Rafi the King’s Shine: Songs, Stage, and Staying Positive

Welcome to another episode of Positivity. I'm super excited to be here. First of all, thank you everybody for listening and checking in and tuning in. Over Yontub, people were away a lot of different places. They traveled and they met a lot of people and I got so much feedback. People were listening to the podcast. People gave feedback and I want to say I truly appreciate it. People met many of the guests that were on the podcast and gave feedback and I really appreciate it. I love hearing it back. I want to bring on a dear friend um who needs no introduction. Rafi the king. A good friend of mine. We've been we've known each other I think almost 10 years since I've known Mul. I don't remember and Rafi goes hand in hand together. I don't remember more than 10 years about you. I way before in Monroe when I sent the picture of M and MBD. Right. It was like 20 years ago then. Oh wow. Wow. Right. So you know him years. Yeah. We were you then? Yeah. I want to show you. I was a tiny baby. I was a little kid. But I want to introduce Rafi. So I want to talk about who Rafi the king is. Rafi the king is a special special special uh uh person that turned his life and dedicated his life to be other people. I was a kid, a young kid, a young kid. People after me laughing becoming the next big king. But how you know one thing won't tell you but don't feel hurt. I am a special needs. I'm a tire. I am not ash. I'm down. Don't make fun of me. I'm a a special kid. He works hard, dedicated, had multiple different jobs. A lot of people know him still from Mendlesson's and Bar Park. That's where I know you first by the way, Rafie. It's not just 10 years that I know you. It's that I knew you from that store already. And he was always he's always been with different singers and other entertainers as he himself was an entertainer. And the only way we were able to do this podcast now is because it's sa so you don't have weddings every night. So you're more available, more flexible. So we were able to track him down. But Rafi the King dedicated his life to make others other people happy. He's known for uh doing introductions at weddings, for coming up in the middle of the wedding and singing um and being Mama and for his famous popular uh singles that he releases uh every few months. Beautiful, beautiful songs. Uh that also has features of different stars in the Jewish music world. Um and um and um I wanted to mention another thing. Oh, Rafi also had a huge CM two three years ago where he finished an entire masea and it was celebrated in Zim that was celebrated in a big hall that he finished learning over many many years. [Applause] Christmas. [Music] [Applause] So Rafi is the true story of a person that um turned his life into something inspiring, something much bigger than one can only imagine. So I want to just make a quick uh break for our sponsors and we'll get right into it. Hi guys, I'd like to mention Weber Media, my company, a social media management company that helps you grow and expand through social media. beneficial for branding online presence. It makes you relevant in the space and it can even help you increase sales. The process is simple. We come into your business whether it's a product or a service and we create cool content for Instagram or we create unique cool content for LinkedIn which is usually more written content. Our clients love us and I would love to help you and serve you and help you grow in your business through social media marketing. Reach out to me today. I'd love to have a conversation with you. Thank you. Rafi back to you. How uh tell us a little bit about your history, your upbringing. You mentioned you worked in Mendelson's but you mentioned you also know Mul from Yeshiva back. So tell us a little bit about your story. Um since I was in Mendleston Peter that you spoke about when came in Mhm. It was good happiness and as an action people come in I give them appreciation to the world and now we're here the the world is outdoors is beautiful but we have to know people think about everything is good in the world. People think about negativity but tells me all the time positivity always be positive. Right. He came into he sat down which CG is coming out right there's that video that famous video where you're sitting with him in Mendlesson's and you're promoting his new album meaning he needs to give out an album if he wants to promote it properly he has to do it with Rafi the King right Rafie what are you looking for a a a name and a Kindler what are you looking there take a look here. Sorry. Take a look here. This is Ana Kingd. But here, but here is the new album. Anak and the live CD. The CD, the new CD. So, don't look over there. What are you looking over there? When was the first time you noticed that you're famous? That people know you. They stop you on the street. They want to take selfies with you. When was the first time you noticed that you are famous? When I was in camp, how many years ago? Many 20 years ago. Yeah. I I was not famous at at all. Not no right. Okay. Back and forth. I went to Baga to Zim. Mhm. I did not know nobody then. Yeah. Yeah. Since I since I met then I got famous then. Yeah. From then. He made you famous in a sense. Not just med famous. There's I love it. There's a famous Yeah. There's a famous video. I'm going to try to put it in the screen. Okay. Where you and Mul are just rocking an intro at a wedding. And uh there's there's many, but there's one specific one that I love. And you see just mul like standing like this and just rocking away and you're and you're just yelling your lungs out. You're like, "Who's in everybody?" And that's my guy. I can't hear you. I can't hear you. [Music] And uh so when did