DeScribe
Encyclopedia
Shneur Hasofer better known by his stage name DeScribe (Hasofer is Hebrew for "the scribe"), is a Hasidic
Jewish musician. His music combines elements of dancehall, reggae, hip hop and R&B. He operates a studio from the basement of ALIYA (Alternative Learning Institute for Young Adults) in Crown Heights, Brooklyn
, where he produces and records what he calls “Music with a Message.”
, to a Hasidic Jewish family. His mother, Devorah Hasofer, is a renowned singer/songwriter who has released four albums and performs primarily in the Hasidic communities in Australia and Israel. A drummer since the age of five, in his preteen years he participated in the recordings of his mother's albums and performed with her as a special guest.
At the age of 14, Hasofer’s parents sent him to Jerusalem to study in a yeshiva
. He spent a year in the yeshiva and then, remaining in Israel, “left the Jewish way of life and did a lot of stupid things,” many of which were illegal. His family’s move to Rehovot
in 1998 did little to curb his wildness.
In 2000, at age 17, DeScribe joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
as a combat sharpshooter, serving for three years at the height of the Second Intifada, experiencing intense action on a near-daily basis. After being discharged, he remained in Israel, organizing a concert tour featuring affiliates of the Wu-Tang Clan
Remedy and Killah Priest
, gaining an inside view of the hip hop scene.
Around 2004, he began to feel an overwhelming desire to leave his shady lifestyle and return to a religious one. “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. In 2006, he moved to Brooklyn
to attend Tifferet Menachem, where he was given permission to set up a music studio inside the yeshiva.
. Shortly thereafter, he had a chance encounter with Rohan Marley
(Bob Marley
’s son) on the streets of New York City. Marley later asked DeScribe to create the theme song for his company, Marley Coffee, which 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."
DeScribe’s 2010 single “Harmony” was celebrated as "a groundbreaking tool for unity and racial harmony” by Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz
, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Crown Heights riot
.
In early 2011, DeScribe collaborated with Matisyahu
on the dancehall track “Pure Soul." The proceeds from the song benefit The Friendship Circle, a nonprofit organization that assists children with disabilities.
DeScribe is currently managed by Erez Safar of Shemspeed
.
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
Jewish musician. His music combines elements of dancehall, reggae, hip hop and R&B. He operates a studio from the basement of ALIYA (Alternative Learning Institute for Young Adults) in Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The main thoroughfare through this neighborhood is Eastern Parkway, a tree-lined boulevard designed by Frederick Law Olmsted extending two miles east-west.Originally, the area was known as Crow Hill....
, where he produces and records what he calls “Music with a Message.”
Personal life
DeScribe was born in Melbourne, AustraliaMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, to a Hasidic Jewish family. His mother, Devorah Hasofer, is a renowned singer/songwriter who has released four albums and performs primarily in the Hasidic communities in Australia and Israel. A drummer since the age of five, in his preteen years he participated in the recordings of his mother's albums and performed with her as a special guest.
At the age of 14, Hasofer’s parents sent him to Jerusalem to study in a yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
. He spent a year in the yeshiva and then, remaining in Israel, “left the Jewish way of life and did a lot of stupid things,” many of which were illegal. His family’s move to Rehovot
Rehovot
Rehovot is a city in the Center District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 112,700. Rehovot's official website estimates the population at 114,000.Rehovot was built on the site of Doron,...
in 1998 did little to curb his wildness.
In 2000, at age 17, DeScribe joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
as a combat sharpshooter, serving for three years at the height of the Second Intifada, experiencing intense action on a near-daily basis. After being discharged, he remained in Israel, organizing a concert tour featuring affiliates of the Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
Remedy and Killah Priest
Killah Priest
Walter Reed, better known as Killah Priest, Iron Sheik from the Middle East, or Masada, is an American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan affiliate who was raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant & Brownsville neighbourhoods in Brooklyn. He is known for intensely spiritual lyrics loaded with metaphors and religious...
, gaining an inside view of the hip hop scene.
Around 2004, he began to feel an overwhelming desire to leave his shady lifestyle and return to a religious one. “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. In 2006, he moved to Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
to attend Tifferet Menachem, where he was given permission to set up a music studio inside the yeshiva.
