While there have been plenty of Jewish pop musicians in American history, from the jazz age to the world of heavy metal in the 70's and 80s as well as the diverse grounds of hip hop, few, if any, of them have actively pursued music with overtly Jewish themes. This only follows the non-proselytizing stance of Judaism and there's also the question of whether or not there's enough of a market to support pop artists who make religious Jewish music. Compared to the multi-million dollar industry of Christian pop, which is intended as an alternative to morally questionable secular pop, Jewish music is a tiny niche market. That's what makes the mainstream success of Hasidic reggae artist Matisyahu so inexplicable. His work has gone far beyond the novelty that first garnered it attention while still introducing listeners to Jewish spirituality in a very inviting way.

The man known as Matisyahu was born Matthew Paul Miller in 1979 to the West Chester, Pennsylvania Millers. He grew up in the Reconstructionist movement, a primarily American sect that is still considered very new and difficult to define, though it has developed an increasingly respectable reputation across the nation as of late. The Millers relocated to White Plains, New York where young Matthew received his Jewish and secular education, as well as discovering his love of pop music, especially hip hop and reggae.

It wasn't until after a troubled period of wandering and drug use that Matthew Miller began a new life as a Hasidic Jew when studying in Israel at Hod Hasharon. First in the society of the Chabad Lubovitch movement and later with the soulful Tiberian Hasids of the Karlin-Stolin philosophy, Matthew found the community and spirituality he had craved since childhood. Newly devoted, he adopted the Ashkenazi Hebrew name Matisyahu, a biblical version of the name Matthew, and began recording reggae music with overt Orthodox Jewish themes.

Matisyahu's first studio album was Shake Off The Dust... Arise on the non-profit JDub label. After playing at the Bonnaroo music festival in 2005, Matisyahu found mainstream exposure and saw his debut album climb into the US Top 40. His hit single "King Without A Crown" is arguably the first Jewish spiritual song to see popular success outside of the soundtrack to the musical Fiddler on the Roof.

Since the unlikely pop sensation of Shake Off The Dust.. Arise, Matisyahu has continued expressing his faith through music with two more albums, Youth in 2006 and the recently released Light. His style has branched out from reggae to American hip hop, rock and other styles, but his positive, spiritual message remains the same.

Ultimately, it may be better and more fitting for the chief representative of Jewish faith in pop music to come from the Hasidic tradition. While many people both Jewish and non-Jewish find the strict codes of conduct and old-fashioned morality of Hasidism to be off-putting, we must not forget that the culture of Orthodox Judaism has done more than any other sect to preserve some of the unique elements of Jewish art and storytelling. The metaphors and sentiments in Matisyahu's music come from a long line of cultural symbols and powerful emotions. It is important to remember that sometimes the religious experience is best expressed through the raw, wordless passion of the Hasidic nigun.