New York – 3 Years After a Ban ‘Lipa’ Stronger Than Ever With Release Of Latest Album

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    Photo Credit By Baruch EzaguiNew York – Last month, the hugely popular Hasidic singer Lipa Schmeltzer, known simply as “Lipa,” released his latest album, “24/6,” a collection of cover songs currently popular at Hasidic weddings.

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    The release comes almost exactly three years after the singer’s then-largest concert was banned by many prominent rabbis in the Haredi world, and it is only the latest step in what has become an exceedingly successful career.

    In early 2008, the then-rising Hasidic entertainer advertised a huge concert at Madison Square Garden dubbed “The Big Event.” Just two and a half weeks before the March 9 show, a ban was published in religious newspapers signed by many respected ultra-Orthodox rabbis. The ban resulted in the cancellation of the concert, as well as of an April show in London. The New York Times quoted Schmeltzer saying that he had no choice but to obey the decree. “I have a career, I have a wife and kids to support, I have a mortgage to pay, I have to get out of the fire.”

    Since much of Lipa’s appeal stems from his unrestrained live performances (which often feature freestyle rapping in Yiddish and English), accommodating the ban could easily have scuttled his career. Yet Schmeltzer navigated the storm beautifully, publicly acknowledging his respect for the rabbis, while moving forward with a brilliantly subtle response.

    Three months after the ban, Lipa released an album titled “A Poshiter Yid” (“A Simple Jew”), with cover art showing Lipa dressed as a “shtetl Yid,” sitting studying Torah. The semiotics of the album were masterful, proclaiming Shmeltzer a simple Jew, rather than the idolized entertainer the rabbis had accused him of being. Most impressive, thanks to Schmeltzer’s consistent good humor, the statement came across as genuine, rather than cynical.

    The album also featured cleverly written lyrics, which, in addition to their literal meaning, provided commentary on Schmeltzer’s situation. On the title track, he sang: “Ikh fir shvere milkhomes mit sonim geferlekhe / az di yinge neshumes zol opvaksin ehrlekhe.“ (“I fight difficult battles with awesome enemies / so that the young souls will grow correctly.”) Delivered in first-person Yiddish, the lyrics speak of the challenge of staying faithful to tradition, while also referencing Lipa’s fight with the activists who organized the ban. A number of the songs on the album became popular on the wedding and bar mitzvah circuit, including the dance hit “Hentelakh.”

    The album packaging also included a bookmark featuring the album art and the prayer traditionally recited before Torah study. This put Orthodox educators in the position of either having to ban a bookmark, or allowing all of their students to carry advertising for a “banned” artist.

    Continue reading at The Forward


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    51 Comments
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    13 years ago

    His latest release is a masterpeice!

    Satmar
    Satmar
    13 years ago

    when Ra-Bonim ban somthing its the best advertizment…. i know a guy who released a magazine & it didnt sell, he printed his own fake rabbi ban & then it became a hot seller…. Lipa shud thank the rabbis for free PR….

    13 years ago

    Mazal Tov Lipa!

    MazelKGH
    MazelKGH
    13 years ago

    Success and parnassa is in the hands of Hashem ONLY. Defy the taliBAN!

    zalmy9
    zalmy9
    13 years ago

    Wow you call this stronger then ever ? When he’s banned from any chasidish house (where he belongs) and he’s well supported by the litfishe and sfardim my opinion this guy has amazing talent if I only he would tone down a bit

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    His handling of the “ban” was strategically brilliant. He deftly made all those rabbonim who signed the kol koreh (many of whom acknowledged never even having read it and not having listened to Lipa’s music) look like a bunch of foolish old ladies (no offense to “old ladies”). In crisis management, one of the first things you learn is hot to leverage the wild accusations of your opponents and turn it against them. In this case, his low-key reaction and seeming deference to those rabbonim resulted in others subjecting them to the ridicule their ill-advised actions warrranted.

    13 years ago

    RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE…..

    Attention all Lipa haters:

    bottom line: He’s awesome and much more talented than you’ll ever be

    13 years ago

    With so much crazy people on the world why shouldn’t he be strong…

    DRE53
    DRE53
    13 years ago

    as far as i remember there was no ban against Lipa. the rabonim only had a problem that there wasn’t a proper Mechitza at the concert.
    i might be wrong. if anybody can post a link to the kol koreh, i’d appreciate it

    sane
    sane
    13 years ago

    You missed the message in the Poshiter Yid cover. It was meant as a retort to the ban, by attempting to portray himself as this holy Jew who doesn’t know from complex pilpulim. It glorified am haaratzus and was made a mockery of Torah. That being said, I happen to like his music, but let him just sing – not mock.

    username1
    username1
    13 years ago

    I really like his music. I feel that he has a lot of talant. He is very original. What bothers me is that he is not keeping his music erlich. He is so talanted he does not need ideas from the secular world to be good. Its sad…..

    a-simple-jew
    a-simple-jew
    13 years ago

    “I do whatever I want to, as long as it’s appropriate,” he said.” Appropriate according to whom – das Torah, or the latest popular goyish entertainer!?

