Matisyahu and Joseph Israel (Away with this)

Joseph ISrael Joseph Matisyahu and the root tomnic reggae Band.. to Chant down Babylon...

Matisyahu Time of Your Song 12/19

Matisyahu @ Hammerstein 12/16/06 Jerusalem

Definitely one of Matisyahu's grate songs

3-D Review: "King without a Crown"

Background/summary: Matisyahu Miller is a bit of an anomaly: a Hasidic Jew who also happens to be a dancehall/reggae/rap star. Over the past year his music has garnered strong airplay on college radio, but mainstream radio is taking notice. The song is currently #9 on Billboard’s Modern Rock charts, while the album Live at Stubbs is at #32 on the album sales charts. MTV and mtvU both have the video in heavy rotation. Matisyahu’s popularity is expected to grow as his new album Youth is scheduled for release in March, featuring a new version of the song. He is also scheduled to play on both the Bonaroo and Coachella tours this summer alongside the likes of Tool, Franz Ferdinand, Tom Petty, Beck and Radiohead. We can also expect his popularity to rise among Christian music listeners as he is featured on POD’s new album Testify.

Discover: What is the message/worldview?

This song explores the relationship between God and man in a style similar to that in the book of Psalms. Matisyahu sings praise to God, recognizing Him as the source of his being and deliverance.
In the chorus he sings of desiring the coming of Moshiach (Messiah), recognizing Him as coming from God.
He refers to God in the traditional Jewish way, either as G_d or Hashem, recognizing God’s holiness and sovereignty.
Having come from a background of drugs he sings, “Me no want no sinsemilla, that would only bring me down, burn away my brain no way my brain is too compound, Torah food for my brain.” He recognizes that the Word of God is what he needs over sinsemilla, a highly potent form of marijuana.
The newer 2006 version of the video features scenes of a teenage boy walking lonely and sad through the city streets. This is counterbalanced with lyrics like “Strip away the layers and reveal your soul, got to give yourself up and then you become whole, you’re a slave to yourself and you don’t even know.”

Discern: How does it stand in light of the biblical message/worldview?

Most of what is found in the song and video is very much in line with scripture. Throughout the book of Psalms we see constant references to thirsting for God (Psalm 42). As beings created to be in relationship with God, all of us yearn for that connection whether we know it or not.
The story of the prodigal son (Luke 15) talks about being lost and then found. This song illuminates that theme, recognizing that we can only find true fulfillment once we return to our Creator.
While Matisyahu, as a Hasidic Jew continues to seek the coming of God’s chosen One, both the Old and New Testament point to Christ as the Messiah who has already come.
Throughout both Testaments we find warnings against pride, and the need to turn our hearts over to God and put Him first.

Decide: What do I do with it?

As Matisyahu’s popularity increases, his music and videos can become powerful teaching tools. The fact that he is doing so well in the music mainstream despite his unique appearance, musical style and lyrical content, indicates that today’s youth are increasingly interested in spiritual things.
We live in a culture of smorgasbord spirituality where our teens create their own faith based on Christianity and elements from other religions they find attractive. Because of Matisyahu’s work with POD, some may see this as validation of his faith. We need to help our kids discern between the truths of Christianity and the worldviews of other faiths.
While Matisyahu still seeks Messiah, we can point our kids to Old Testament prophesies that point to the New Testament Gospel of Christ as God’s only Son.
We can use Matisyahu’s increased popularity to focus on his lyrics and instill in our teens a similar desire and love for God and His Word.
Matisyahu recognizes that only God can fill the void in our lives, while drugs and other things only leave us feeling empty. We can communicate this truth to a generation desperately seeking to fill their void with all that the world has to offer.

The Matistyahu Puppet

Here is Matisyahu's puppet version of King Without a Crown

Matisyahu - concert review - Melbourne

CONCERT REVIEW - MELBOURNE (JUly 27, 2006)

Jumping Jew flash; Matisyahu's a gas

matisyahu - Reviewed by Dalia goldschlager

WHERE would you find a world-famous reggae star just half an hour before their sold-out overseas show?

In shul of course, davvening Maariv and listing to a shiur about the nine days between rosh chodesh Av and Tisha b'Av; a mourning period during which the singer is ironically scheduled to play shows.

Matisyahu, the Chassidic pop sensation, was reportedly spotted at the Yeshivah Centre, before taking the stage before a throng of screaming Melbourne fans at St Kilda’s Prince of Wales on Tuesday night (July 25).

