Column: A big 'mozel tov' to Drake

Drake fans were given a double dose of video pleasure last week.

On the same day fans were anticipating the premiere of Drake and Rihanna’s music video “Take Care,” the music video for Drake and Lil Wayne’s “HYFR” was also released.

“HYFR” begins with a home video of young Drake saying “mazel tov” to the camera.

The next shot is a black screen with white letters reading, “On October 24th, 2011 Aubrey ‘Drake’ Graham chose to get re-bar mitzvah’d as a re-commitment to the Jewish religion.”

The video then continues with Drake and his posse standing outside a synagogue, Drake reading from the Torah in front of family and friends and then, of course, cameos of a huge, notorious bar mitzvah party.

As a Jewish studies and journalism major with a music studies minor, I was all over this video. Drake’s desire to reconnect with his Judaism is inspiring, and that he did so in a public manner is even more exciting to me. Though the video is absolutely ridiculous, with lots of Manischewitz drinking and pans of the bagel- and gefilte fish-covered buffet table, the meaning behind it shines through.

Drake’s video is the first of its kind.

It is not to say that mainstream Jewish rappers have not existed before Drake, but they have only existed on the extremes. The Beastie Boys and Matisyahu are two mainstream Jewish hip-hop acts.

However, the Beastie Boys barely identify with their Judaism, and Matisyahu is Orthodox.

The majority of the American Jewish population is Conservative or Reform, meaning they are less observant to the traditional rabbinical commentary, though still religiously affiliated.

There was a great lack of mainstream Jewish musicians — especially in hip-hop — that publicly fell in line with the majority of the American Jewish population, until Drake.

Sure, Lil Wayne wearing a panda mask, and then nothing but pants, might not happen at every bar mitzvah, and true, the seductive dancing might seem a little outrageous (although you would be surprised how dirty 13-year-olds can dance).

But the fact remains that Drake was not trying to show that he is extraordinarily pious. He was showing himself as he truly is — a modern Jew.

The release of “HYFR” shows that you do not need to sing or rap about Judaism to represent your Jewish identity in music.

The only appropriate way to finish this article seems to be: Mazel tov, Drake!

— bfinkel@indiana.edu