Chutzpah, the self-proclaimed first-ever Jewish hip-hop supergroup is making waves in the Jewish music scene while cooking up some extremely large matzah balls.

On August 21st, Chutzpah performed at the release party for the When Do We Eat? film soundtrack (featuring "Mishpuchah" by Chutzpah) at Canter's Deli in L.A., where the deli staff created the largest matzah ball ever made, weighing just over 25 pounds and stretching about 17 inches long. I recently caught up with the band and got the scoop on Jewish mothers, making a video with Gary Oldman and of course, matzah balls.

Let's start with the band. Master Tav (Tor Hyams) heads up the vocals, and joins MC Meshugenah (Jerran Freidman, an L.A.-based actor), Jewdah (David Scharff), and Dr. Dreck (actor George Segal from the sitcom Just Shoot Me) . Hymes, 36, and Scharff, 44, are cousins from Larchmont, N.Y. They are no strangers to the music industry, having written and produced music across genres for some time, but their style and energy haven't aged a bit. Their idea to start Chutzpah started out as a joke, but the humor quickly morphed into reality, a reality that everyone can enjoy.

Master Tav is quick to acknowledge that "guitar-playing rabbis" don't appeal to teens. He said that he wants to "speak to younger Jews to empower them, so they can enjoy being Jewish through what is cool today." Speaking of cool, Chutzpah's music video for their first single "Chanukah's Da Bomb" landed on mtv.com, where audiences web-wide watched huge menorahs, grinding dancers, and a lot of gold and diamond bling.

But Chutzpah is more than just bling. It turns out that Judaism is very important to the group. Master Tav spoke of how some Jews are ashamed about being Jewish. "Why are we embarrassed?" he asked. "We should be proud to be Jewish." He said he has grown closer to Judaism through his music. He even started laying t'fillin, the custom of attaching a box of prayer parchments around one's arm and head with leather straps as part of a prayer service. Jewdah, who is definitely the shyest of the bunch, said that he feels a "spiritual connection to Judaism" through Chutzpah.

The group raps about Hanukkah, superheroes ("superJews"), Jewish history, and their tribe-pride in hits like "The Shtetl," a parody of "In the Ghetto" by Eric B. and Rakim, "The Curse of the Blessing," about the heritage of Jewish pessimism, and "Tsuris," a rap about nagging mothers, something with which Master Tav says he has intimate experience.

Aside from dropping beats with perfect timing that'll get even your grandmother shaking, Chutzpah is best known for their humor. Tav said, "We are trying to get our message across to unify all people through humor." Chutzpah has been criticized for relying on stereotypical humor, but Tav remarks that, "We know what we are talking about since we came from the shroud of Jewish guilt. And by that, I mean Brooklyn." Jewdah claimed that through humor, "we are all one tribe."

Chutzpah's audience is primarily Jewish, but Tav says that, "Hip hop is the music of the streets," so anyone can enjoy their music. The band is receiving rave reviews from celebrities and music lovers everywhere. Actress Debi Mazar says, "I love them, and I don't think there's anything quite like it...No one has really done what they're doing."

Even heavy metal guitarists are plugging into the Jewish hip hop scene. "The buzz is there," says Vivian Campell, the guitar player for Def Leppard. "Rock had its day. It's all about the Chutzpah. Even your mother would like it!"

The group just returned from Lollapalooza, a three-day festival in Chicago that featured eight stages and over 130 bands. In the next few months, Chutzpah will be filming a music video with Gary Oldman, known most recently for playing Sirius Black in the Harry Potter series. The band will also attend a Chabad telethon, shoot a commercial for SmileyCenteral.com (which just released Chutzpah smileys), tour Florida, Chicago, and New York City, and release their sophomore album right in time for Passover.

Chuztpah is definitely staying true to their roots. They still play at bar/bat mitzvah parties, and MC Meshugenah and Master Tav proudly wear Stars of David. A lyric from one song claims, "We the People Got Soul and Freedom." They're all about spreading some Jewish love, and I can't wait to see what they come out with next.

Molly Ritvo secretly wishes she were a rock star. But she can't rap, or sing for that matter. Now that she thinks about it, she's happy to remain a groupie.