In a Twitter post this morning, Matisyahu announced to his 1.3 million followers via several iPhone photos that he has shaved off his signature beard.

In the post, the Hasidic rapper quotes his song “Thunder,” writing “At the break of day I look for you at sunrise / When the tide comes in I lose my disguise.” And then, in a statement on his website message Matisyahu writes:

No more Chassidic reggae superstar. Sorry folks, all you get is me… no alias. When I started becoming religious 10 years ago it was a very natural and organic process. It was my choice. My journey to discover my roots and explore Jewish spirituality—not through books but through real life. At a certain point I felt the need to submit to a higher level of religiosity…to move away from my intuition and to accept an ultimate truth. I felt that in order to become a good person I needed rules—lots of them—or else I would somehow fall apart. I am reclaiming myself. Trusting my goodness and my divine mission

Get ready for an amazing year filled with music of rebirth. And for those concerned with my naked face, don’t worry…you haven’t seen the last of my facial hair.