    The_Truth
    Noble Member
    The_Truth
    13 years ago

    His music is banned from schools in Lakewood – even though all the kids listen to him at home!
    For some reason, Lipa has been made out to be this “evil force of music”, even though he is basically doing the same as any other Jewish music artist – He is just much better than the others so he attracts the attention of the naysayers and the fakrumpters.

    Attorney
    Attorney
    13 years ago

    Rabbi Lipa, you are the greatest, tzaadik!!!! Keep up, your holy life of Torah. You are the most talented Jewish entertainer of all.

    benjjey
    benjjey
    13 years ago

    If you would ask somone who the greatest jewish singers are most people will say names like MBD Avraham freid Shlomo Carlbach Yossele Rosenblatt i really dont see Lipa in that category.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    There will always be some fools who rant about “ehrlich music” or “goyish music” etc. but some of the greatest chassideshe nigunim were adopted from goyish melodies and music is NOT “ehrlich”; people are “ehrlich”, except of course those who sign kol korehs about music they have never heard

    13 years ago

    Are we simply not farginning someone his talent and parnassah. I hear a lot of jealousy. To all the nay-sayers, “get out your own talent, until then keep your mouth zipped. If you don’t like or agree with his music, don’t buy it, but why mock?”

    WiseDude
    WiseDude
    13 years ago

    I like the Maccabeats! They should get together with Lipa.

    mtl514
    mtl514
    13 years ago

    In our generation we have gedoilim, rabunim, talmidai chachumin, etc.
    We also have a guy that has a beautiful talent of composing and singing
    But what I see from all comments here, we take the rabunim who where not born with all there knowledge, they worked hard for it and call then names like taliban, crazy, stupid….. While on the other hand the guy who beside the talent that he was born with, he doesn’t have anything else to look up, and we call him Tzadik, great guy etc.
    I think you should all change the tefilla to bentch your kids erev yom kipper ישמך אלוקים כליפא….

    Yoilish
    Yoilish
    13 years ago

    Am I the only one who saw this line in the above article?

    “It also includes a number of riffs from popular songs like Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and K’naan’s “Waving Flags.”

    gimme a break! Lipa is very talented and no one is denying that – the question is if he belongs in a “yiddishe home.” I think not.

    As i recently heard a gadol say “it’s mamish poison”

    Yoilish
    Yoilish
    13 years ago

    Bottom line: a yiddishe song is supposed to uplift a person and make him a better yid. Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and K’naan’s “Waving Flags” are not meant to do that.

    EsqFrum
    EsqFrum
    13 years ago

    Lipa is not only a tremendous talent, He also has a very big heart!!! He gives his time and talent to many causes (free of charge), visits hospitals and understands the power that music and humor have in giving chizuk to people, especially children who really need it in our community!!

    13 years ago

    I really like some of his compositions, he has a good voice too, he is very talented, but what’s bothering me is why he needs to sing -goisha- styles and songs from the radio, thousands of frum people didn’t hear songs of the radio or this styles and he brings it in at the weddings, houses, etc.

    13 years ago

    Go, Lipa, Go!

    AL-Coholic
    AL-Coholic
    13 years ago

    I’m not a Lipa fan, but “kol hakavod” to him for not giving in to the Jealous crooks behind the so called ban

    shooki
    shooki
    13 years ago

    If you think into it, many of Lipa’s songs have no meaning at all. For ex. Abi m’leibt. What is it saying? Or even the “gelt” song mentioned. Its not a posuk etc.. Like most other hasidik singers… And now if daas torah banned him. There must be good reason for it. They don’t ban every day.

    GG_Jew
    GG_Jew
    13 years ago

    Lipa is the most talented and creative Jewish singer in generations BUT it cannot be denied that he incorporates a little too much goyishe taam into his style, especially at concerts e.g. rapping and singing excerpts from ‘Lady Gaga’!
    You do not need to be a meshige frummer to see that these elements are not in keeping with normal standards of orthodox jewish behaviour.

    Jothar
    Jothar
    13 years ago

    Lipa is filling a different niche than MBD/Fried. There is room for both.

    BinderDundat
    BinderDundat
    13 years ago

    I cannot believe you guys all have to reiterate the same stupid comments over and over. All of you just grow up. If you enjoy lipa’s songs, sing and dance your hearts away. if you don’t, don’t listen. Live and let live. As far as the ban is concerned, if I said what I really want to, i’d be censored. HaMayvin Ya’avin.

    13 years ago

    dont be anti lipa if your such a buki in goyish treif music if he cant sing it why do you know it?

    EsqFrum
    EsqFrum
    13 years ago

    As much as I love Lipa, I find it interesting and somewhat disturbing that there are 50 comments about Lipa when there are none about the 18,000 deaths in Japan. OY!