Man, over the years, I have heard it all in the music world. I mean, we’ve had rapping grannies; a 4 year old French kid who tried to rap and even “Macho Man” Randy Savage tried to lay down some rhymes for the mass public.

All told, these “artists” sold about as many records as I’ve had dates in the past year, so the record buying public has stayed away from these records with good reason. But about six months ago, just when I thought I had heard it all, I read the following: “Matisyahu: Hasidic Jewish Reggae Rapper".

When reading this, my first reaction was thinking that the next big rap wave would come from a Muslim extremist turned Porn Star, but I guess I was wrong. But the concept of a deeply religious Jewish man rhyming over reggae sounding insanely wild to me; maybe even wild enough to take a listen. A funny thing happened along the way for Matisayhu:

He got huge!

All of a sudden on Top 40 and alternative radio; his song “King Without A Crown”, and his live album “Live At Stubb’s” became legitimate hits, and built up anticipation for his first proper album, “Youth”, which released March 7th. The album debuted in the Top 10 of the Billboard Album Chart, and is developing legions of hippie fans, along the lines of fans of Phish.

As I was checking out the songs, I realized that this wasn’t the worst thing I ever heard. The concept was still an odd one in my mind, but the rhymes and beats were not worthy of my gag reflex, so he was doing well. After listening to the songs, I wanted to learn a little more on the guy. I wanted to figure out if he was legit, or was riding a wave of novelty all the way to the bank. Now, I find myself more confused than ever.

Matisyahu was born Matthew Miller, an ex-hippie from upstate New York who was not even remotely Jewish until his conversion to the Hasidic sect of the Jewish religion in 2001. The fact that he was not a young man who was born into the faith, and found a love for reggae and hip-hop disturbed me a little. It looks to me as if Matisahyu Miller jumped on the Hasidic route in order to provide him a niche when getting a record deal. I am afraid if he was some hippie rapper from upstate New York, record labels wouldn’t touch him with a mile long pole.

If he is being legitimate about his faith and love for the music; so be it. It’s a weird track to take, but at least he is doing what he loves. But part of me truly believes this is an unusually successful & exploitative way to go platinum and beyond. When you use religion as a crutch for your personal gain, it will never be good. Who knows, a higher being may just be watching you….

Whether he is legit or not; his fan base is growing. When in Cincinnati last weekend, I found myself intrigued to see for myself, and tried to see him live. The club where he played, Bogart’s, was completely sold out for a crowd of around 2,000. I was unable to get into the show, but seeing kids pay in upwards of 80 dollars a ticket from scalpers told me that the guy has grasped a piece of musical notoriety, and is running like Barry Bonds dashing away from steroid charges.

Now, we all have to wait and see if Matisahyu burns himself with exploiting the Jewish faith for gain, or if people really believe the message and beliefs he is rapping about.

Is he just Right Said Fred with a black hat? Only time will tell….

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