The Orthodox singer is an odd site: 1.9-metres tall, clad in traditional Orthodox garb -- a white shirt tucked neatly under a black suit -- with a black hat tipped, like Michael Jackson, to the side.

He jumps and bounces like an African Masai Warrior with flying tzitzit, and dances across the stage backwards with his arms raised in the air. Meanwhile, the crowd of largely 18 year olds to 50-somethings are barely able to contain themselves.

With their fists in the air, Jews and non-Jews alike join in one voice shouting, "building beit hamikdash", and "we want Moshiach now!".

But it wasn't only religious-tinged topics that the quietly-spoken New Yorker sang about. Matisyahu's music also explores universal themes including pollution and deforestation. He also treated his audience to a five-minute-long beat-box set.

Matisyahu performs with a contagious energy, but when it comes to addressing the crowd, he is soft spoken and reserved. His words, however, still resonate.
"Lets channel our positive thoughts to the Middle East," he said. "Our brothers and sisters are sleeping in bomb shelters tonight."

After just one encore, Matisyahu returned to close the show with a timely version of Psalm 137: "Jerusalem if I forget you, let my right hand forget what it's supposed to do."

Even after Matisyahu left the stage and the house lights were back on, hundreds remained fixed in their spots, wondering whether they will have the opportunity to see a jumping Chassidic reggae star bust rhymes about Judaism again.

We can only hope (and pray).

Matisyahu with Stan Ipcus

Matisyahu with Stan Ipcus @ the Thirsty Turtle 11-16-06

Matisyahu - King Without A Crown - Live

Matisyahu performing King Without A Crown Live at Ryman Auditorium. Nashville, TN

Matisyahu - Shake Off the Dust...Arise review

By Andrew Kotick.

If you have ever walked the streets of Jerusalem, particularly Old Jerusalem, you will notice that the majority of the population of Jewish people are Hasidic. Hasidic Jews are the orthodox Jews that you see walking to and from synagogue, wearing mostly black, with rimmed hats and curly sideburns, wearing a Talis, or prayer shawl. Matthew Miller, or as he is known in the world of Hip Hop, Matisyahu, is a Hasidic Jew. It may strike you as a little bit more than shocking to see a religious Hasidic Jew to be singing hip hop like reggae with a fiery attack that would be considered to be sacrilege if it weren?t an American born Jew. As bizarre as it may seem to see a man of such strong Jewish faith attacking a microphone as if he were a rap prodigy, or Bob Marley?s prot駩, Matisyahu?s music is anything but typical of hip hop, or reggae. Both genres are predominantly African American led types of music, yet Matisyahu melds both of them into one sound which blows you away. He spits fire with his voice. His tongue rolls are faster than anyone I?ve ever heard, to the point where you really question if he is really making this music. But there is something that sets Matisyahu?s music apart from a lot of other hip hop artists out there today- He actually uses real musicians to provide the backing track to his incendiary vocals. His debut album, Shake Off the Dust?Arise, appeared in 2004 and just may be the most innovative reggae album of the past six years.

Matisyahu is not your everyday reggae artist. Well, no ***. The man is a machine when it comes to hip hop vocal mastery. His mouth runs faster than Secretariat, to the point where it is disturbing that this man is actually an orthodox in faith.

But Matisyahu is not just faster or wittier than every other rapper out there- he actually puts melody and meaning into his music. Instead of rhyming about boning random chicks in dirty positions, or how filthy rich he is, or how he?s got diamond fronts and in his grill, nucka, he uses his music as a form of motivation. It seems to be aimed at overcoming the hardships of life in the cleanest, non drug associated inspirational method. His music and message are uplifting, and his lyrics are clever enough to not be about his bitches and hoes. It?s nice to see hip hop music that isn?t related to sloppy seconds and dirty fornication. What I like even more about Matisyahu is that he just doesn?t use his religious status as a controversial gimmick. He includes frequent interludes of prayers in Hebrew and Yiddish (for those of you who don?t know what Yiddish is- it?s a language that combines Russian and Hebrew?most famous for the phrase ?oy vey?). At one point, he even recites the Hebrew national anthem, known as the Shemah. His faith really does make him out to be the musician that he is. It?s a big part of who he is as a performer.

As I have already stated, Matisyahu differs from other hip hop artists in the fact that his lyrical content has rhyme AND reason, but the best part is that he uses backing musicians, rather than samplers, synthesizers and drum machines to make his music. And even better is that the backing musicians are TALENTED. It?s not always about Matisyahu every second of every song.

