Matisyahu, the devout Jewish rapper, is making the kind of journey he makes all the time between his music and his religion. On this recent Friday afternoon, that consists of walking through Manhattan from a voice lesson to prepare for Shabbat, the Jewish holy day of rest. For Matisyahu, this particular passage is simply another step in his dual spiritual and musical odyssey.

''It's one thing for me,'' he says. ``The music is not separate from the spirituality. The music is what provides the space to get [to the spirituality].''

Even on tours such as the one Matisyahu kicks off Saturday at Pompano Beach Amphitheater in support of his new album, Light, due out Aug. 25, the 29-year old musician keeps his faith. He doesn't perform on Friday nights (the one exception was a summer show in Alaska, which he justified because the sun didn't set until 2 a.m.) His hype man doesn't just work the crowd onstage, but goes into the audience to gather men for a post-concert prayer.