‘It’s been a unique and weird journey. It’s the complete opposite of what people do – and what anyone would have imagined that I would do.’ Unique and weird could certainly sum up the path Moshe Reuven has taken. The 31-year-old rabbi has swapped a party-hard lifestyle for a
music career, seeing him become one of the most popular rap megastars in Israel and worldwide, with nearly 2 million
Instagram followers and counting. The Florida-born Jewish hip-hop star, who spoke to Metro.co.uk via Zoom in a rare gap in his increasingly busy schedule, reflected on his unlikely life trajectory, telling us: ‘Ultimately, to be authentic, to be my true self – that’s the only option I have, and that’s what I’m here to do.’ That’s not to say it’s been an easy road. Moshe, who goes by the Hebrew name he was given at birth, was known as Marc growing up, and he got his passion for music from his family, with seemingly everyone from aunties to parents and his brother having some kind of musical skill. Inspired by the likes of Kid Cudi and
Kanye West (more on that later), he wrote songs from a young age, finding his way in the world of music as he grew and found new experiences. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In high school, he was one of the popular kids, going out for nights at a time, getting engrossed in the party lifestyle before a bad experience after getting spiked at a party gave him an awakening. ‘If you saw those scenes in high school movies, we were really crazy in that regard,’ he admitted. ‘From that to then start praying to God every day and trying to stop drinking, changing my values to be focused on living a good life and having a good impact on the world around me.’ The rabbi, ordained in 2021, added: ‘I was sacrificing the whole fun life to try to do what God wants me to do. And that was really difficult for me.’ While
Friends – some he’s still in touch with, others drifted away – were going in one direction in college, Moshe was going the other, which was a ‘real conflict’ and a blessing at the same time. He laughed: ‘A lot of things about observance are like temptation, struggle, and all those things. Even at the epitome of all that, if you can become a rabbi, you could probably survive spiritually everywhere.’ There was also the music, with some hip-hop not necessarily aligning itself with his developing faith, but he has found his path. From Kid Cudi and soulful 70s and 80s music to more spiritual sounds, he was able to ‘blend that into music creation’. ‘I wanted to make sure I was listening to music that was going to benefit that journey of mine,’ he explained. ‘I still wanted to be able to put out music that would be more modern than that, that does that same thing, hopefully.’ He pondered: ‘I don’t need to sacrifice everything because I became religious, or because I’m trying to do what God wants. You can make music that God wants.’ That has presented a challenge, with antisemitism and conflict in a volatile time all over the world , particularly since Hamas’ attack on Israel in October last year. It was also a strange time for Jewish creatives as ‘people were hesitant to do anything’, while Moshe was already planning to release his single Red And Yellow. Jewish
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London Underground West End theatre increases security after Tracy-Ann Oberman death threats over Jewish role The hit, which followed the hugely successful You Are Not Alone, was written almost a year ago, but it dropped at a perfect time to call for peace while taking a stand. That included the Grammy Awards last month when he used his red carpet outfit to call for the release of
Israeli hostages, while making sure to ‘ stand up against antisemitism ’. For Moshe, the majority of abuse he faces comes online, as he joked about ‘getting a death threat from some 13-year-old kid spending his whole day’ playing video games (‘nothing against that’, he laughed). His reactions range from ignoring the abuse to making fun of it, depending on the extent. ‘Usually, people are not blatantly doing anything antisemitic, it’s more like under-wraps antisemitism,’ he said, while noting the way Kanye West’s comments in the past have had a real impact on parts of the Black Skinhead rapper’s fanbase. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video He pondered: ‘Those people idolise him, and they act the way he acts. And if he says something, then they follow suit. ‘Even if what he was saying was coming out of his own personal experience, and his own problems – whether he’s a real antisemitic or just saying things because he’s upset, it’s caused a lot of problems.’ Moshe admitted it’s ‘hard to reconcile’ when he used to look up to the
Rapper as someone ‘doing something more meaningful with music’. Still, the rabbi won’t shy away from his faith – from his image on stage to the lyrics in his songs. ‘I’m not hiding from it,’ he added. ‘I’ve always wanted to hear that there’s a Jewish person out there that feels more proud of their Judaism because of what I’m doing.’ Spreading that message through music could be helped by collaborations, with Moshe keen to work the likes of Kid Cudi, Jelly Roll and Post Malone alongside legends like Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John and
Drake. ‘[Drake’s] another Jewish rapper and he’s happened to be one of the biggest artists in the world,’ he said. ‘It’d be unbelievable for getting my music out to more people.’ Rather than being insular, Moshe’s music transcends faith with his audience, and he wants to promote a message of inclusivity around the world. ‘I never wanted to make music exclusively for the religious community anyways,’ he smiled. ‘I wanted it to be for everyone.’ Moshe Reuven’s music, including new single Red and Yellow, is streaming now on Spotify. Got a story? If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you. MORE : Charlotte Church ‘stands by’ Sing For Palestine event but slams ‘antisemitism’ accusations MORE : 7 terrifying horror films about nuns that will chill your bones MORE : Robbie Williams to debut his new group at huge
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