In fact, the drummer can actually get very imaginative with the beats, and his guitarist plays some interesting chord progressions typical of reggae guitar. He?ll take a solo here and there, and play the chords very high up on the neck, and completely staying clear of power chords. Damn power chords. Keith Levine in the making, but with a man of hip hop, not dub. The bass playing on Shake off the Dust?Arise is thick, pounding, and danceable- Just what you want from reggae bass. It?s deep, and it grooves. But every once in a while, Matisyahu will leave some room between his fiery spits of rhymes, and that space is filled with some very melodic bass playing. Every member of his backing band provides more talent and credibility for his musical style, because this is real music, not sampled beats and rhythms.

You really cannot believe that Matisyahu is a Hasidic Jew for his line of work. Most people cannot fathom the fact that a man who is more accustomed to praying is spitting out rhymes faster than any other mainstream rap artist in the scene today. His music has a positive, reinforcing memorandum that shows his courage to make hip hop music based on topics that rappers today are scared to mention, because they prefer street credibility and the ?ghetto?, tough guy factor over sending the right message to their listeners. Rap is a screwed up community, my friends. But Matisyahu is the real deal. He?s talented, not afraid to speak his mind, does not get hung up on fame or fortune, yet includes his orthodox, conservative faith into his music, instead of using it as a shocking gimmick. The young man has talent. And his debut album shows just how fast this guy really can rap. Matthew Miller is the future of reggae/hip hop music. And no one really even knows his real name. Matisyahu is something great.

Get Shake Off the Dust...Arise free from eMusic

Jerusalem - Cause of Jewish Hope and Courage

This video is in honor of all Jews, but especially those who have died because of their heritage and those who stand guard over the borders of our holy homeland, Israel.

***The opinions expressed are my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of the musician Matisyahu*** (Original text)

Matisyahu beatbox

Matisyahu beatbox collabo with Max B @ Thirsty Turtle in White Plains

Download Remedy's albums for free

I realy liked Remedy's track "Never Again". If you liked that song too, here is some more info about Remedy. As it turns out, you can download his albums, The Genuine Article and Code:Red (both include "Never Again") for free from eMusic (Just register for a free trial).

Some info about Remedy:
Remedy is a white rapper who is part of the Wu-Tang Clan crew (but not a member of the actual rap group). Born in 1972 as Ross Filler in Staten Island, NY, he began writing songs and poems at the age of seven, and by high school, was performing as a rapper at local shows. Filler (around this time known as Remedy) began recording demos at Northshore Soundworks, the home of such rap luminaries as EPMD, Das EFX, and Redman. After striking up a friendship with Wu-Tang Clan member RZA, Remedy's track "Never Again" (a track inspired by the rapper's Jewish roots and the holocaust) appeared on the hit Wu 1998 release, The Swarm. Remedy's debut album, The Genuine Article, appeared in April of 2001, produced entirely by the rapper himself and mixed by RZA. A year later, Code Red arrived in November, including a track that offered his personal viewpoint on the terrorist hijacking of September 11th, 2001.

Here is an album review for The Genuine Article by Jason Birchmeier:

Not your traditional Wu Tang affiliate, Remedy showcases exactly why RZA and company went out of their way to hook up with a white Jewish rapper. First of all, Remedy isn't just a rapper; he's also an equally skilled producer, crafting nearly every beat on this album. Secondly, he doesn't rely on the extended Wu family to carry his album; there are actually a minimum of guest rappers here, giving Remedy plenty of time to explore a number of viable topics. Finally, this guy seems to really instill a lot of emotion into his music; both his rhymes and his beats are obviously labored, and his delivery is equally passionate. So, in short, Genuine Article has the makings of a great debut album. This guy is a real talent and not a brand extension like many of the other Wu Tang affiliates. Sometimes his lyrical agendas can get a little heavy-handed but, for the most part, there's not a lot to complain about here; this is how a debut rap album should sound.

Fire of Heaven/Altar of Earth

The creator of this video wrote: "hey this is a video i made for the song "fire of heaven/altar of earth" by matisyahu. i know its not good, trust me... i just thought it would be a fun way to show people this song that i love".

I think this video is very good..... NOT, But, I like this song too.

Everything about Matisyahu

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Sunday, December 31, 2006

Matisyahu and Joseph Israel (Away with this)