"I get more bills,"Joel Covington says and laughs, when asked if things are different now that he has finally been granted Israeli residency.

Covington, 28, is an African-American singer from Baltimore who, together with his wife Shoshana, visited Israel in 1999 and fell in love with the country. He says he was brought up Jewish in a religious home, but the Israeli establishment, as well as the Jewish community in the United States, does not recognize him as a Jew.

The couple nevertheless decided to stay in Israel. Shoshana converted to Judaism and their daughters, Tipharah, 7, and Qoheleth, 5, were born here. Covington gradually began taking part in Jerusalem's burgeoning underground hip-hop scene, and in 2003, he joined the jazz group Coolooloosh as its frontman, rapping under the stage name "Rebel Son."

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But this past year has been hard on the aspiring artist, as the Interior Ministry accused him and his family of being illegal aliens in the country and threatened to deport them back to the United States. A long and exhausting struggle ensued, both in the legal sphere - with the help of attorneys Sagi Tirosh and Yehoshua Kramer - and in the artistic sphere - with performers such as Hadag Nahash and MC Carolina joining forces with Coolooloosh in a special performance night entitled "Fight Rebel Son," dedicated to fighting Covington's deportation.

The efforts paid off at last when a few weeks ago the Covingtons officially became permanent residents. And the good news doesn't stop there, as Coolooloosh is currently performing in Sweden, in what they hope will be the start of a broader European tour.

Asked what he thinks of the music scene in Israel, Covington says: "It's crazy. For such a small country there are all styles and genres. In terms of hip-hop, I was surprised at the level of sophistication. There really is solid underground in Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem. Guys like Cohen et Mushon, DJ Mesh, Hadag Nahash, Funk'n'stein, The Apples, Third World Love. And that's just off the top of my head."

Is Israeli hip-hop different from American hip-hop?

"It's totally different. The main thing that is lacking here which drives hip-hop in America is the competitive spirit. Here it's just talk. The political issue is so prevalent here that a lot of artists want to run away from it and go to other directions. They just don't deal with politics."

Hip-hop in a hard city

Do you follow Israeli politics?

"Of course. I'm very much into politics, that's my thing. I think that for true resolution of the conflict that's going on here, it's going to take politicians being honest," he says laughing. "I just don't think that the people are as weak as the politicians think."

What attracted you to come to Israel? What clinched it for you?

"The clinch was the life that I found here. Life here, despite all the hustle and the politics, is a whole lot simpler. Also, being shomer Shabbat here isn't strange, and the fact that the country is so diverse. The gan [kindergarten] that I send my daughters to [the YMCA in Jerusalem - R.M.] is mixed: Jews, Christians, and Muslims. I don't want them to become xenophobic, and yet I also want them to have a Jewish identity, something that they can take with them wherever they go. I've been taught that the purpose of the Torah is to be fair, and that's the identity that I want them to have: To be fair, to judge matters with wisdom, and to be circumspect."

So it's not strict Judaism, is it?

"Oh, I'm very strict," he laughs. "But because someone doesn't believe what I believe, it doesn't mean that I have to have anything against them. They're fighting over God here, but if you believe in God, you don't have to fight for Him. He fights for Himself.

"Coming from America - a place that's built on racism, where they killed people and stole their land, then stole other people and made them work, without any religious pretext, just plain greed. That's what I choose to go against. I learned too much in life, and hate isn't worth it."

Have you experienced racism here?

"Of course. But by the same token, I also met people who were absolute strangers and bent over backwards for me, so I don't get caught up in it."

Has your musical style changed since coming to Israel?

"It's funny because as far as my music, I've actually started over again. When I first got here, I put down the pen. I didn't write for almost a year and a half. But then I started writing again, and being older, I look at things differently. I try to keep an angle of reflection in my music now. Not just everything straight on, hardcore.

"Because hip-hop is not beautiful music. It's ugly music, by design. The whole thing is to make ugly things beautiful. To make things that are hideous palpable to the taste, so that it can be digested. Because reality is hard, and you got to package it in a way that makes people dance to it.

"It's all about the common denominator: Not everybody's been happy, but everybody's been hungry, and everybody's been sad. We like to search for positive things but the truth is that what we all have in common is the negative things. So if you can get people to see that everybody gets the shit end of the stick, then maybe we can stop fighting each other."

Is the music scene different in Jerusalem than in Tel Aviv?

"Like day and night. Jerusalem is not a party city. It's not hard to build your audience there. But in Tel Aviv, you got to build up your name. There are a million parties going on in a week, and you have to convince them to come to your party. So there's more of a fight."

Why did you decide to live in Jerusalem?

"That's what it's all about," he laughs. "That's what everybody's going crazy over, so I might as well be there. I like the city. A lot of people say it's a hard city, a heavy city. Baltimore is a heavy city, too, so that's why I like Jerusalem. What characterizes every city in America is not the division between North and South, but the East Side and the West Side. It's the same in Jerusalem."

Asked whether he considers his daughters to be Israeli, Covington offers a story: "The other day, I saw my daughter going to the refrigerator, taking a bell pepper and eating it whole," he says and smiles. "Now that's not American."

It's all in the snacks

You keep Shabbat and mitzvot. How do you define your Jewishness?

"I can see Reform concepts, I can see Conservative concepts and I can see Orthodox concepts. People hold so strong to their sects that sometimes they miss things that are obvious. If you're really on a quest for wisdom, you pick up things from everybody. I don't think it's fair to put a label on a religion.

"As far as my desire for the land - I'm a Zionist to the heart, to the core. Jerusalem is my city. But I understand what it takes for me to receive that: It's by being fair and by being just."

What do you wish for your daughters?

"I want them to be strong. That's all. I don't wish for them to be rich or super-educated. If they are happy being housewives, so be it. As long as they're doing what's right, and have the strength to hold it down."

And for yourself, what's next on your list?

"I don't want to sound chauvinistic, narcissistic, or plain arrogant, but I really want to take over the world," he says. "I know that I'm not scared to say what needs to be said. So I got to say it, and I got to be heard. I'm not looking to change the world, because it's not my job. But just to open up some kind of awareness: Hope, love your family, appreciate life."