Yeah, I know. Those things don't sound like they should go together. But that's just a misinterpretation, I think,
of what Hasidic Judaism is about. Not that I know first hand or anything, you understand. I don't. I suppose it's the stereotype that goes along with the black coats, top hats, sidelocks, tallits (prayer shawls), and the tendency to cluster in orthodox neighborhoods.
This guy, though, has certainly broken the mold. He is not afraid to mingle with "the world", and occasionally touch "the unclean thing", while he spreads a positive message of God's love for the world.
Hm. Sounds like a certain rabbi from Galilee that I've read about before. ;)
His biggest song to date is "Jerusalem", which is a terrific blend of reggae, rap, and the Psalms (esp 137). Another one I like is "Chop Em Down", which contains allusions to John the Baptist's preaching in Matt. 3:10.
But lately he is branching out and is guesting on other people's albums, ranging from The Crystal Method to The Easy Star All-Stars (who put out reggae covers of Radiohead's "OK Computer" and The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper.")
He even put out an album that serves as a hip-hop soundtrack to a Passover Seder (the CD looks like a round piece of matzoh. Hilarious.) Anyway, he's one of the few purveyors of positive hip-hop these days. Reggae has pretty much always espoused a lot of positive values, and belief in God, but that is sure not what rap's been known for.
So when he came to town... I just had to go. He played at "the club that Prince built", First Avenue, and the place rocked. The audience was enthusiastic and appreciative, albeit smaller than usual. There was plenty of space to move around, unlike the sold-out shows (ex: Fleet Foxes on 8/9, to which SQ and I will be going) where you are cheek-by-jowl with other patrons.
This crowd was pretty much mid-late twenties; not a lot of students, not a lot of thirties and up, either. Kind of a morally conservative bunch, too, I think - at least judging from the way the girls were dressed (which is the best barometer I know), and the lack of drunkenness and public groping. :) Maybe it was the music, or the worldview of the artist, I don't know. But it had the feel of a Christian concert, at least in the social dynamics of the crowd.
The opener, Dub Trio, was nothing special musically. They were pretty much three guys drawn from Matisyahu's band, who played 45 minutes of hard rock instrumentals. The bassist managed to find the resonant frequency of the entire hall, though, and cranked it up. The whole place shook, and I could even feel the hair on my arms vibrating. That, um... was kind of cool. :)
When it was time for the main act, he came out with his head covered as an observant orthodox Jew should. Except he used a hoodie. I'm not sure that counts. ;) But then, underneath, he had the yarmulke on, so I think the hoodie was just for effect. Made him look like a bearded Eminem. But taller. And calmer. Okay... not so much Eminem, then. Maybe he was just chilly.
He has a new CD coming out next month, but I found a good dub version of his latest CD, "Youth", on the merch table for $10. It's good, too. But it made me ask again just exactly what the word DUB means (in the music world, anyway.) According to urbandictionary.com it's this: The art of making a remix, especially a reggae song, in which the lyrics are all or partially removed and the focus is placed on the drum track and the bass. Okay, that describes it. I like that style of reggae. Stripped down to the essence. Nice.
In between, I got some reading done in Moltmann. Beer helps that. The guy is German, after all. :) Except I had to read by cell phone light, as I managed to find a seat in a dark corner, and didn't want to give up a place to sit just to read theology.
But before I left for the night, there was something else going on that I just had to investigate.
I love drum & bass (it's like the music I run to), and the VIP room is a great space off to the side of the stage, sound-proofed, but with glass to see the main show. There were a dozen or so kids in there who were, high school, early college? all moving to this music, some wildly, some subtly, some with light sticks. 
After about 5 minutes of watching, the DJ weaved in a new song, and I couldn't help myself. :) Yeah, yeah, I know; at my age decorum should rule the day. But darn it, this music is too infectious, and the kids were cool with it.
Nice way to work off a little beer.
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