Christian music artists have built a cottage industry of their own within popular music: It essentially mirrors the mainstream recording industry, but within a religious framework. Entire companies are built around promoting Christianity through an image that has more in common aesthetically with MTV than a traditional house of worship. Tooth & Nail Records-- which brought the world P.O.D, MxPx, Mae, and more-- has sold millions of albums focusing on the indie and aggressive rock genres. Jesus People USA, a Chicago-based organization that promotes the Cornerstone Festival, has created one of the largest summer music festivals in the country, secular or faith-based. And countless print and online periodicals promote young, radio-friendly bands that have a dual mission of evangelizing for Jesus as well as creating pop music that appeals to teens.
Still, few of these outright Christian bands have broken through to the mainstream. Though bands like Switchfoot, Lifehouse, and The Fray have Christian messages embedded in their lyrics, none of these bands can be considered icons. Bands who forthrightly espouse Christ as the basis for their art-- like Jars of Clay or Audio Adrenaline-- are little more than novelties in the secular world (though, they are huge in the Christian "underground", if it can be called an underground.) Sure, there are more than a few high-profile teen bopping rockstars with an outspoken fondness for JC, as those tiny youth saints, Justin Bieber and The Jonas Brothers, have done at every opportunity (discussing your chastity is a sure bet for winning the hearts and minds of conservative moms). But no one above the age of 12 listens to these acts, and no real music fans take them seriously.
Ironically, some of the biggest faith-based pop-rock acts of the last decade, Creed and Evanescence, were both marketed and distributed by Wind-Up Records, a label owned by, Alan and Diana Meltzer, two Jewish New Yorkers. Even the various forms of Islam in America have quasi-institutionalized pop music movements that have invaded pop culture, personified by hip-hop acts like Eric B & Rakim, Brand Nubian, and Public Enemy. Generally speaking, acknowledging the role of religion in a star's life may be a shrewd marketing move: Madonna seems a little less of a hedonist with her Kaballah studies, and Chris Brown has tried to convince us that he has renounced his girlfriend-beating ways through his acceptance of Jesus. But using faith as a branding tool can just as often be a death knell for serious artists. Let's face it: religious piety is not as alluring as lap dances at the club. Artists with staying power are wise to restrict their open religiosity to occasional nods in the direction of the Lord – without ever actually crossing the line to being pedantic.
Jews, on the other hand, have been remarkably reticent to speak of their Judaism at all when discussing their personal lives. In the '70's, it was well known that Streisand, Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond, and Bette Middler were Jewish, but I wouldn't go so far as to call them cool. And, Neil Diamond’s turn in The Jazz Singer (about a cantor's son who wants to be a mainstream performer), or Babs portrayal of Yentl(an eager Yeshiva student despite being -Gasp!- a girl), hardly did much to promote Judaism -as-cool in pop music. In the '80's, the Beastie Boys were known to be Jewish-- hard to escape your heritage when one of your members if named Adam Horovitz-- but this Jewish identity was more of a New York City schtick then a wholesale embrace of Jewish culture as the key to their trendiness. You didn't see Mike D wearing a Chai or refusing to play concerts on Yom Kippur.
Sure, Jews have been thoroughly ingrained in the cooler side of rock and roll since the golden age of rock in the '60's and '70's, when The Velvet Underground, The Ramones, and Bob Dylan, Simon; Garfunkle, Gene Simmons (aka Chaim Witz) and Paul Stanley of Kiss, Billy Joel, and Marc Bolan (of T. Rex) all claimed a Jewish backgrounds. These artists did not shy away from their Jewish identities, but it was well known in popular culture that they were Members of the Tribe. And yet in none of these cases was Judaism central to their music. Bob Dylan even went so far as to convert to Christianity for a time (though, I am told he has reclaimed his status as an M.O.T.)
Today, bands like Maroon 5, O.A.R., and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs all feature Jewish members, none of whom actively participate in a greater national Jewish discourse. Of course there's Matisyahu, but he seems to be more of a novelty than an actual movement towards Jewish acceptance in modern day pop music. When one attends a Matisyahu concert, any real discussion on Jewish life is markedly absent, as if Matisyahu is intent on being a musician first and a religious movement second (note his lack of traditional Hasid dress on the cover of his newest record, Light). (Though his thoroughly Jewish-oriented label, JDub Records, may yetrepresent a very real counter-example to this post.)In short, Judaism was once an oft-mentioned fact of life for Jewish pop stars, now it is seen as something that may hinder mainstream success. Judaism is looked on as a cool aside-- an additional emotional connection for Jews who see cool Jewish artists as kindred spirits-- and a subject of fascination and curiosity for gentiles. The fact is, most Jews in music either lean towards the brainy, or are else frat boy dilettantes. Sure, you have Scarlett Johansson, a chanteuse of debatable quality, who refers to her Jewish roots once in a blue moon, but more often the Jewish females represented in pop music seem either slightly damaged ( Amy Winehouse) or, again, intellectual, (Lisa Loeb). Judaism has no Backstreet Boys or Jessica Simpson (once the Debbie Gibson of the Christian pop world).
New hip-hop/Urban sensation, Drake (born Aubrey Graham), has created a commotion lately with his admission that he identifies as a Jew, went to a Jewish day school growing up in Toronto, and completed a Bar Mitzvah. He even wears a diamond-crusted Chai around his neck. It shouldn't be shocking that a rapper, who is also half black, could be Jewish, but the fact that he does not try to hide it, but actively embraces his Jewish roots, is surprising in a genre which too often seems to value street swagger over Sunday School. Yet, hip-hop also prizes authenticity and "keeping it real." What better way to own your image then embracing one's roots as the basis for that authenticity. Drake even raps about being Jewish in his music. Perhaps more than any other Jewish pop artist in recent memory, he owns his heritage to the point where he has discussed touring in Israel.
- Recently, I entered "Jewish Drake" on a Twitter search to explore what Tweets were appearing about Drake's identity. The results are surprising. Here are some of the better tweets:
- Drake may be Jewish but this nigga knows how to make raps.
- omg, is drake really part jewish? lol
- Some jewish boys have hella swag, and umm some don't . // Drake and Lenny Kravitz go in "yes" column lol
- Drake said he was Jewish in one of his songs. Haha.
- Drake is not cute to me...I'm trying to give him a chance...he just reminds me of a Jewish woman.
- drake is jewish? say whaaaaaat?
It’s pretty clear that many people are highly surprised someone so cool can be Jewish. Even Jimmy Kimmel was shocked. Would the pundits demonstrate similar surprise-- Kimmel calls Drake's success "unbelievable" and that his Judaism works against him-- if Drake claimed a Christian or Muslim background? Moreover, in a different genre, say, rock music, would an openly Jewish musician--or to go a step further, one that defended Israel in musical form-- find such incredulousness from the masses?
As we've seen in past Buy A Tribe posts, hip-hop has numerous well-known Jewish MCs in its storied history, but virtually none who own that image as a Jew, who happens to rhyme. Drake does, and I would argue this adeptly bridges the gap between the badassness of being an Urban music performer and the college-educated cultural divide. As suggested earlier, this implication that he is Jewish, but still not a thug, like his mentor and collaborator, Kanye, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne, may be the best marketing move by any Jewish artist in the past 20 years. And it could be why this former Degrassi star is one of the biggest stars in Urban music right now.
