Events
Yes, Matisyahu is a Hasidic Jew. And yes, he’s white and singing reggae. And despite what you might already be inferring, he’s totally amazing. His first album shows off a host of his lyrical, beatboxing, and reggae skillz. And on top of that, its such a fun album to listen to when you’re looking for some quality music to fill your background space.
I can listen to his first album entitled Youth (2005) anytime I’m looking for “feel good music”. I can’t go as far as pop singles for some reason. Not to say that its wrong to go there, but I just can’t get into the typical feel good music. I’m talking about soft rock, alternative rock, or the general unconscious hip hop you hear on the radio when you want just some noise to surround you. For me, I want to listen to artists like Matisyahu. I can’t say his band is that talented nor can I comment that he is amazingly talented in singing or rhyming. But his lyrics are very conscious, his music is mostly from the genre of reggae, and he tends to beatbox in the middle of songs. And the music is easy listening to my ears.
The most popular song from Youth is King Without A Crown. It hit the Billboard charts and there was a music video of it playing across MTV and VH1. Though I do like this song, there are many others I like even more. I have attached an acoustic version of the song above where the audio quality is pretty high.
What I appreciate most about Matisyahu is how he’s been able to keep true to his religion throughout his musical career. Like other artists such as Mos Def (did I mention I love him?), doing so is not an easy feat when you’re on a label and are booked on non-stop tour dates. But since religion is a place where he manages to derive his music from, he understands and gives back to his foundation. That to me is beautiful.
Check out his performance and interview on Jimmy Kimmel a few years ago. It’s good and funny at the same time.
Matisyahu - King Without A Crown - Live on 92.3 K-Rock from 92.3 K-Rock New York on Vimeo.
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