from: West Chester, PA
website: www.matismusic.com
myspace: www.myspace.com/matisyahu
I can honestly say I didn't take Matisyahu seriously until... oh... about 5 minutes ago. I'm sorry, but there's something about a Hasidic Jew rapper that just screams "novelty act" to me - I had seen pictures of the performer decked out on stage in a suit, wide-brimmed hat and untrimmed beard and just assumed I didn't have to take him seriously. Or listen to him. But writing these previews means I had to at least listen, and now I think I'll be taking him seriously as well.
Matisyahu is actually the Ashkenazi Hebrew and Yiddish pronunciation of the Biblical name Matthew, which is the artist's given name - Matthew Paul Miller. Born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, Miller was raised as a Reconstructionist Jew, and he actually rebelled against his traditional upbringing, considering himself to be a hippie in his early teens. After a trip to Israel at the age of 16, he became interested in Orthodox Judaism and adopted that practice around 2001. As a huge Phish devotee (Miller actually dropped out of school and followed the band for a short period of time) as well as a fan of both reggae and hip-hop, Matisyahu began rapping at open-mike contests and eventually formed a backing band, with whom he recorded Shake Off the Dust... Arise, his 2004 debut album. In 2005 he released a recording of an Austin show, Live at Stubb's, which was picked up for national distribution by Epic Records.
2006 saw the release of Matisyahu's sophomore album Youth, and while critics say that it is not nearly as electrifying as the live performance captured on Stubb's, the album reflects the artist's influences and inspirations, combining deliciously contemporary reggae with rap, guitar solos and the occasional polish of electronica. Matisyahu also landed a spot at this year's Bonnaroo, and if the response of the audience there is any indication, he is an artist to be taken very seriously indeed.
"King Without a Crown" (from Youth)
"Chop 'Em Down" (from Live at Stubbs)
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