The HipHopShabbat Crew - Short Biography

THE "HIPHOPSHABBAT" EXPERIENCE

The "HipHopShabbat" Crew is the only Jewish hip-hop group that combines traditional Jewish song, prayer and liturgy with contemporary hip-hop beats and rhythms. Group members Yo-Natan and Lion of Judah lead Jewish hip-hop prayer services and workshops at synagogues, day schools, summer camps, Hillels, and Jewish Community Centers across the country. Families, college students, teens, grandparents and children have all discovered a renewed enthusiasm for Shabbat prayer through the "HipHopShabbat" experience.

"This is so suprising because with hip-hop, I often have to cringe at the words. But this is a group of young people with a totally positive, exciting perspective about their Judaism."
-Cantor Brian Reich, Congregation Beth-El, Berkeley, CA

Independently, the "HipHopShabbat" Crew is led by rapper/producer Yo-Natan (aka Jonathan Gutstadt) who wrote and produced the "HipHopShabbat" CD in 2004. His right hand man is Lion of Judah (aka Judah Ritterman), who is a constant source of inspiration for the project and a reason why the "HipHopShabbat" Crew has gained a large amount of recognition in the Bay Area and Los Angeles Jewish communities. Despite being released independently, the "HipHopShabbat" CD has found audiences as far away as Israel, Germany, Sweden, and Brazil. Certainly it's popularity is growing as Jewish people search for music they can relate to beyond gimmicky shtick rap. Though their lyrics may be humorous, the "HipHopShabbat" Crew is serious about embracing the music of the Jewish people and using it to transform the soul.

Highlights over the last 3 years include performances at the BBYO International Convention, Regional BBYO Convention (St. Louis), Craig Taubman & Friday Night Live (at Sinai Temple in LA), Stephen S. Wise Synagogue (LA), USC and UCLA Hillels, the To Life Festival (2005-2007) (Palo Alto, CA), Jewish Music Festival (2005, 2006) (Berkeley, CA) and the San Francisco JCC. The "HipHopShabbat" Crew has made headlines in the Jerusalem Post, San Francisco Chronicle, the Jewish Journal (LA), the J-Weekly (Bay Area), Daily Jews Online Magazine and the National Hillel Website.