Diane Gibson–the “powerhouse manager at GMI Entertainment who crafted a musical career for her daughter Debbie (now Deborah)–has signed on to manage Chutzpah, the “Jewish Hip-Hop Supergroup” that’s experiencing some success in this early stage of their career, or as one might call it, their “electric youth.”
According to a press release, Gibson has said of Chutzpah that “It’s rare that you meet musicians who are skilled on so many levels. They not only write, perform, and produce their own material, they can act, they can sing, and they have a broad vision of how their unique creative talents can be translated over multiple entertainment platforms. From our first meeting it was clear that we both had big plans for marketing Chutzpah beyond the traditional music marketplace.”
Of Gibson, Chutzpah were quoted as saying “Yeah! We love Debbie Gibson’s mom!”
Chutzpah eponymously released their first CD in November 2005 and at the same time released a DVD of their award-winning short film (“Chutzpah, This Is?”). The film featured the group playing themselves, starred veteran actor George Segal as Dr. Dreck–the purported inventor of hip hop–and featured cameos by Gary Oldman, Debi Mazar, Sharon Osbourne, and Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell.
Chutzpah’s second CD, “Hip Hop Fantasy” will be released by JMG Records this summer and will make the band’s story even more surreal, as it features guest performances by Melle Mel of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Deborah Harry of Blondie (who, by the way, had the first #1 rap hit), the legendary Isaac Hayes, and an in-character rap cameo by Gary Oldman.
Gary Oldman’s a great actor, but can he rap? I guess we’ll have to wait to see what kind of chutzpah that takes.
