88 | MAY 23 • 2024
J
N
F
arber Day School substitute
teacher and adjunct university
professor Jacob Plante has a
diverse career that goes well beyond
academics.
As a comedian and creator of self-
described “family-friendly hip-hop”
with a Jewish edge, the local artist
is the mastermind behind cleverly
named tracks like “The Kosher
Pepperoni” and “The Real Gefilte
Fish.”
“When people ask me to describe
my sound, I say Beastie Boys meets
Run DMC meets Adam Sandler,”
Plante says.
Fans of the unique twist of Jewish
hip-hop and comedy can catch Plante
live this summer on his inaugural
Matzo Ball Tour, which plans to stop
in Royal Oak, Oak Park, Detroit and
Bay City. Venues will be announced
in the coming weeks on Plante’s
website, jdplante.com.
DISCOVERING JUDAISM
The artist, who is based in Oak Park
and affiliated with Congregation
Dovid Ben Nuchim, discovered
his passion for Judaism in a non-
traditional way.
Born and baptized Catholic, Plante
underwent a spiritual quest in his 20s
for a religion that resonated with his
values.
Attending services at a local
synagogue in his hometown, Plante
developed a curiosity for Judaism
that soon blossomed into a love for
the ancient religion and culture.
“I fell in love with the Torah,”
says Plante, who is originally from
Midland.
Over the years, Plante converted
to Reform Judaism and is now
working on his candidacy status
for Orthodox conversion, a journey
that’s influenced his creative style.
“Judaism was an approach that
made sense to me,” he explains.
BLENDING COMEDY
WITH HIP-HOP
However, Plante’s passion to create
stems from his childhood. As a
longtime fan of Jewish comedian
Andy Kaufman, he describes himself
as the class clown and goofball.
“In eighth grade, we made mock
resumes in my computer class for
what we wanted to do when we grew
up,” he recalls.
While most students created
resumes for doctors and lawyers,
Plante created a mock resume for a
stand-up comedian, which would
one day become his reality.
After moving to Detroit to
live with his siblings after high
school, Plante immediately hit the
local comedy circuit and began
performing in and around the city.
“Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle was
my home away from home,” he says.
By blending his love for comedy
with his experience in writing lyrics
and playing guitar, Plante steadily
created a niche for himself in hip-
hop music with a comedic edge.
Nowadays, Plante finds inspiration
in his 13-year-old son and
surrounding Jewish community.
In fact, Plante’s son made all of the
beats and mixed the music for the
Kosher Dilly album released this year,
while Plante himself did lyrics and
vocals.
He also finds inspiration in Jewish
singer and rapper Matisyahu, who
has recently been at the heart of anti-
Israel protests and several canceled
shows.
“Every track is diverse,” Plante says
of his music. “I’m very passionate
Jewish Hip-Hop
for All Ages
Comedian and musician blends
family-friendly beats with Jewish themes.
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
ARTS&LIFE
MUSIC