Matisyahu is a singer of Reggae Juif hassidic américain.

Né Matthew Paul Miller the June 30th 1979 (that is to say 5 Tamouz 5740, according to the Jewish calendar) with West Chester in Pennsylvania, Matisyahu is member of the hassidic community Loubavitch in the section of Crown Heights of Brooklyn to New York; a community made famous for its spiritual leader, the Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

Matisyahu comes from a nonorthodoxe Jewish family. It becomes it towards 2001 and starts to play with the group Juif Pey Dalid. Matisyahu is informed intensively in Hadar Hatorah, a Yeshiva for the new followers of the orthodoxe Judaïsme. It written there and records its first album as a étudiant.

Matisyahu refers to the leader Hasmonéen, Mattathias (in Greek), which initiated the revolt against the army Séleucide during the second century before the Christian era. Matisyahu Miller was named thus at the time of its Brith milah at the age of eight jours.
It was called by its English name Matthew until it takes again its Hebrew name when it started to turn to the movement Chabad Loubavitch. Matthew is the Hebraic translation of Matityahu which means “gift of God”. “Matisyahu” is the pronunciation Yiddish.

Après one short period of excitation around the phenomenon, Matisyahu is a true success near the general public with the live representation of King Without has Crown , which made it penetrate in signal 10; a video and a new album produced by Bill Laswell were to leave the March 7th 2006 to the the United States.
Its fans are various origins at the religious, ethnic level but also on the level of the way of life. Matisyahu is also known not to make representations Fridays evening and Saturdays, since to work during the day of the Shabbat is interdict with the Jews pratiquants.

Il account among its inspirations Bob Marley, Phish and the Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. Sometimes it is able to him to be represented in scene with Kenny Muhammad, a Human beatbox er Musulman. Its style follows the traditional lines of the rhythmic roots Rasta combined with sound Dub. One can easily compare it with the cultural style Buju Banton, Sizzla, Capleton or Junior Kelly but with a rhythmic message similar to Luciano, Bushman or Everton Blender, and with the base lines or the breathing of the musical sentences of Barrington Levy. Certain mélodieux pieces also approach the first productions of Jimmy Cliff.
The production of the tracks is inspired clearly by the Dub when it makes think of artists such King Tubby, Augustus Pablo or Linval Thompson. One can also find similarities with the Foundation Sound of the end of the year 1970 and the years 1980, like with Morgan Heritage.
However, it mixes in a contemporary style Rap and Human beatbox in the same way that Sublime, with the style traditional Hazzan of the Jewish singers hassidic. The majority of the songs are completely in English with some words of Hebrew and Yiddish éparpillés.

Depuis its first album published in 2004, Matisyahu occurs in studio as on scene with the backing-band Roots Tonic composed of Aaron Dugan, Josh Werner and Jonah David.