you notice that you enjoy to like go to these weddings and be mama? I could enjoy it. It's good but I don't I don't like to enjoy cuz when people that don't don't like it. Please give me space because Mah is here. Just give me space with I don't need people on top of me while you screaming. Don't scream. That's what I am. I am not just like what you are. That's what I am. Right. Right. Right. Right. Um and what's your favorite song to sing? Do you have like a playlist? Yeah. Okay. Come on. One of my best songs from Yeah. Um um I even know it like the old old [Music] album back the old songs from he gives some inside of them. Right. Do you think you love Mah's songs because it's his songs or you love Mah because because you love his songs? Which comes first? Do you love his songs first or do you love him first? I like both. That's the the whole reason why combination he put my my name aside, right? Not on that album. No. When he when he like um just a title came out, right? He me, right? Yeah. And I want to talk now about your uh singles because you've given out many many singles um with different stars in it. You have one with Barry Weber, one that Monty Illwoods got involved. Um, first of all, how do you get all these famous uh stars to be involved with you on a on a project? This project, I cannot describe it. It was very hard. But who pushed it and I pushed back? Yeah, it was very hard. Wow. And I kept going and kept going. Barry was brother. I know he was by the CM Barry. Right. Right. Everything was good, but it's very hard to wait for 9 months. Right. You're saying people don't really appreciate how long it takes till something actually comes out. Recording the vocals and stuff. I saw some videos you posted, behind the scenes footage of you recording the vocals. People don't realize how difficult it is to make sure every vocal is on point. Do you get nervous when you go to the studio? Um, I was nervous. No, but I was nervous when people don't don't respond. Mhm. Right. Like you message them. True. Right. And PE Do you understand them that they're busy or do you think that they just ignore their I do understand them. Right. But when it come to this thing, right, it's a project. You know it it takes so much passion, so much dignity, but it just want to call every day. Where are you up to? Where are you up to? Right. And is it worth for the feedback? Do you get good feedback once the song is out? But it's very hard and you have do you understand it? Like it's very hard. Mhm. Are you working on something now? Can we get like a sneak peek? have to wait cuz this is coming out and then people could wait even longer. Uhhuh. Right. I told my people stay tuned. It's coming but don't don't push it. Right. You you're saying you're always working on something. I don't want to tell people. Right. Wow. Um tell me a little bit more about like uh growing up. What did you enjoy doing? Did you always enjoy the spotlight? I grew I grew up in my on one of them on lane. Then I moved up to Em. Then then I worked up harder to on Augusta. I want people to work harder to get me there. Mhm. That's where the the hill went. I woke up. I want them to work harder to to get me up. Wow. A car ride this ride every day calls [Music] me. What's going on today? Good. But like um yeah, it was good. He calls me daily. Who used to call you daily? Yeah. Not every day, but Matthew, um, what are you doing today? Nothing. Eating breakfast? Good. Um, are you available? Yeah, but I don't have a car. Call me soon. I'll get you back and forth. Wow. And he pays me to come what? With him to the wedding? No, there's a wedding like like MK Studios for the night. Where we at? You did a little bit fine. And I didn't have a car ride, right? But he got you a ride. Yeah. In and back every day. How does it feel to be featured on the album of Mul? Everyone is giving back a lot of feedback. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Now it's no feedback. Why? Cuz he's Wow. Sad. How was the feedback of your podcast with living? Because I saw you did that podcast. I think you did an incredible job. I watched it was very touching and emotional because I uh took out the the thing to like what you got to do in the challenges in life and nobody wants to do the challenges. One of their challenges, they want more more videos, more songs, more this. That's not called a challenge. That's called annoying. Wow. Right. I'm annoying couple of times, but not like as as them. No, you're super friendly. I love calling your video call and my whole family loves you and you always say hi with a big smile. You're always positive. How did you get to that place of being always positive? One thing is if I don't smile, if I have a grumpy day, what do you do? Okay. What do you do? What do you say? What do I do when I don't have a good day? No. No. Me. When you see me in like a grumpy mood. Yeah. And something bothers me. What do you say? Give a smile. It's hard. What do you think? I think it's hard. It is hard. So, how do you deal with it? Clean the wet nails and get a new nail. Wow. A smile is like an a nail. When it's rusty, you take it off. When you put a new nail in, you get a smile like a day. Like when it's sunny, raining, it changes. Right. Wow. Nail. Is there a specific thing that you do? If you're waking up in a bad mood, what do you actually do? I think about good morning. Mhm. And that helps you have a better day. Depends if someone calls me, we go out. Yeah. Going out is more important environment to the world. Do you not go out every day? No. Cuz you know why? Cuz no one takes me. So you're waiting for friends. Yeah, friends are available when they are not available outside, right? I'm always available. So if people listening to this want to become your