Shneur Hasofer is a
Hasidic musician known as DeScribe. Hasofer's musical style has been characterized as "Hasidic hip-hop," "Hasidic rap" and "Hasidic R&B".
Background
Hasofer was born to a
Chabad
Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic grou ...
Hasidic family in Melbourne, Australia. Hasofer began his music career taking the stage name "DeScribe" and has been characterized as a "Hasidic rapper."
Hasofer's music career began in New York in the late 2000s, releasing an EP called Harmony, and began collaborations with
Matisyahu
Matthew Paul Miller (born June 30, 1979), known by his stage name Matisyahu (; ), is an American reggae singer, rapper, beatboxer, and alternative rock musician.
Known for blending spiritual themes with reggae, rock and hip hop beatboxing soun ...
and
Rohan Marley
Rohan Anthony Marley (born 19 May 1972) is a Jamaican entrepreneur and former football player. He is the son of reggae artist Bob Marley and Janet Hunt, and father of model Selah Marley and football player Nico Marley. He was born during his fa ...
(son of
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...
). Hasofer released a duet with Matisyahu titled “Pure Soul” as part of a fundraising effort for the
Friendship Circle, a non-profit Jewish organization which assists children with disabilities.
[ Hasofer also collaborated with ex-Hasidic hip-hop artist ]Y-Love
Yitz Jordan (born January 5, 1978), better known by his stage name Y-Love, is an American hip hop artist. An Orthodox Jew, Jordan was formerly Hasidic.Jerry Portwood"Y-Love is Ready for Love,"'' Out'', May 15, 2012. He is a web developer, activi ...
.
Hasofer's music also took on an activist bent in promoting racial harmony between the Chabad Hasidim and African-American and Afro-Caribbean communities in Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Crown Heights is bounded by Washington Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Ralph Avenue to the east, and Empire Boulevard/East New Yo ...
. Hasofer released a song and music video titled “Harmony” with Rohan Marley, successfully recruiting local neighborhood leaders to participate in the video and a neighborhood campaign.[ The music video for Hasofer's song "Harmony" was dubbed "a groundbreaking tool for unity and racial harmony" by Brooklyn Borough President ]Marty Markowitz
Martin Markowitz (born February 14, 1945) is an American politician who served as the borough president of Brooklyn, New York City. He was first elected in 2001 after serving 23 years as a New York State Senator. His third and final term end ...
in commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Crown Heights riots.[
Hasofer's other activities included teaching music recording and video editing to at-risk Hasidic teens in Crown Heights through a joint project with the ALIYAH Center in Crown Heights.]
Family
In 1998, Hasofer's family immigrated to the city of Rehovot in Israel while he was young. Hasofer's mother is a religious singer as well.[
]
See also
*Matisyahu
Matthew Paul Miller (born June 30, 1979), known by his stage name Matisyahu (; ), is an American reggae singer, rapper, beatboxer, and alternative rock musician.
Known for blending spiritual themes with reggae, rock and hip hop beatboxing soun ...
*Y-Love
Yitz Jordan (born January 5, 1978), better known by his stage name Y-Love, is an American hip hop artist. An Orthodox Jew, Jordan was formerly Hasidic.Jerry Portwood"Y-Love is Ready for Love,"'' Out'', May 15, 2012. He is a web developer, activi ...
*Zusha (band)
Zusha is an American Hasidic folk/soul band from Manhattan, New York. They formed in 2013 with lead singer Shlomo Gaisin and guitarist Zachariah Goldschmiedt. The band, named after Zusha of Hanipol, combines traditional Hasidic '' niggunim'' ...
* Yitzchok Moully
*Jewish music
Jewish music is the music and melodies of the Jewish people. There exist both traditions of religious music, as sung at the synagogue and domestic prayers, and of secular music, such as klezmer. While some elements of Jewish music may originate ...
* Hipster Hasidim
Notes
:1.The name Hasofer translates to "The Scribe".
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hasofer, Shneur
Musicians from Melbourne
Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidim
1982 births
Living people
Hasidic music
Jewish rappers
Jewish Australian musicians
Shemspeed Records artists