DeScribe
Shneur Hasofer (Hebrew: שניאור הסופר), better known by his stage name DeScribe (Hasofer is Hebrew for "the scribe"), is a Hasidic Jewish musician. His music Mixing elements of dancehall, reggae, hip hop and R&B.
DeScribe | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Shneur Hasofer |
| Born | July 1, 1982 Sydney, Australia |
| Genres | Dancehall, reggae, Hip hop, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-Songwriter |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Associated acts | Diwon Y-Love Matisyahu Lipa Schmeltzer |
| Website | DeScribeMusic.com |
Biography
Personal life
DeScribe was born in Sydney, Australia, to a Hasidic Jewish family. His mother, Devorah Hasofer, is a known singer/songwriter who has released four albums and mostly performs in the Hasidic communities in Australia and Israel.[1] He is a drummer from the age of five and in his preteen years he participated in the recordings of his mother's albums and performed with her as a special guest.[2]
At the age of 14, Hasofer's parents sent him to Jerusalem to study in a yeshiva. He spent a year in the yeshiva. After that he stayed in Israel, "left the Jewish way of life and did a lot of stupid things." Many of the things he did were illegal.[3] His family's move to Beitar Illit in 1998 did not help stop his wildness.[2]
In 2000, at age 17, DeScribe joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as a combat sharpshooter (a kind of semi professional sniper). He served for three years at the height of the Second Intifada. He saw intense action on almost a daily basis.[3] After being discharged, he stayed in Israel. He organized a concert tour featuring affiliates of the Wu-Tang Clan Remedy and Killah Priest, gaining an inside view of the hip hop scene.[4]
Around 2004, he began to feel a strong desire to leave his bad lifestyle and return to a religious one.[5] “I started to change the way I thought and behaved and in Judaism I found something that was real that brought happiness to a dark place in my life,” he has said.[2] In 2006, he moved to Brooklyn to attend Tifferet Menachem. There he was given permission to set up a music studio inside the yeshiva.[2]
Career
In 2008, after an early music video was picked up by the Israeli media, he was invited to play the Highline Ballroom in New York with Perry Farrell.[3] Shortly after that, he had met Rohan Marley (Bob Marley’s son) by chance on the streets of New York City. Marley later asked DeScribe to create the theme song for his company, Marley Coffee. Marley Coffee supports environmental and social justice causes in Jamaica and around the world. DeScribe came up with "Livin’ for the Grind," inspired by Bob Marley’s 1962 single "One Cup of Coffee."[6]
DeScribe’s 2010 single “Harmony” was celebrated as a great message for unity and racial harmony by Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Crown Heights riot.[3]
In early 2011, DeScribe worked with Matisyahu on the dancehall track "Pure Soul". The proceeds from the song benefit The Friendship Circle, a nonprofit organization that helps children with disabilities.[6]
Artistic style
"My music is about unity," DeScribe has said, "and we all have one God whether we are Jewish, Christian or Muslim. We are brothers and we share this world together."[6]
Discography
Extended Plays
| Release date | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| March 16, 2010 | Harmony (EP) | Modular Moods/Shemspeed |
| May 14, 2010 | The Change EP (DeScribe & Y-Love) |
Modular Moods/Shemspeed |
Singles/Appearances
- "Harmony" - DeScribe, on Harmony, Modular Moods/Shemspeed. Released March 16, 2010.
- "Change" - DeScribe & Y-Love, on The Change EP, Modular Moods. Released May 14, 2010.
- "Boom Selecta" - Shemspeed MCs vs. Electro Morocco (feat. Y-Love, DeScribe, Kosha Dillz & Eprhyme), Shemspeed. Released July 12, 2010.
- "Move On" - Y-Love feat. DeScribe, Diwon Music. Released August 10, 2010.
- "Modern Day Music" - DeScribe & Smoolik, on Sephardic Music Festival, Vol. 1, Shemspeed. Released November 30, 2010.
- "Livin for the Grind (Marley Coffee)" - DeScribe, Shemspeed. Released December 22, 2010.
- "Pure Soul" - DeScribe feat. Matisyahu, Shemspeed. Released March 22, 2011.
- "Acharon Acharon, Chaviv (Diwon Remix)" - Lipa Schmeltzer & DeScribe, Shemspeed. Released August 23, 2011.
References
- ↑ “Contributions of Jewish Women to Music and Women to Jewish Music,” JMWC.org. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 David Brinn, “DeScribing a plan to save the world,” Jerusalem Post, May 15, 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Jacob E. Osterhout, “Crown Heights rapper DeScribe utilizes Hasidic faith to produce beats, rhymes with hip-hop flair,” New York Daily News, April 12, 2011.
- ↑ Amy Sciarretto, "DeScribe's 'Pure Soul' Single Features Matisyahu and Benefits The Friendship Circle," Artistdirect, February 9, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ↑ Elad Nehorai, “Lyrics That uplift: Rappers Who Found Their Soul Through Their Music,” Chabad.org. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Alan Zeitlin, "Will DeScribe Be the Breakout Artist of 2011?"[dead link], The Los Angeles Blueprint, January 3, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
Other websites
- Official website Archived 2018-08-04 at the Wayback Machine