Style Weekly
Richmond's alternative for news, arts, culture and opinion
Emerging in 2004 with his debut album “Shake Off the Dust … Arise,” Matthew Miller, aka Matisyahu, left a lot of listeners more than a bit puzzled. While people were just getting used to the idea that a skinny white kid from Detroit could explode in the world of hip-hop and rap, it was difficult picturing a devout Hasidic Jew, sporting a full, untrimmed beard and dressed in orthodox attire doing the same with a bent toward reggae arrangements. Fortunately with a skilled use of scat phrasing, beat boxing, and high-energy, moral-affirming lyrical content, it didn't take long before Miller had a gold-certified record and a Grammy nomination for Best Reggae Album. With the recent release of his third full-length, “Lights,” Matisyahu is scheduled to perform the National on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. $23-$25.
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