Matisyahu Biography

Matthew Paul Miller, known by his Hebrew name Matisyahu (Gift of God), is a Jewish-American reggae and alternative rock musician, and beatboxer. He is known for his heartwarming compositions with usually contain religious themes. His sixth album, Undercurrent, is due for May 2017.

Early Life & Career

Matisyahu was born in 1979, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, however, he grew up mostly in New York. During his teen years, he dismissed his traditional religious upbringing and considered himself a hippie. At the age of 14, he developed an interest in the music of Phish a jam band. Furthermore, he began listening to reggae and hip-hop. After rapping at competitions, he joined a synagogue, where he adopted his stage name.  At the time of his 2004 release, the debut album Shake Off the Dust… Arise, Matisyahu came across as a peculiar person. His eclectic style and the fact that he rapped about Judaism using reggae and dancehall beats pretty much astonished the audience.

“King Without a Crown“

In 2005, he signed with Epic Records and toured intensely. Furthermore, Matisyahu released his second album, Youth, in 2016. The record topped the reggae albums chart and earned a Grammy nomination. The album spawned two successful singles, most noteworthy the gold-certified King Without a Crown. Following up on that success, the artist created another two number 1 albums, Light (2009) and Spark Seeker (2012).  The first spawned the acclaimed hit One Day, which almost equalled the success of Matisyahu’s breakthrough single. In the summer of 2014, his fifth album, Akeda, marked a slight change in style, which the artist justified with “less is more”.

Photo credit: Twitter/Matisyahu