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 FarrellPerry Farrell
Perry Farrell is the frontman for the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction. Farrell created the touring festival Lollapalooza as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction in 1991; it has since evolved into an annual destination festival. Farrell continues to produce Lollapalooza with partners William...
. Shortly thereafter, he had a chance encounter with Rohan Marley
Rohan Marley
Rohan Anthony Marley is the son of late reggae artist Bob Marley and Janet Hunt.A 1991 graduate of Miami Palmetto Senior High School, Marley played linebacker for the University of Miami football team, where he played alongside players like Dwayne Johnson and Ray Lewis. In 1993 he led the...
(Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
’s son) on the streets of New York City. Marley later asked DeScribe to create the theme song for his company, Marley Coffee, which supports environmental and social justice causes in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and around the world. DeScribe came up with "Livin’ for the Grind," inspired by Bob Marley’s 1962 single "One Cup of Coffee."
DeScribe’s 2010 single “Harmony” was celebrated as "a groundbreaking tool for unity and racial harmony” by Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz
Marty Markowitz
Marty Markowitz is the Borough President of Brooklyn, New York City, the most populous borough in New York City with nearly 2.6 million residents. Markowitz was first elected borough president in 2001 after serving 23 years as a New York State Senator...
, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Crown Heights riot
Crown Heights riot
The Crown Heights Riot was a three-day riot in the United States that occurred August 19–21, 1991. It took place in the Crown Heights neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn....
.
In early 2011, DeScribe collaborated with Matisyahu
Matisyahu
Matthew Paul Miller , better known by his Hebrew name and stage name Matisyahu, is an American Hasidic Jewish reggae and alternative rock musician....
on the dancehall track “Pure Soul." The proceeds from the song benefit The Friendship Circle, a nonprofit organization that assists children with disabilities.
DeScribe is currently managed by Erez Safar of Shemspeed
Shemspeed
Shemspeed is an American independent recording label & promotional agency, working primarily in the genres of hip hop, dancehall, pop and world music.-Company History:...
.
Artistic style
DeScribe's music combines the styles of dancehall, reggae, hip-hop and R&B. He uses music and technology to promote racial harmony and helps Jewish teens learn how to record and produce music. "My music is about unity," he has said, "and we all have one God whether we are Jewish, Christian or Muslim. We are brothers and we share this world together."Extended Plays
| Release date | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| March 16, 2010 | Harmony (EP) | Modular Moods/Shemspeed Shemspeed Shemspeed is an American independent recording label & promotional agency, working primarily in the genres of hip hop, dancehall, pop and world music.-Company History:... |
| May 14, 2010 | The Change EP (DeScribe & Y-Love Y-Love Yitz Jordan , better known by his stage name Y-Love, is a Brooklyn-based African-American Hasidic Jewish hip hop artist... ) |
Modular Moods/Shemspeed |
Singles/Appearances
- "Harmony" - DeScribe, on Harmony, Modular Moods/Shemspeed. Released March 16, 2010.
- "Change" - DeScribe & Y-LoveY-LoveYitz Jordan , better known by his stage name Y-Love, is a Brooklyn-based African-American Hasidic Jewish hip hop artist...
, 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. MatisyahuMatisyahuMatthew Paul Miller , better known by his Hebrew name and stage name Matisyahu, is an American Hasidic Jewish reggae and alternative rock musician....
, Shemspeed. Released March 22, 2011. - "Acharon Acharon, Chaviv (DiwonDiwonDiwon is a Brooklyn-based Orthodox Jewish producer and DJ who performs all over the world. Under his legal name, Erez Safar, he serves as CEO of Shemspeed, an American independent record label & promotional agency operating in conjunction with its sister label, Modular Moods.-Personal life:The son...
Remix)" - Lipa SchmeltzerLipa SchmeltzerElazar Lipa Schmeltzer is an American Hasidic singer and composer. He is a headliner within Hasidic and Haredi communities worldwide and has been called "the Jewish Elvis". Schmeltzer has released 10 solo albums as of 2011...
& DeScribe, Shemspeed. Released August 23, 2011.