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I see this thread didn't go very far last year. Was going to start one myself because I'm curious what people's thoughts are on Matisyahu. My dad burned me his CD several months ago and I enjoyed it, though I wouldn't say it was head & shoulders over any other reggae artist I listen to. Then, rather suddenly, I started hearing Matisyahu all over the radio. He's getting heavy rotation on the rock and "alternative" stations, and next thing you know he's performing on MTV, Leno, Letterman, Conan, Jimmy Kimmel, and being discussed on Bill Maher's show.
I have to say his popularity doesn't quite sit right with me. He isn't doing anything, musically, that Buju Banton, Junior Kelly, Luciano, and Damien Marley (among others) haven't already done, but not one of them gets play on mainstream radio stations, and I wonder why that is. I know that Matisyahu has the novelty factor of being Hasidic, but even my friends who listen to reggae and hiphop talk about him like he's the next big thing. Is this really just about the novelty of him being a Hasidic Jew, or is this another example of a white artist co-opting "black music" and being lauded for supposedly doing something new?
I also must confess that, though I know he's just following strict Talmudic law and my quarrel is more with the religion than the man, his refusal to touch or perform with women really bothers me. More on that, and him, in this RS article. |
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