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by Renée-Lauren Ellis
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May 2005
It
isn’t often that a Jewish
guy singing reggae songs and
doing beat-boxing is booked
to appear on Reggae Carifest,
NY’s annual reggae show.
But this year it’s different,
and 25 year old Matthew Miller
aka Matisyahu is the one to
accomplish this first. Popular
among Jewish kids for his blend
of traditional Hasidic song
and Reggae, Matisyahu is ready
to break into the Reggae crowd.
I’ve seen him perform
twice and each time was amazed
at his talent and the spirituality
of the music. Even better was
the pure-sounding reggae (and
accent!) that accompanied his
singing, rapping or beat-boxing.
As I spoke with him late one
night via phone (he is on tour
and was actually driving to
his next tour stop), I was impressed
by his intellect and appreciation
for Reggae.
 Matthew
Miller began listening to Reggae
at age 14, to none other than
Bob Marley. The music spoke
to him. “I knew that the
music was beautiful music, honourable
music” he says and he
realised that music was about
creating space. Matthew started
growing dreads and slipped into
a comfortable “teenage
hippie” lifestyle. He
would also begin a tumultuous
and introspective journey where
he struggled with a growing
void in this life. But after
a camping trip to Colorado,
away from his suburban life
and in the “awe-inspiring
landscape of the Rocky Mountains”,
Matthew reached a revelation
that changed his life and set
him on the path to ‘Matisyahu’.
Matthew began to realise and
accept that there is a God.
A trip to Israel followed and
by now Matthew was really beginning
to feel a connection to God.
A simple camping trip had unearthed
a “thirst for Judaism.”
After dropping out of high school
though, his parents stepped
in and sent him off to a “wilderness”
school in Oregon. All was not
lost though as while at this
school Matthew was able to explore
reggae, hip-hop and beat-boxing,
as well as to hone and showcase
his talents at weekly open-mics.
He was now well on his way to
creating his distinctive reggae/hip-hop
sound.
At
age 18 Matthew cut his dreads.
“I’d started to
learn about humility,”
he says. For him, his image
had become too tied to his dreadlocks
and he realised he didn’t
need dreadlocks to show who
he was anymore. He’d also
started to interpret Bob Marley
a little differently. “I
realised that Reggae was about
finding [your] roots and culture
and tapping into it. Reggae
was about not going along with
the mainstream system.”
This was important realisation
for Matthew.
By
the time he was 19, Matthew
was back in New York eager to
continue working on his music
at The New School. He found
a synagogue that had a welcoming
“hippie-friendly vibe
and exuberant singing,”
where he got turned on to the
“mystical power of song
in Hasidic Judaism.” The
transformation to ‘Matisyahu’
was almost complete. Important
too was that in addition to
Bob Marley, Matthew was also
listening to Capleton and Sizzla,
whose early albums had a big
impact him. He moved from beat-boxing
in the back of classrooms to
praying on his school’s
roof. Eventually after a chance
meeting with a rabbi in Washington
Square Park, Manhattan, Matthew
decided to fully embrace Hasidic
Judaism. Even as he was making
this embrace, Matthew still
wanted to perform music, especially
Reggae.
Why,
I asked Matisyahu (which literally
means gift from God), did you
choose Hasidism over Rastafarianism?
Weren’t both faiths similar
in their conservative views,
roots and practices? It was
a “practical’ decision
he said. Hasidism comes from
Judaism, a faith with which
he is familiar and comfortable.
“It’s a part of
who I am and it made sense to
look at my own culture and own
traditions.” This was
how he applied his interpretation
of Bob Marley to his own life.
Hasidic Reggae would become
a further application; it was
how he went “against the
mainstream system.” Besides,
he contends “Judaism in
the United States has been watered
down. The powerful parts have
not been expressed well. Just
like Rasta and Reggae, Judaism
has a universal message.”
And so in his songs and at his
performances Matisyahu draws
on Hasidism’s powerful
tradition of song and the fire
and fight of Reggae to deliver
a message about faith and spirituality.
 Matisyahu’s
impact on Jewish kids has been
tremendous. At a recent concert
in NY, he drew a crowd of at
least 450 people, the majority
of which was kids not more than
16 years old. He hopes that
he is able to inspire these
fans just as Bob Marley and
Sizzla inspired him, “When
I was growing up, Bob and Sizzla
provided an outlet and I felt
a connection to their music
and message. Especially in a
place where you don’t
have so many outlets, you need
an artist you can relate to.”
Quite modestly, he hopes to
be that artist. If the attendance
at his concerts and sales of
his albums (“Live at Stubbs”
and “Shake off the Dust…Arise”)
are any indication, he’s
reaching a lot of people. Family,
too, has been encouraging. “My
parents are very supportive
of me making music. I have a
foundation.”
But
still, how was he feeling about
performing at Reggae Carifest,
now in its 8th year and a widely
anticipated and secular Reggae/Dancehall
show. “It feels great,”
he happily admits. He’s
planning to approach this performance
like his others – with
discipline and enthusiasm and
with an honestly toward spirituality.
“I have a tremendous amount
of respect and thanks for the
Jamaican people and music for
what it’s given me,”
he adds. I’m definitely
looking forward to his performance,
which I’m sure will thrill
the crowd because of its roots-Reggae
feel and his delivery (courtesy
also of a tremendous band).
A recent performance on Jimmy
Kimmel Live left the host speechless
and the audience enthralled;
even through the TV you could
feel a change in the air as
he performed. Some people have
already asked me if he’s
lip synching because his accent
and sound are so authentic.
Matisyahu is legit, his music
is wicked (listen for yourself:
www.hasidicreggae.com) and ready
to live up to the Jewish Reggae
Superstar label. He’s
even planning on doing some
shows in Jamaica next year (he’s
yet to make a visit).
With
the discipline of Hasidic Judaism,
Matisyahu now has a powerful
guide for his life. He's surrounded
with the "spiritual and
intellectual challenge"
he began searching for at 14
years old. Whether by chance
or destiny, on that journey
he started listening to Bob
Marley, who provided him with
a connection to his artistic
and musical creativity and helped
to point in the direction of
his own culture and roots. Matisyahu
has managed to make good on
teenage angst to arrive at a
spiritual and musical combination
that honestly communicates a
powerful and uplifting message
about faith and spirituality.
Even when you can't understand
his words (some of his songs
are in Hebrew) you get a tingling,
spiritual lift. Matisyahu has
delved into and connected with
his own culture and roots and
come up with a gift to the ever-growing
collection of artists who have
been influenced by Reggae's
message and appeal.
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Related
links
Matisyahu’s website www.hasidicreggae.com
On Hasidism: http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/hasid.html
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