NEW YORK (Universal Motown Records/ www.universalrecords.com) - Universal Records' recording Artist Miri Ben-Ari 'pulled strings' last night at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards. The Israeli native wins her first Grammy for her writing contributions (and virtuoso violin chops) on Kanye West's breakout smash "Jesus Walks" from West's multi-platinum CD The College Dropout. The groundbreaking anthem was awarded the Best Rap Song Of The Year.

Ben-Ari weaves her symphonic technique throughout The College Dropout disc. She enlivens the year's most innovative hip hop effort, adding to her already impressive resume as one of the genre's premier collaborators.

Ben-Ari has toured extensively with West this past year, enjoying rave reviews, and igniting interest in her own upcoming, star-studded hip hop debut album, titled The Hip Hop Violinist. The CD will feature many of today's rising stars, including, Kanye West, Anthony Hamilton, John Legend, and Lil Mo.

The former jazz student first burst onto the hip hop scene in 2001, pairing with urban music trailblazer Wyclef Jean. Her knack for fusing percussive string arrangements with a keen sense of melody has caught the ear of some of music's biggest crossover stars such as Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Patti Labelle, Brandy, Britney Spears and many others.