| Matisyahu | |
|---|---|
Matisyahu performing, August 9, 2011 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Matthew Paul Miller |
| Also known as | Matisyahu, MC Truth |
| Born | June 30, 1979 West Chester, Pennsylvania, US |
| Genres | Reggae, reggae fusion, alternative rock, hip hop |
| Occupations | Singer, rapper, activist |
| Instruments | Vocals, beatboxing |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | JDub Epic/SBMG Records |
| Associated acts | Roots Tonic Umphrey's McGee Wookiefoot Infected Mushroom Akon Joseph Israel Les Claypool Fidel Nadal |
| Website | MatisyahuWorld.com |
Matthew Paul Miller (born June 30, 1979), better known by his Hebrew name and stage name Matisyahu, is an American reggae and alternative rock musician.
Known for blending traditional Jewish themes with reggae, rock and hip hop beatboxing sounds, Matisyahu's single "King Without a Crown" was a Top 40 hit in the United States.[1] Since 2004, he has released three studio albums as well as two live albums, two remix CDs and two DVDs featuring live concerts. Through his career, Matisyahu has worked with Bill Laswell and reggae producers Sly & Robbie.
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Matisyahu was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. His family eventually settled in White Plains in Westchester County, New York.[2] He was brought up a Reconstructionist Jew, and attended Hebrew school at Bet Am Shalom, a synagogue in White Plains. He spent much of his childhood learning the various tenets of Judaism, but by the time he was a teenager, Matisyahu began to rebel against his upbringing.[3] He started taking drugs and dropped out of White Plains High School. He became a self-professed "Phish-head," taking hallucinogens and following the rock band Phish on tour.[4] He finished high school at a wilderness program in Bend, Oregon.[5]
In the fall of 1995, Matisyahu took part in a two month-long program at the Alexander Muss High School in Hod Hasharon, Israel, a program which offers students first-hand exploration of Jewish heritage as a way of solidifying Jewish identity.
His experiences there led to his decision to adopt Orthodox Judaism. Initially he found his way to the Carlebach Shul on the West Side of Manhattan. Matisyahu then sought out Chabad of Washington Square, a branch of the large Hasidic movement also often called Lubavitch. Matisyahu began playing with the Jewish band Pey Dalid.[6] At the age of 19, Miller formally joined the Lubavitch movement and took a Hebrew form of his name: Matisyahu.
Matisyahu is an Ashkenazic Hebrew pronunciation of a Biblical Hebrew name (מתתיהו, Mattathias), the name of the 2nd century BCE Jewish leader of the Maccabees' revolt. The English equivalent is Matthew.
In an interview in Kosher Spirit Magazine (a publication by OK Kosher Certification), Matisyahu explained the origin of his use of the name as follows: while he, like most Jewish boys, received a Hebrew name at his brit milah (circumcision ceremony), when he was eight days old, Miller's family lost track of the names given. In Hebrew school, it was assumed to be Matisyahu because of the connection between Matthew and Matisyahu. The original certificate from the brit was later located and Miller discovered that the actual name given at the brit was the Yiddish name "Feivish Hershel". He was advised by his rabbis to continue using the Hebrew name that he had grown up with.[7]
From 2001 through July 2007, Matisyahu was affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York. However, as of July 17, 2007, he told the Miami New Times in an interview that he no longer "necessarily" identifies with the Lubavitch movement. In the interview, he stated that "...the more I'm learning about other types of Jews, I don't want to exclude myself. I felt boxed in."[8] Additionally, in the fall of 2007, while on a family vacation spent primarily in Jerusalem's Nachlaot neighborhood, he expressed interest in another Hasidic sect, that of Karlin.[9] As of November 2007 he has confirmed a preference to pray at the Karliner synagogue in Boro Park where the custom is to ecstatically scream prayers; however he continues to reside in Crown Heights because of his wife's affinity for the community.[10]
Soon after his adoption of hasidism, Matisyahu began studying Torah at Hadar Hatorah, a yeshiva for returnees to Judaism where he wrote and recorded his first album. He counts Bob Marley, Phish,[11] God Street Wine and Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach among his musical inspirations and gives credit to Rabbi Simon Jacobson's book Toward a Meaningful Life for the lyrical inspiration to Youth's title track. As part of his faith, he strictly observes the Jewish Sabbath, which begins at sundown on Friday; thus he does not perform in concert on Friday nights. An exception to this rule occurred at a 2007 concert in Fairbanks, Alaska; since the sun did not set until 2:00 a.m., performing in the late hours was not technically a violation of Jewish observance.[12]
Matisyahu met NYU film student Talia when she interviewed him for a documentary about men and women not touching. Rabbi Korn set them up, [13] and they married in August 2004.[14] Together they have sons Laivy (2005) and Shalom,[15] and son Nehemenah was recently born.[16]
On December 13, 2011, Matisyahu posted a beardless picture of himself on Twitter, explaining on his website:
Miller performed for over a year as MC Truth in the Bend, Oregon band Soulfori.
