Matisyahu

Matisyahu is an American Jewish reggae singer, rapper, beatboxer and songwriter from West Chester, Pennsylvania. Born Matthew Paul Miller in 1979, he grows up in White Plains, New York, and later adopts Matisyahu, a Hebrew stage name meaning “Gift of God”. His music combines reggae, hip hop, rock and reggae fusion, and his style also spans alternative hip hop, alternative rock, dub, electronic, hip hop and pop.

Music and themes

He is known for blending traditional Jewish themes with reggae, rock and hip hop, and for writing many songs about faith and religious belief. He sings mainly in English, but also uses Hebrew and Yiddish in some material. His early stage image is strongly associated with his Orthodox Jewish identity and, until 2011, he has an Hasidic appearance.

Career

His first studio album, Shake Off the Dust... Arise, appears in 2004, followed by Akeda in 2014. Across his career, he releases four studio albums, one live album, two remix CDs and one DVD featuring a live concert. Well-known songs include “King Without A Crown”, “One Day” and “Happy Hanukkah”.

He works with reggae producers including Bill Laswell and Sly & Robbie. Some tracks from his fourth studio album, Spark Seeker, are recorded in Tel Aviv, Israel. He receives positive attention from rock and reggae outlets, is named Billboard’s Top Reggae Artist of 2006, and is also appointed as a spokesperson for Kenneth Cole.

Background

As a teenager, he grows interested in hippie culture, plays bongos and learns beatboxing. He studies at the wilderness school in Bend, Oregon, where he develops his reggae and hip hop sound through open-mic performances. He later moves to New York to attend The New School, where he also explores theatre. While there, he writes the play Echad (“One”), about a boy who meets a Hasidic rabbi in Washington Square Park and becomes religious.

A meeting with a Lubavitcher rabbi in the park becomes a turning point, and he adopts the Lubavitch Hasidic lifestyle. He is influenced by Bob Marley, Shlomo Carlebach, Buju Banton and Sizzla, and his live performances are described as centred on faith and spirituality.