Matisyahu - chassidic reaggae wtf!!?!

[Shakermaker]

A friend of mine in the US tipped me about Matisyahu. The guy looks like (is?) a chassidic jew, but makes some great hardcore reaggae. I never heard of him. Anyone can tell me a bit more about him?

 

[Direwolf]

I'll tell you this: he's really damn good.

Caught him on the Independent music awards a few months back, and have kept track of him ever since. He recently released an album "Youth," and a live album "Live At Stubbs."

 

[Bohonkie]

Just pick up his live album. It's where he really shines. His studio stuff just seems too overproduced to me.

 

[OvA]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4576569031489257638&q=Matisyahu&pl=true

 

[Ennui]

my friend was showing this to me a while back, but i couldnt look further into it because i forgot his name

 

[xcellerate]

all i've heard was king without a crown. And it sucked, then i heard the live version and it was a lot better.

I still haven't heard any other songs. Mainly because i've been stuck on that "dancing in the moonlight" song.

 

[Pajari]

Live At Stubbs is awesome, pick it up if at all possible.

 

[Adabiviak]

meh - I really enjoy reggae and he didn't do it for me. His schtick will attract attention though. Kudos for stepping out of the stereotype though.

 

[VictimOfScience]

Its okay stuff. I am not a huge fan of the Biblical content, but the beats and basslines are such that they elevate the music above the lyrical content imho. I would like maybe some dub of his material....

 

[Shakermaker]

Live At Stubbs is awesome, pick it up if at all possible.

"Picked up" a couple of tracks just now. Playing the live version of King without a Crown atm. Genius. Best reaggae I heard since good ole Bob.

I am not a huge fan of the Biblical content

Errrr, don't all reaggae songs have at least a hint of biblical content?

Mainly because i've been stuck on that "dancing in the moonlight" song.

hehehhe, Toploader ftw!!

 

[VictimOfScience]

Errrr, don't all reaggae songs have at least a hint of biblical content?

No. Roots Reggae is a specific term used for reggae music that deals with Rastafarian beliefs. But even then Rastafarians don't believe in the Bible the way everyday Christians do--their messiah is not the messiah of the Christians, their heaven is not the Heaven of the Christians, their rituals are very different from Christian rituals.

Look at the lyrics to Bob Marley & Peter Tosh's song, Get Up, Stand Up, to see how some Reggae even rejects Biblical content:

Most people think
Great God will come from the sky
Take away everything
And make everybody feel high
But if you know what life is worth
You would look for yours on earth
And now you see the light
So stand up for your right.

That said, Matisyahu's songs are pretty heavily-laden with traditional Old Testament/Torah references throughout. Its just much more explicit than much of what one might hear in a reggae song by Black Uhuru or Burning Spear and the meanings are very different.

 

[Shakermaker]

Interesting, dude. Reading the Wiki on Rastafari right now. I never knew that there were such close ties with judaism.