In 2004, Matisyahu, after having signed with JDub Records, a nonprofit record label that promotes Jewish musicians, released his first album, Shake Off the Dust...Arise. At Bonnaroo 2005, Trey Anastasio of the band Phish invited him for a guest spot on his set.[17]
His major label debut album was produced by Bill Laswell, with minor contribution by pop producers Jimmy Douglass and the Ill Factor.
His live album, Live at Stubb's, released in 2006, was recorded at a concert in Austin, Texas was followed by the studio album Youth.
In 2005 and 2006 he toured extensively in the United States, Canada and Europe; and made a number of stops in Israel, including a performance as the supporting act for Sting in June 2006. In late 2006, he released No Place to Be, a remix album featuring re-recordings and remixes of songs from all three of his earlier albums, as well as a cover of "Message in a Bottle" by The Police.
The live version of the song King Without a Crown, broke into the Modern Rock Top 10 in 2006. The accompanying video and album, Youth, produced by Bill Laswell, was released on March 7, 2006. On March 16, Youth was Billboard magazine's number-one Digital Album. In 2006, he appeared once again at Bonnaroo, this time performing a solo set.[18]
In spring 2006, right before the release of Youth, he cut ties with his managers at JDub Records. JDub managed his act, but was not his record label.[19]
At the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival, the film Unsettled, in which Matisyahu appears, won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature. While attending the festival, he performed in an impromptu concert at the Park City Film Music Festival in Park City, Utah. In the summer of 2007 he joined 311 on their Summer Unity Tour. He also performed in the 2008 documentary Call + Response.[20]
His third studio album, Light was released on August 25, 2009, along with the live EP Live at Twist & Shout.
From July 10 to July 30, 2010, Matisyahu (along with The Dirty Heads) supported Sublime with Rome (the new version of the band) on their US tour.[21]
In November 2009, NBC used Matisyahu's song "One Day" as background music for their advertisement of the Olympic games. This stirred up speculation that "One Day" may become the theme song for the 2010 Olympics. However, it remained only NBC's top pick, and was not announced to be the theme song.[22]
On August 2, 2010, Matisyahu revealed to OC Weekly that he has been writing new songs for his next album, which was expected to be recorded within weeks of his statement.[23]
On November 26, 2010, Matisyahu released a special edition Record Store Day Black Friday 7" vinyl called, Two for independent record stores.
Matisyahu recorded the Sephardic music-influenced hip hop song "Two Child One Drop" for the Sephardic Music Festival, Vol. 1 compilation album released by Shemspeed, alongside artists such as Hasidic rapper Y-Love, Israeli hip-hop group Hadag Nahash, and psychedelic rock/Sephardic fusion group Pharaoh's Daughter.[24]
On August 18, 2010, Matisyahu returned to Stubb's in Austin, Texas for another live recording for Live at Stubb's, Vol. 2. The album was released on February 1, 2011.[25]
In 2011 he embarked on a concert tour.
