EPISODE 10: EMANUEL MORDECHAEV

Interview by Justin Nathan
Photograph by Nadiv Hossain

February 3, 2020

In 1991, my parents immigrated to the United States from the Soviet Union in hopes of a better life. Despite barely knowing any English and having almost no support system in New York, my father managed to start a successful business, working alongside my mother to provide for their three children. Their relentless determination to chase the American dream became more apparent to me as I became older, and I credit my work ethic to having positive role models that I can always draw inspiration from.
 
Wishing to ingrain their cultural values into their children, my parents enrolled me into a Russian Jewish school from the 2nd to 8th grade. It was comforting to be surrounded by students from similar walks of life. We all ate the same food and spoke the same language. Although I spoke English, it was taught by a Russian teacher with an accent, so the core framework of the school was built around a Soviet approach to education. We did our homework in class until 5pm, after which we were driven home by a bus. It was a very sheltered environment and in retrospect, I understand that my parents sent me there because they were afraid of the freedoms that this country has to offer. My middle school not only provided a familiar solace in a foreign country, it also cast its students into a safety net, further comforting concerned Soviet parents.
 
My nurtured upbringing made the transition into high school challenging. For the first time in my life, I heard people speaking languages other than my own and listening to genres of music that I never knew existed. I was like, “Wait, rap is a thing? Is this Spanish?” Although I was initially shy, my lack of knowledge made me appreciate how diverse my city really is and encouraged me to get out of my bubble.
 
It just so happened that the first rapper that I stumbled upon on YouTube was Eminem, and I quickly became an avid fan, a “Stan” if you may. While it would be disrespectful to compare my privileged position in life with an artist who had close to nothing growing up, I found myself resonating with his music because he also felt like he didn’t belong. My middle school was a mini Mother Russia; my high school was a melting pot that I had trouble mixing into.
 
As time went by, I started to develop confidence by watching his movie “8 mile” and listening to his songs. I eventually got into battle rap for a little bit, and the happiest day of my high school experience was when I won a rap battle that had about thirty onlookers. To this day, I credit Eminem for helping me overcome this difficult transition period during my early teens.
 
Despite battling, I still believed that there was no way I could ever perform on stage because I was somewhat shy. My best friend at the time was also rapping and he was definitely more musically oriented than I was – I was always off beat, and he would tease me because I lacked rhythm. We would often practice together and battle each other at our school’s pizzeria. I hold those memories very close to my heart. Months before we were supposed to perform in our high school’s Talent Show, my friend unexpectedly passed away. My first ever performance ended up being a tribute in his memory.
 
Music is undying. When I was on stage speaking of my friend’s charismatic and light-hearted nature, I felt as if he was by my side. Music is a universal language. This past summer, I made a friend in Madrid over the song “Despacito” – she did not speak a word of English, but music brought us together.
 
As a thirteen-year-old boy, I was afraid of the diversity that I experienced because I felt that I could not relate; music showed me that we are similar in more ways than we are different. 

What are your 5 Most Recently Played Artists on Spotify? 
Frank Sinatra, The Weeknd, Pop Smoke, Sade, Fivio Foreign

If you could have any superpower, which one would you choose?
Invisibility so I could sneak into concerts for free. I think invisibility is underrated.

Pick something or someone from NYMC to give a shout-out to! 
I’m not sure about NYMC but shout out to my mom for meal prepping!

If someone wants to talk to you, they should lead with: 
If not medicine, what would you do? What are your passions?