friend, can they like um message you or is your WhatsApp available? Should we put like a WhatsApp link and um so that people can become your friend? No, I don't want that. I want people to to think about when it is a good a good time for both of us. Like I could tell you a story like if someone tells me I I love you. Okay. Okay. You love me but what's the what's the what's the main thing? What's the main thing of loving someone? That's the loving thing, right? Do you sometimes have people make fun of you? Couple of times and I I just walk away or like it hurts a lot. Mhm. Does it bother you or you have like confidence in yourself? I have self-confidence. How does one build self-confidence? What? In your opinion? My self-confidence? Yeah. I don't walk away from them, right? and it hurts me then I I just pass it by. Mhm. Wow. And also one of my new single I came out with was really green a renew. It's be it's be beautiful song. Love it. But now it's very hard for me to come out with another song. What's so hard? Tell me tell me about the difficult shot. Maybe people can help. People do need help. Yeah. I'm saying maybe they can help you with the music. Is there any Is it money? Is it What's the It's not the money or the time. It's the time. You need a producer. Yeah. Maybe I'll talk to Zeisha Circus. Yeah. Wow. Where do you see your career going? Like what's your next big step? My career? My My step? No. equivalent. Watch your step. Watch your step. Yeah. Before you do something, watch it. Yeah. When you go up on a school bus, it says on the sign, watch your step, right? Yeah. But where do you see yourself in the next few years? What do you want to achieve or accomplish? Until now, it's perfect. You like it the way it is? Yeah. If someone wants me, they could call me. They could do things. I'm full of environment. Wow. And excitement. That's good. You're a real sweetheart, Rafie. And And I have love for you. It is. Especially outdoors is be is very beautiful. Do you have a nice outdoors in your house? Yeah, but now like in in month. Oh, it's a monthy. Yeah, Monty is packed. You have neighbors, friends? I don't want to talk about that. You could cut that off on a video. Yeah, it's fine. I can say that. People, it's okay. You can say you don't want to talk. It's that's very normal. Would you ever want to work again in a pizza shop or you just enjoy now focusing on life? I do. I do want to go back to the job. I do like to work, but it's too hard for me when nobody's around, right? I do want to talk about a job, but I want to go out the house. It's not just a job. How many years did you do Mendlesson's? Many, many years. No, about four years. Wow. That means you were committed there. Yeah. Yeah. That means real commitment. That's a lot. Now let's go back in a step back. Yeah. You're going to love it. Okay. Well, there was my bame. I was 13 years old. Now I'm 37 now. Okay. Many years ago, I did not know. No, I came to Manuel. I took a picture. Okay. M said, "Oh my god, that's Wow. I didn't know him for 20 years from my wow then the the represent episode the different like you took green you took Kimo but with me we got involved in it now 2025 you ever heard like save the last for the best the best for the last I Yeah. Not you were a little baby. Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. When you were B mitzvah I wasn't born yet. Yeah. That's what happens. Yeah. I know before you came in. True. True. So give me your best story of Mah. You know it was the you this week. Give me your best M story. Was the best connection to the world. And the connection is is like when he calls me, I call him, he calls back, calls me. Rafie, um, what are you doing now home? Um, my breeder Yeah. will pick me up and we'll go out to the game. Scrabble, we make an Yeah, that's my idea. Yeah. an and a king a a star king. That was my that's my whole idea. Right. Let me let me ask you the million-dollar question. How did he get to the name? Where is it now? All right. Where did he get to the name of Rafy the King? Where are the king? Yeah, it's a good question. Uh um really he gave you this name? I never knew this. No, but but he he called you that name. He called me the king. So who made this? Who made this name? Rafi the king. Someone I don't know whose name. Mhm. Ask many people who know. Yeah. You can tell me who name. Okay. So if you know who came up with the name Rafi the king, you can leave it in the comments. That's the best riddle game. A riddle? Yeah. Like people can answer. Yeah. Who made me? Yeah. I love it. Wow. I honestly I'm having a good time just sitting with you in your presence. I know. And now I know that you're available to I am the best gift to the world. It's you. And my gift is is who? And you when you were a little baby then he was my gift then right? We had a little gift together. He is a gift. It's called a hug. Yeah. Did he ever like pick you up and take you somewhere? I mean did you give it weird too? Once he had a a wedding man years ago. Yeah. You saw that video but like my cap on. Yeah. I'm the son of Habime. I think his cousin got married. Okay. He He took me. Then someone took me in but he took me back. Wow. So he gave me never put me down. Wow. If I did something wrong or bad, he gets in the bad mood and he and I says, "I'm sorry. Apologize. Rafie, don't be sorry. I've forgiven you." Ah, that's the the connection is. Yeah. The connection is like a tree in the background has the roots. Yeah. That's the connection to what he has. Do you still feel connected with him now even though he's not here? That's the biggest thing now. Right. It's it's hard. I am still connected to him now. But every time when I uh feel when someone doesn't talk to me, someone doesn't answer me, my head thinks about him, then