| DeScribe | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Shneur Hasofer |
| Born | July 1, 1982 Melbourne, Australia |
| Genres | Dancehall, reggae, hip hop, R&B |
| Occupations | Singer-Songwriter |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Associated acts | Diwon Y-Love Matisyahu Lipa Schmeltzer |
| Website | DeScribeMusic.com |
Shneur Hasofer (born July 1, 1982), better known by his stage name DeScribe (Hasofer is Hebrew for "the scribe"), is a Hasidic Jewish musician. His music combines elements of dancehall, reggae, hip hop and R&B. He operates a studio from the basement of ALIYA (Alternative Learning Institute for Young Adults) in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, where he produces and records what he calls “Music with a Message.”[1]
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DeScribe was born in Melbourne, Australia, to a Hasidic Jewish family. His mother, Devorah Hasofer, is a renowned singer/songwriter who has released four albums and performs primarily in the Hasidic communities in Australia and Israel.[2] A drummer since the age of five, in his preteen years he participated in the recordings of his mother's albums and performed with her as a special guest.[3]
At the age of 14, Hasofer’s parents sent him to Jerusalem to study in a yeshiva. He spent a year in the yeshiva and then, remaining in Israel, “left the Jewish way of life and did a lot of stupid things,” many of which were illegal.[4] His family’s move to beitar illit in 1998 did little to curb his wildness.[5]
In 2000, at age 17, DeScribe joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as a combat sharpshooter, serving for three years at the height of the Second Intifada, experiencing intense action on a near-daily basis.[6] After being discharged, he remained in Israel, organizing a concert tour featuring affiliates of the Wu-Tang Clan Remedy and Killah Priest, gaining an inside view of the hip hop scene.[7]
Around 2004, he began to feel an overwhelming desire to leave his shady lifestyle and return to a religious one.[8] “I started to change the way I thought and behaved and in Judaism I found something that was real that brought happiness to a dark place in my life,” he has said.[9] In 2006, he moved to Brooklyn to attend Tifferet Menachem, where he was given permission to set up a music studio inside the yeshiva.[10]
In 2008, after an early music video was picked up by the Israeli media, he was invited to play the Highline Ballroom in New York with Perry Farrell.[11] Shortly thereafter, he had a chance encounter with Rohan Marley (Bob Marley’s son) on the streets of New York City. Marley later asked DeScribe to create the theme song for his company, Marley Coffee, which supports environmental and social justice causes in Jamaica and around the world. DeScribe came up with "Livin’ for the Grind," inspired by Bob Marley’s 1962 single "One Cup of Coffee."[12]
DeScribe’s 2010 single “Harmony” was celebrated as "a groundbreaking tool for unity and racial harmony” by Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Crown Heights riot.[13]
In early 2011, DeScribe collaborated with Matisyahu on the dancehall track “Pure Soul." The proceeds from the song benefit The Friendship Circle, a nonprofit organization that assists children with disabilities.[14]
DeScribe is currently managed by Erez Safar of Shemspeed.
DeScribe's music combines the styles of dancehall, reggae, hip-hop and R&B. He uses music and technology to promote racial harmony and helps Jewish teens learn how to record and produce music. "My music is about unity," he has said, "and we all have one God whether we are Jewish, Christian or Muslim. We are brothers and we share this world together."[15]
| Release date | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| March 16, 2010 | Harmony (EP) | Modular Moods/Shemspeed |
| May 14, 2010 | The Change EP (DeScribe & Y-Love) |
Modular Moods/Shemspeed |