t embed.
Talkin’ business with my lawyers, so I’m tryna speak Jewish / Friends don’t matter, they be tryna be Judas
This one is… surprisingly clever? Even more anti-Semitic? Here, he implies his lawyers are Jewish because when he talks to them, he has to “speak Jewish”… which we are super unsure what that means. Using “oy vey” a lot? Speaking with a Hebrew accent? Help us out here, Chop.
2012
March 2012: “Steve Wynn” by Action Bronson (Blue Chips)
Catch a case, get a Jewish lawyer, beat it with cheese / Fuck the beef cause it don’t go together, read em and weep
Action Bronson, another Jewish rapper, is from Queens. This song is all about the casino owner Steve Wynn. This line is actually really clever: He had a court case, got a Jewish lawyer, and threw cheese (money) at it. But cheese also means cheese with regards to the next line, when Bronson raps “fuck the beef cause it don’t go together” — no beef because of kosher dietary laws! Bronson is an observant Jew. Layers! (Also in this song is a mention of circumcision and brisket and podiatry. Very Jewish!)
May 2012: “Kansas” by Gucci Mane (ft. Jim Jones) (I’m Up)
Half my n***** move ki’s of ‘caine / Jewish lawyers what we’ve retained
This is Jim Jones’s verse where he’s talking about moving cocaine to Kansas. They can move “ki’s of ‘caine” because they have Jewish lawyers on retainer, obviously.
July 2012: “One Day After 2 Chainz” [Birthday Song Remix] by D-Why (Don’t Flatter Yourself)
My new Jewish chick a lawyer, she always gets me off / I’m onto her, she’s into me/ I’m into her, she’s on to me
THIS IS THE SOLE FEMALE JEWISH LAWYER. And he talks about her with a double entendre: She gets him off criminal charges… and sexually. Do we think D-Why (real name: David Morris) ever really dated a Jewish lawyer? Our guess: no.
August 2012: “Work” by A$AP Ferg (Lord$ Never Worry)
I be out tomorrow, my lawyer’s Jewish / He work hard, he put in work
A$AP’s lawyer will get him out “tomorrow” because he’s a Jew. That’s how that works, right. Also, A$AP goes the extra step of complimenting his lawyer for hard work. Sweet!
2013
February 2013: “Change” by Fredo Santana
Cash out, Jewish lawyer, now the case closed
He cashes out, but the Jewish lawyer closes his case. Yay, Jewish lawyers. Always saving rappers from drug charges.
March 2013: “Morey Boogie Boards” by Harry Fraud (ft. Action Bronson) (Adrift)
So wake up early, hop off the shitter / Employ a lawyer that’s been bar mitzvah’ed / never trust a goyim, see me sippin’ spritzer, hookers with Spitzer
Another Action Bronson song! (Harry Fraud is just the producer, but it’s his album.) Bronson is very into his Jewish lawyers — in this song, it’s a lawyer that’s been bar mitzvah’ed, because he doesn’t “trust goyim.”
June 2013: “DDFH” by Run The Jewels (Run The Jewels)
That they charge by the hour, can’t hire the Jewish lawyer / ’cause if you ain’t Jigga or Puff, you doing time / And even then, you might get ten, word to Shyne
Genius tells me that this Jewish lawyer line is a reference to another Jewish lawyer line, in Jay Z’s “No Hook.” Additionally, Jay Z (Jigga), Puff, and Shyne were all represented by the same Jewish lawyer: Murray Richman.
Also June 2013: “We Them N*****” by P Reign (ft. A$AP Rocky) (Dear America)
I caught a case and I’ll beat the case / Jewish lawyers, we need that / Yellin’ “Mazel tov” on my seat back / And a super ho on her knee caps
Okay one: his pronunciation of “mazel tov” is definitely wrong. Two: yikes, misogyny! Three: this lyric means (I think) he’s currently on trial, but his Jewish lawyers will get him off.
July 2013: “Hive” by Earl Sweatshirt (ft. Vince Staples & Casey Veggies) (Hive)
Ruger with the pork face / Jewish for the court case
This is Vince’s verse, going to let the genius annotators explain: “This a reference to a snub nose (revolver with a short barrel) ruger. ‘Ruger with the pork face’ also refers to Police (often called pigs henceforth ‘pork’) holding a Ruger, as most police officers carry a firearm. This also references the next line ‘Jewish for the court case,’ and after he gets arrested by the ‘Pig’ he will have a Jewish lawyer at his defense.”
2014
May 2014: “Yasss Bish” by Nicki Minaj (ft. Soulja Boy) (Yasss Bish)
25 million to broker the deal, Jewish my lawyer, he Kosher the deal
Another different format of “Jewish lawyer”: Jewish my lawyer. Also go Nicki for slipping in an un-kosher mention of “kosher.”
July 2014: “Bentley Truck” by Soulja Boy Tell’em (King Soulja 3)
I’m calling my lawyer he Jewish you know he beating the case/ I’m saying my grace, I’m eating my plate, it tasting so great
Soulja Boy calls his lawyer, a Jew, duh, who is beating the case.
