The Hasidic Jewish rapper and reggae vocalist Matthew Paul Miller, better known as Matisyahu is a seemingly anachronistic musical anomaly. The Jewish boy from White Plains, NY who is spinning Old Testament lyrics to island sounds with a rapidity of vocal iterations continues to not only rise but to defy easily designated categories of identity. In 2011, Matisyahu cut of his signature beard and hair, drawing attention and criticism from different religious and social sectors. He has graduated from the narrow confines of “novelty” to fill vacancies in newspaper and magazine headlines as well as music halls. Matisyahu’s eclectic new album, Akeda, branches off into new musical horizons of electronic hip-hop and synthesized rock, but it also represents familiar reggae back beats like the echo-driven chorus of Champion. Within moments the audience members will invade the stage and dance and sing alongside Matisyahu… You don’t have to be religious to enjoy a Matisyahu show because, in the end, it is about the hopes, fears, questions, and emotions that every human being experiences, no matter what they believe in…