Live at Stubb's, released today, sounds like the work of a Jamaican reggae star, so listeners may be surprised to discover that its creator is from Brooklyn . . . and that he's a Hasidic Jew -- replete with the signature black coat and hat and beard.

Matisyahu (born Matthew Miller) became a fervent reggae fan as a rebellious teen. "I would meditate on the concepts that Bob Marley would sing about," he recalls. "He was a person who was going against the stream. I would listen to his lyrics and relate them to my own life, my own searching."

He was particularly inspired by Marley's "Rastaman Live Up," which features the couplet "Grow your dreadlocks/Don't be afraid of the wolf pack/Keep your culture/Don't be afraid of the vulture." "At first I thought that meant that culture is dreadlocks, culture is black -- that's what's right and cool. But then I realized he was really saying, 'Figure out your roots, and be true to them.'" (full article)

 

First published in Rolling Stone, April 19, 2005. All rights reserved. No portion of this article may be used without the author's permission.