2015
May 2015: “TTLO” by Rico Love (Turn The Lights On)
Got Cubans with me, got a Jewish lawyer, got way more paper than you would think
Beginning to think Jewish lawyer is a status symbol….
September 2015: “DAB” by Migos (ft. Skippa Da Flippa) (DAB)
Don’t get it confused cause my lawyer’s a Jew
I think we’re very clear on the whole lawyer being Jewish thing by now. But thanks, Migos.
2016
January 2016: “Never Forget” by Future (Purple Reign)
I still own the chopper and the old .44 / Stick ’em up, hit ’em up, get it and go / We got bags full of cash that we ready to blow / Hittin’ licks every day, n**** go sell dope / Them Jewish lawyers and accountants, that’s the life that I know
Ah, this one has Jewish lawyers *and* accountants. Great imagination, Future.
February 2016: “Holy Moly” by French Montana (Wave Gods)
My bitch from Cuba and my lawyer Jewish
French Montana (formerly dating Khloé Kardashian) is just stating the facts: His girl is Cuban, and his lawyer is Jewish.
Also February 2016: “Steph” by Lil Bibby (Big Buckz)
I keep some money for bail / Jewish lawyers on retainer
He keeps bail money and Jewish lawyers on retainer. A prepared rapper! Mazel tov.
June 2016: “Hype (Remix)” by Waka Flocka Flame (Hype Remix)
I know I’m winning but I’ll fucking lose it / And beat the case cause my lawyer Jewish
Another different structure of “Jewish lawyer”: “my lawyer Jewish”! Creativity! Also, this is on Waka’s remix of a Drake song, “Hype.”
July 2016: “I Got the Keys” by Tory Lanez (FARGO FRIDAYS)
Yeah, even little Ray is getting pesos / Jewish lawyer get the case closed
In a Genius “certified annotation,” Tory Lanez tells us Ray is his assistant. So his assistant is making money, and his Jewish lawyer is closing the case. This is a remix of a DJ Khaled song, btw.
October 2016: “China & Max / Paid For” by French Montana (ft. Max B & Chinx) (MC4)
Three Jewish lawyers on retainer / These liars never tell the same story twice
The second French Montana song in the *same year.* But this isn’t his verse. On Chinx’s verse, he brags about having three (three!!!!!!) Jewish lawyers on retainer. Not just one. THREE! He also maybe calls them liars. Unclear.
2017
January 2017: “Thought It Was A Drought” by Lil Bibby (Free Crack 4)
Jewish lawyers, so I dodged jail / Youngest ’bout that murder, gotta put on for the squad bail
Lil Bibby (real name: Brandon George Dickinson Jr.)’s Jewish lawyers helped him dodge jail again (he also appeared in February of 2016, if you’ve been reading closely). Nowhere can I find on the internet that he was ever arrested, but maybe that’s thanks to the #jewishlawyers.
February 2017: “100 Mill” by Don Q (Corner Stories)
Got a Jewish lawyer for the case / Got a new rari for the chase
The “Jewish lawyers” aren’t just in a verse, but in the hook for the song. They’ve really made it big time.
July 2017: “How You Like Me Now !/?” by AKA & Anatii (Be Careful What You Wish For)
I ain’t checking for the next dude, I’m too focused on the chess moves / Jewish lawyer in a French suit, send my daughter to the best school
Jewish lawyers wearing French suits! Fancy!
August 2017: “Olympian” by A$AP Ferg (ft. Dave East) (Still Striving)
All black strap, I’m straight / Jewish lawyer got my case
This is on Dave East’s verse, where he talks about his “all black strap” (slang for a gun), but it’s okay cause he has his Jewish lawyer. The magical Jewish lawyer: They can solve everything!
November 2017: “Don’t Talk About It” by Uncle Murda (Don’t Come Outside, Vol. 1)
Commissary for my n***** in the feds / while a Jewish lawyer fight the case.
He references commissary — the convenience store in prison — that you can deposit money into. So he’s funding commissary funds while putting a Jewish lawyer on the case.
Also November 2017: “Principles” by Fabolous & Jadakiss (Friday on Elm Street)
Jewish lawyer on the retainer, they had to bill him
Jadakiss returns, seven years later! Very straightforward lyric: lawyer on retainer, they have to bill him.
2018
January 2018: “G.R.E.E.D.” by Berner (The Big Pescado)
I’m with the Vietnamese, we trade work for some handguns / Jewish lawyers on retainer, if the man comes / The feds pulled me off the plane, it wasn’t random
A bit weird to be rapping about Jewish lawyers on a song called “GREED,” but hey, we don’t expect anything else. Also, it’s starting to get very funny to me that all these rappers talk about having Jewish lawyers on retainer.
April 2018: “Bickenhead” by Cardi B (Invasion of Privacy)
Lawyer is a Jew, he gon’ chew up all the charges / Don’t matter if you fuck with me, I get money regardless
Cardi, to end the list! She joins a long chain of rappers talking about their Jewish lawyers. L’dor vador.
