Video: Matisyahu & Remedy Kick off Chanukah With 'The Father's Live'

Pioneering Jewish rappers Matisyahu and Remedy have teamed up for “The Fathers Live,” celebrating their roots and speaking out against the rising tide of antisemitism. The single/video, recorded in a New York synagogue, dropped on December 25th, the first day of Chanukah, and is the debut track off their collaborative project.

“I wanted to bring together a bunch of strong Jews from different backgrounds in a Shul in Brooklyn, and just vibe out to the song in a Jewish setting,” says Matisyahu. “Matis had the vision of us all in a Shul and the video worked out beautifully,” adds Remedy. “We're delivering a message of wisdom from our forefathers, of dreams and aspirations, and self-determination. We want the truth to get out. The video features cameos from the likes of Michael Rapaport, Uri Cohn, Betar and Abraham Hamra. 

The song is an anthem. “The people of Israel live,” it begins in Hebrew (am Yisrael chai), then “our father lives on” (Od avinu chai) before the English-language verses. It begins: “Built like the shield of David, holy and sacred / Remedy, Matisyahu, we abolish the hatred. All that's pure's been tarnished and tainted Still we pray three times a day…G-ds with me, I can feel it inside of me…One nation, One people, One G-d.” A powerful and strong message of survival and strength, through everything. 

Matisyahu has expressed similar sentiments throughout his career, including his 2006 debut single, “Jerusalem (Out of the Darkness Comes Light),” which used imagery from the Holocaust in the accompanying video, as well as in his career-defining anthem “One Day,” in 2008, about equality and peace. 

Remedy, whose grandmother and grandfather were both Holocaust survivors, was not only the first white rapper to be affiliated with Wu-Tang Clan but the first Jewish rapper. His track, “Never Again,” appears on the group’s 1998 compilation, The Swarm Vol. 1. "Remedy’s ’Never Again’ was one of my major inspirations to start rapping when I was a teen,” says Matisyahu. “It gave me a glimpse of a way to connect our heritage with music of our time.”

While Matisyahu grew up in White Plains, New York, and Remedy in Staten Island, New York, the pair has not worked together before now. “I reached out to him after he resurfaced on my Instagram with a dope Macklemore diss track,” says Matisyahu. “I saw that he's pro-Israel and a strong Jew with no fs given, and we got together and recorded a bunch of songs.” Says Remedy, "Matisyahu is a legend. I was honored when he reached out to me and wanted to work." 

"‘The Fathers Live’ is the first release and it really represents what we're doing. “We're making music for humanity and our people, as we try to abolish the hatred." – Remedy.

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