Personal life Jordan, an only child, was born and raised in
Baltimore, Maryland to a Christian Ethiopian father and Puerto Rican mother, occasionally attending a
Baptist church. As a youth, Jordan was a fan of the conscientious rhymes of
KRS-One and
Public Enemy's
Chuck D. Jordan first became interested in Judaism at the age of seven. "I saw a commercial that said, 'Happy Passover from your friends at Channel 2,'" he said, "and I went drawing
six-pointed stars on everything at my mother's house." He started wearing a
kippah and observing
Shabbat at 14, and
converted to Judaism around the turn of millennium. He later spent time studying at a
yeshiva in
Jerusalem. As of 2012, he still identified as an Orthodox Jew. However, by 2013 he proclaimed himself
off the derech, which means, no longer observant of torah and mitzvos.
Career After moving to Brooklyn in 2001, Jordan began performing at open mics around the city as Y-Love. He received a measure of criticism from the local Jewish population for also being a member of the hip hop community. In the Fall of 2008, Y-Love released his first solo full-length album,
This Is Babylon.
XXL said the album "balances Jewish spirituality with party rhymes and political commentary in an effort to spread [Y-Love's] message of global unity." In Fall of 2014, Y-Love appeared in a documentary called
Punk Jews. Y-Love took a 7-year hiatus before returning to the stage in 2019. In June 2020 he became the chief product officer at Tribe Herald, a news site for
Jews of Color. ==Musical style==