Orthodox Jew rapper Matisyahu took a razor blade to the face this week ... and shaved off his trademark beard ... or so it seems.
Matisyahu just posted the shorn pics of himself on his Twitter page ... along with the message, "At the break of day I look for you at sunrise ... When the tide comes in I lose my disguise."
NEW YORK (JTA) -- Jewish reggae star Matisyahu shaved his signature beard and issued a statement saying "No more Chassidic reggae superstar."
The artist posted two photos of his beardless face on Twitter and a statement about his decision on his website.
"When I started becoming religious 10 years ago it was a very natural and organic process," he wrote. "I felt that in order to become a good person I needed rules -- lots of them -- or else I would somehow fall apart. I am reclaiming myself."
He signed off, "Get ready for an amazing year filled with music of rebirth. And for those concerned with my naked face, don’t worry…you haven’t seen the last of my facial hair."
Born Matthew Miller, Matisyahu has been the most visibly Jewish artist in the hip-hop world since his debut album "Shake Off the Dust... Arise" was produced by JDub Records in 2004. While he first affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, Matisyahu later distanced himself from the movement and moved on from JDub, which closed its doors this year.
