EXCLUSIVE HYPE PREMIERE: MC YOGI & Matisyahu On Their New Collaboration “Heaven Is Here”

MC YOGI is arguably the #1 Yoga instructor in the world, and is probably the only person to have performed and taught yoga at The White House, The Smithsonian and The Forbidden City. His latest release, Ritual Mystical, was #1 on the Electronic charts and in 2015, his LP, Only Love Is Real, debuted at #12 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart; it also peaked at #24 on the iTunes Hip-Hop chart. Currently, MC YOGI is on a book tour for his debut novel Spiritual Graffiti — as published by HarperOne — while also working in the studio with producer Howard Benson to record his next album.

The Hype Magazine is pleased to premiere MC YOGI’s “Heaven Is Here,” as featuring platinum-selling artist Matisyahu. Hype got more information on “Heaven Is Here” from both recording artists.

Said Matisyahu: “‘Heaven Is Here’ means appreciating and acknowledging the everyday blessings and kindness of man in this world. We all have our ups and downs and life struggles when things get bleak, our lives lose meaning, and we feel real despair. Then sometimes we get a glimpse of ‘heaven’ in a stranger’s look of acknowledgment in their eye when they pass us, or a kind word from a friend, or a smile of child. Simple everyday moments that help to repair our cracked existence and everything makes sense and we feel grateful for another day in this mad world.” He added: “Working with MC YOGI is like working with a homey. I don’t really view him as a yogi cause we’ve never done yoga together. He’s just a kind and talented dude who writes beautiful melodies and words over beats. Easy going and the homey.”

MC YOGI told Hype: “When I sat down to write the song ‘Heaven Is Here,’ I began to reflect on my life. When I was younger– struggling with drugs, violence and all the chaos of getting kicked out of schools, running the streets as a graffiti artist, and living at a group home — I remembered what is was like going through the drama and the stress. It was a version of my own personal hell. As I continued to look back, I began to remember what it felt like being with my grandparents, my close friends, and my dog before they died. I realized those simple, mundane moments being with the people I love — not doing anything special or extraordinary, just being together — stood out as the happiest times in my life, like a window into heaven. Knowing that everyone here with me now will also pass, including myself one day, the more I’m able to appreciate and value this life in a much deeper and more grounded way. At a certain point, I guess I decided I didn’t want to postpone my happiness and wait and hope that heaven was waiting someplace, somewhere far off in the future. I decided I wanted to experience heaven right now, while I’m still in this body.”

Continued MC YOGI: “Thanks to my yoga and meditation practice, I’ve slowly started to realize how to access that feeling of being calm, experiencing the energy and bliss of heaven here and now. When the mind is open and clear, when I’m watching my breath, when I’m not chasing some illusion of success, but being truly present with everything as it is… If I can stay detached to what’s changing on the surface, while maintaining a deep and strong connection to the love and the light underneath, to that power and presence that’s always with us, that’s when I feel peace and true happiness.

As per MC YOGI’s take on collaborating with Matisyahu: “It was a dream come true being able to collaborate with Matisyahu. I’ve been a huge fan of his ever since he released his first album, Shake Off The Dust…Arise. I’ve always felt a deep kinship with him and how he’s able to weave his spiritual roots into his songs, his music and his poetry. As a yogi, I’m always looking for ways to deepen my connection to the universe and to Spirit. It’s funny, ’cause as a fan I feel like a collaboration between MC YOGI and Matisyahu is definitely a match made in heaven.”

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Tags: Billboard, HarperOne, Matisyahu, MC YOGI, Meditation, Spiritual Graffiti, The White House, Yoga

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."