Matisyahu

Matthew Paul Miller, a.k.a. Matisyahu, is both a devout, Hasidic Jew and a stone-cold, stoned reggae sensation. His combined identities aren't as curious as they sound. Rasta and rabbinical affinities cut deeper than hair styling, while Matis-music seamlessly weaves traditional Jewish cantor chants with the kind of infectious dub call and response that sends dance-hall jamdowns and hippie festivals into half-mystical, half-mushroomed euphoria. The 2006 single "King Without a Crown" remains his signature song (and an unlikely modern rock radio hit), but the 2009 album Light has an ambitious, mature sweep, crossing over into undeniably catchy alt-rock and hi-tech, world-pop soundscapes. And yet through it all, Matisyahu remains a true believer in the transcendence of reggae and dub at its most spiritual.