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