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By: Serach Nissim
South Florida-born Hasidic rapper, Moshe Reuven, is deviating from expected norms in the music industry.
While most rappers and artists are content to fill concert halls and secure touring contracts, Reuven seems to aim for more. As per a recent article in the NY Post, the devout Jew focuses on getting right with God, and has been holding fast to rare agendas including “kosher nutritious meals.”
Reuven, who first became actively known in the music industry in 2020, is experiencing bolstering fame, with 1.7 million Instagram followers and the singer, rapper and songwriter has been Charted #1 on Spotify. The singer, rapper, songwriter, has earned Billboard chart spots and now shares a recording studio with Julian Marley, the son of icon reggae-king Bob Marley. Reuven has also been named in the prestigious list of Forbes 30 Under 30. The fame is enough to tempt anyone, including most mainstream hip hop artists, but Reuven has remained steady in his faith, becoming a model of steadfast devotion and distinction. He has stayed true to his beard and continues to write rhymes about G-d.
Even as his popularity has swelled well beyond the shuls. He continues to fly the flag of Jewish pride — a stridency that he is unwilling to surrender, he said in his interview with the Post. He refuses to tiptoe around his faith or apologize for it. He feels his religious look has not been a hinderance but rather spoken to a spark in his fanbase—which includes not only
Jews but a demographic spectrum which spans to strike a cross-cultural cord with those who hope for redemption and spirituality.
“I think there are people out there who want something more out of music than what they get a lot of the time,” Reuven said. “They want more meaning. I just thank God that people from all backgrounds have gravitated to my music.” He added, “I get people saying to me that they appreciate me being more vulnerable than what is the norm.”
Per the Post, Reuven was not always a Hasidic Jew. As a teen, his home was not ultra-Orthodox and he was a typical teenager. He said it was his “near-death’ experience, which woke him up and ushered him to live a more righteous existence before it was too late. “The realization was that I wasn’t living the right way,” he said. “I didn’t want to leave the world like that. I wanted a purposeful, meaningful life from that point, to take care of things properly.”
During his return to his roots he was attending Central Florida University, and there he visited the Chabad, or Hasidic learning center. He began observing the Jewish sabbath, keeping a strict kosher diet, and growing a beard. He immersed himself in Judaica, and shed his American name Marc for Reuven.
While he left behind many of his old hobbies and past-times, hip hop was still part of him. Inspired by other Orthodox Jewish performers including rapper Matisyahu, and other less materially minded rappers like Talib Kweli and The Roots, he kept writing lyrics and eventually started recording his songs. His debut single, “You Are Not Alone”, signed under the label Create Music Group, managed to reach charts in five different countries, including becoming a Billboard certified single in the USA, per Wikipedia.
As his fan base grows and his tour dates increase, he says a major priority for him is to remain humble and resist temptation to sin. “You have to keep yourself in check,” he said.