I feel like I'm tears. Wow. How did you deal with the grief? Like I know for myself it was a journey of a few months to overcome. Number one, you have a car and you have a perfect life. But it's true. You have to make a smile. You say even it's raining and fresh and I clean the grass. That's not me. My griffins. I do whatever I want. Who is there? That's my That's my sunlight. A sunlight. You feel like he's still here. He's still here. No, but but I feel when someone doesn't respond to me, he's not here for me. Right. You're saying you feel that he's not here, right? You don't feel that he's here. You feel that he's not here. Yeah. That's sad. It's sad, but it's a very happy because No. Why? Move on. We have to move on. If you're sad, okay, move on. I'm moved on. But it hurts. It hurts to move on. When you scratch the bone of a minus Yeah. It hurts. But I I feel the pain. It's scratching. Yeah. Wow. You're really inspirational, Rafie. And you also have a good a really good sense of humor. I am. Like you keep on dropping jokes here and there. Um and you're positive. You have a good joke that you want to share. Not a joke because I'm just talking very um deep about this, right? And sometimes when there's a good day, I always say to you, "Thank God give me a good day." Wow. And so what he do story about me when I taking care of who? My story about you is that I remember that all my friends loved having you at events. I think we did an event in New Square. It was like a shus and they called you down. They paid you. They booked you for a job to come be there and be mama and they gave you the mic. I have pictures of you on my camera. They gave you the mic and you sang. You rock the house. You made a kumz. You sang. You're very, very good entertainer and you're very positive. You're very fun. Kids love you. adults love you. So, I just see you as this beautiful positive light and I see you as an inspiration despite any challenges that you might have. You come out and you're just you're a fighter. You're just you you are like everybody else and just going on and being your best and aspiring people, making people happy. That's beautiful. That's called a battlefield. Yeah. when you fight like I just want to tell you about this. That's why and the and now we in the rough times now I don't want to tell you but it's true in and and and I just slow the warrior. Yeah. But we are the battlefield. We are the kids here the fighting but how you finish the fight we we are the battlefield we ding we we do anything for the world right that's what we're here for we fight we fight we fight and that's what we do for we give them if they want that's the battlefield Rafie you leave me emotional because I'm so inspired by you and I really I really love you. You're an amazing person and I'm going to try when I'm a Monty. What type you What type of love do you feel like a brother? I'm so inspired. What type of inspiring? How can I prove my love to you? What do you What did you say? I'm asking you. I I just told you now. What's the best way to show you love? Just be positive. Just be positive and answer your messages. Not the messages. No. Which I do. I always answer you. Right. Thank you. I don't care about the mist. It's the people. Yeah. The people are the one gives the messenger. Yeah. Some give us the And then once we're done with bye-bye. Yeah. That's why we sing by by Yes. And then we say yeah. I like Should we finish with a song now? Let's sing a song. together. [Music] That was that's the song that you were born in that song that times. Yeah. Wow. about and one song is good. So this one guys, thank you so much for listening to the podcast. If you don't if you want to learn more about Rafi the King, go check him out on Instagram, RTK Team Live. Um, go check out his YouTube. U there's many videos of him singing and performing there. Go check out his Spotify for his singles. Uh, I'm going to link leave a link to his WhatsApp so you can follow his WhatsApp status and all of his information will be in the podcast. Please remember to support our sponsors. Have to blow my nose again. Excuse my allergies. That's what happened in this type of spring, right? and the best um the advertisements. Um when you when you have this, please take some pills. Don't forget about it. Yeah. Yeah. Um so remember to support our sponsors. You can support our membership for extra content, bonus content with Rafie and bonus content with all the other guests that we have. Um, thank you for the and also many more episodes of coming sooner, but this is the one we're going to get some more stuff. Great. So, you can always subscribe to the channel to see more and leave a comment. Tell Rafie how you enjoyed. Rafy's going to check the comments. Send them some love here in the comments and uh and share it with a friend that can enjoy and get inspired. If you want to connect with me, my WhatsApp is in the description as well and the places where you can follow for social media. Uh if you have a company or a business that can benefit from being on social media, Instagram or LinkedIn, you can also reach out to me personally and we can have a conversation about that. Um Rafie, any final words? The the final words toward the end. Please contact please contact us if you want to do do something have a car. Please rent a car, buy a car, and and hit the car and let's put the track on the road. Exactly. An inspiration for people that are going through a difficult time, Rafie. No, no, no. They don't they don't have difficult time. They have their own. Right. But the thing is, but what would you say if somebody tells you now, Rafie, I'm having a difficult time. What would you tell them? I tell them, Mac, just enjoy the weather. [Laughter] I love you. That was beautiful.