“You’re all that I have and you’re all that I need / Each and every day I pray to get to know you please / Want to be close to you, yes I’m so hungry / You’re like water for my soul when it gets thirsty”—from “King Without a Crown”
So, how does a guy become the world’s biggest Jewish reggae star? That would be Matisyahu, whose major label breakthroughs—Live at Stubb’s and Youth—both recently sat on several Billboard charts, including the Top 200, reggae and digital sales tallies.
But how did he do it?
Some may consider Matisyahu’s rise to stardom a direct result of the novelty factor—the Orthodox Jewish look of a long, untrimmed beard, no-frills black suit and yarmulke. All of these, mixed with his rapping skills and stage antics (he beat-boxes and stage dives, among other things), make for an intriguing, if not fairly un-orthodox, combination.
But Matisyahu is the real deal, not only referencing God, Judaism and traditional values in his music, but maintaining a lifestyle consistent with his message. He observes Passover, won’t play gigs on the Sabbath (in his case, that means Friday nights), won’t do one-night stands, and won’t act out in ways that contradict his beliefs.
“Marijuana is not mentioned in the Torah,” the 26-year-old singer told Blender after being asked about the inherent connection between reggae and reefer. “But there is a law that you’re not supposed to do anything that can damage yourself. So I abstain.”
This legalism has less to do with stringent regulations than a newfound adherence to personal convictions. Born Matthew Miller in West Chester, Pennsylvania, he rebelled against Judaism as a teenager, only to embrace it as part of his identity after a camping trip to Colorado and a visit to Israel. During a self-imposed exile at a wilderness school in Bend, Oregon, he fell in love with reggae and hip-hop, making his rounds at several open-mic competitions. At 19, he relocated to New York and met a Lubavitch rabbi, and got involved in a strict Hasidic sect of Judaism. Shortly after, Matisyahu—a Hebrew variation of Matthew—was born.
With his latest album, Youth, he pays homage to his belief system like never before, doubling up as musician and prophet, unafraid to use his platform to encourage and motivate those who may be on the fence about their faith, like he was in his teens.
“Dig in deep for eternal treasure / Stay away from quicksand and false pleasure,” he raps in “Indestructible,” as if quoting from Proverbs. He continues, “Dare not speak with arrogance / Appearance like a lion lurking in the mist / They surround and they gaze their fix / Grab the rope of God’s heritage.”
A slow-burning call to arms in the vein of Bob Marley, the title track is directed at those caught in the valley of spiritual and social indecision: “Young man, control in your hands / Slam your fist on the table and make your demands / Take a stand, fan the fire for the flame of the youth / Got the freedom to choose, you better make the right move� Youth is the engine of the world / Storm the halls of vanity, focus your energy.”
In the belligerent “Fire of Heaven / Altar of Earth,” the rapper uses heavy military imagery and a rapid-fire delivery to gun down pride and raise the banner of humility: “False pride is suicide but you’ve got nothing to gain / Babylon’s buildings raise like flames / Drowning in their champagne� Heavenly fire only resides on an altar made from the ground / Fire descends from on high in the shape of a lion / Burn the sacrifice of pride and ride on to Mount Zion.”
Matis’ boldest declaration of faith is found in his biggest single to date, “King Without a Crown” (excerpted above). In it, the rapper offers a Davidic, psalm-like confession of the source of his only hope: “Without you there’s no me / You’re the air that I breathe / Sometimes the world is dark and I just can’t see� Demons surround all around to bring me down to negativity / But I believe, yes I believe, I said I believe.”
Such openness and verticality raises the following question: How come Matisyahu is able to attain mainstream success without having to play down, water down or dumb down any of his creeds? The average Christian musician or band would likely get booed off the stage or banned from secular airplay if they attempted something equally overt.
P.O.D., for example, is known for its Christian faith, but its lyrics are rarely in your face with Jesus. Ironically, though, P.O.D.’s most blatantly spiritual song to date, “Strength of My Life,” includes a duet with none other than Matisyahu. The Jewish artist contributed to two tracks on P.O.D.’s latest album, Testify—including “Strength of My Life,” a straight-up worship song where Matis joins frontman Sonny Sandoval to sing words taken directly from the Psalms.
In an interview with Jewish lifestyle portal Chabad.org, Matisyahu offered some perspective on the purpose of his music: “While bread is filled with air, representing ego, Matzah is flat, representing humility. You know, so much of the music industry is about inflating the ego to the point where it becomes an idol, where you become an idol.
“The message I am trying to convey is to chop down that ego, to chop down the machine that controls so many, and to bring a message of humility and holiness to the world.”
Unless specified clearly, we are not implying whether this artist is or is not a Christian. The views expressed are simply the author’s. For a more complete description of our Glimpses of God articles, click here