Matisyahu fuses the contemporary styles of rap, beatboxing, and hip-hop in general, with the more traditional vocal disciplines of jazz's scat singing and Judaism's hazzan style of songful prayer—more often than not rolling it all into a dominant background of reggae music. The New York Times' Kelefa Sanneh wrote that "His sound owes a lot to early dancehall reggae stars like Barrington Levy and Eek-a-Mouse."[26] The Chicago Tribune's Kevin Pang described a Matisyahu performance as "soul-shaking brand of dancehall reggae, a show that captures both the jam band vibe of Phish and the ska-punk of Sublime." Coming from his Jewish beliefs and compounding his use of the hazzan style, Matisyahu's lyrics are mostly English with more than occasional use of Hebrew and Yiddish.
In 2006, Matisyahu stated that "All of my songs are influenced and inspired by the teachings that inspire me. I want my music to have meaning, to be able to touch people and make them think. Chasidism teaches that music is 'the quill of the soul.' Music taps into a very deep place and speaks to us in a way that regular words can't."[27]
In 2009, he said about his recently released album Light, "I think the vast majority of people that respect what I do are willing to move with me. I think it's not so much about genres or styles of music as it is about expressing the emotion or the idea. ... Whatever allows you to do that, whatever style, as long as it's authentic." In 2010 he also confirmed his first speaking date at the University of Central Florida.[28]
Matisyahu has performed with Kenny Muhammad, a Muslim beatboxer. He also recorded the song "One Day" along with Akon.[29]
Matisyahu is featured on Trevor Hall's single "Unity" from his self-titled album. Matisyahu is also featured on "Roots in Stereo" and "Strength of My Life" from P.O.D.'s album Testify.
Matisyahu collaborated with Infected Mushroom on the song "One Day", as well as during various live sets.
Since his debut, Matisyahu has received positive reviews from both rock and reggae outlets. In 2006 he was named as Top Reggae Artist by Billboard[30] as well as being named a spokesperson for Kenneth Cole.[31] In 2006 Esquire's Esky Music Awards - Most Lovable Oddball in The magazine called him "the most intriguing reggae artist in the world."[32]
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [33] |
US Rap [33] |
US Reg. [33] |
BEL (Fla) [34] |
FIN [35] |
IRL [36] |
NLD [37] |
SWE [38] |
UK [39] |
|||||
| 2004 | Shake Off the Dust... Arise | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2006 | Youth
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 85 | 35 | 47 | 48 | 43 | 152 | |||
| 2009 | Light
|
19 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||||||||||
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [33] |
US Rap [33] |
US Reg. [33] |
NLD [37] |
||||||
| 2005 | Live at Stubb's
|
30 | 14 | 1 | 98 |
US: Gold[40] |
|||
| 2009 | Live at Twist & Shout
|
— | — | — | — | ||||
| 2011 | Live at Stubb's, Vol. 2
|
— | — | 2 | — | ||||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||||||
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [33] |
US Reg. [33] |
||||
| 2006 | Youth Dub
|
— | — | ||
No Place to Be
|
146 | 1 | |||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||
| Year | Album details | US Reg. [33] |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Shattered
|
1 |
| 2011 | Miracle[42]
|
— |
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Alt. |
US Pop |
US Rock |
JPN | |||||
| 2005 | "King Without a Crown" | 28 | 7 | 37 | — | — | US: Gold[40] | Live at Stubb's Youth Shake Off the Dust... Arise |
|
| 2006 | "Youth" | 121 | 19 | — | — | — | Youth | ||
| "Jerusalem" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2009 | "One Day" | 85 | 21 | 35 | 38 | 37 | US: Gold[40] | Light | |
| 2010 | "Miracle" | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| 2011 | "Darkness into Light" | — | — | — | — | — | Live at Stubb's, Vol. 2 | ||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||||||