Delaware loves Amish band that left the church and now plays rap & country tunes

What happens when a hip-hop fan who was raised Amish decides to leave the church and start a popular band that occasionally tours to Delaware?

You end up with performers whose stage names sound like this: Snoop Job (Snoop Dog), Big Daddy Abel (Big Daddy Kane), Eazy Ezekiel (Eazy-E), Amos Def (Mos Def), Hezekiah X (Malcolm X).

The drummer is named "Jakob the Pipeplayer." His name isn't tied to any famous rappers or historic Black figures. But the alias sounded funky enough, so it stuck.   

Those are the members in the cover band The Amish Outlaws, a group playing nearly a dozen shows in the First State heading into summer. Their next Delaware stop is a free show at Paradise Grill in Millsboro on Sunday, March 17, and there are three more through August.

The band also will play a free show at Dover Motor Speedway during NASCAR weekend in April. Their first time gigging at the Speedway was in 2022 when they opened for country star Jimmie Allen.

Amish band plays 50 Cent

The band started in 2003 with four of six original members who grew up in strict Amish households in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where there weren't any power lines connected to their homes. There also wasn't any alcohol or musical instruments.

While not everyone in the band's current lineup is Amish, all members perform in Amish attire. This means straw hats, suspenders, and light blue button-up shirts.

Ezekiel Scott, better known as band co-founder "Eazy Ezekiel," said The Amish Outlaws usually throw new audiences for a loop in concert.

Many people don't expect a band dressed so plainly to cover everything from System of a Down (metal) to 50 Cent (rap) and Luke Byran (country), one song after the other.

"When we get on stage and start to play, usually it's confusion for them ... then heads start to bob," Eazy, 49, of Stoney Point, New York, said.

Amish Outlaws: 'I loved NWA'

Eazy Ezekiel is responsible for his bandmate's rap-inspired stage names. He also named Elijah Rule (Ja Rule), a former member of the group.

Coming straight outta Lancaster, Eazy Ezekiel says the concept behind that was important. 

"I loved N.W.A. I loved Eazy-E's 'Eazy-Duz-It' album," he said. "We didn't want to use our family names because we want to protect our family's privacy ... not that we expected [the band] to be as popular as it is." 

Meet the Amish 'Mos Def' from Delaware

Amos Def (keyboardist) is the only member of The Amish Outlaws who lives in Delaware. He appreciates his stage name and the rapper who inspired it.

"I love a good punny name, but also Mos Def is one of my all-time favorite rappers, so I treat [my name] with great respect and deference," said Amos Def, who has lived in Pike Creek for two years. "I also love his movie with Jack Black, 'Be Kind Rewind.'"

Why did he leave the Amish church?

Some Amish communities practice a tradition called "Rumspringa" where when Amish children turn 16, they can live free of the strict Amish code of conduct before deciding if they want to come back and be baptized into the Amish church. The practice applies sometimes just to male youths.

Most of the youth return. Rumspringa doesn't have a deadline, but it typically lasts a year, Eazy said.

Ezekiel said he left the Amish church because he didn't like the idea that God would punish some of the friends he made during Rumspringa. 

"I couldn't reconcile myself with the belief that because somebody just happened to not be raised or born Amish that he or she was gonna go to hell," he explained.

While he's no longer part of the Amish church, Eazy still considers himself Amish. He's just a non-practicing Amish. "It's still my heritage. That's the best way to phrase it."

A misconception about Amish shunning

There's a popular idea that the few people who leave the Amish community after Rumspringa are shunned for life. Eazy said that's not true because each sect is different.

The bassist explained he still has a good relationship with his parents, who live in Lancaster. His older brothers left the Amish church and have seen their little bro perform. But his parents have never attended any of Eazy's concerts, which are sometimes at bars. 

"I mean, I understand. They're not supposed to go into a bar," he said about his Amish parents.

Discovering music by Pink Floyd & The Beatles

It was during Rumspringa when Ezekiel began exploring music.

"Music became, beyond my family, my biggest passion. It's just something I love more than just about anything in the world," he explained.

At the age of 18, he moved to New York and a friend introduced him to The Beatles' album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and Pink Floyd's "The Wall."

"Suddenly music went from a distraction or entertainment to something with a very deep, almost sub-religious meaning."

Delaware embraces Amish Outlaws

Ezekiel would go on to found The Amish Outlaws, a band that has been going strong for 21 years.

These days, Delaware is playing a bigger role in the band's success. At one point, it was a state the guys would drive through. From now through August, the band is playing the First State nearly a dozen times.

"Delaware has really become one of our absolute strongest and most receptive markets," Eazy said.

Amish Outlaws upcoming Delaware concerts

For more info about The Amish Outlaws, visit amishoutlaws.com. See below for their upcoming Delaware shows:

• Paradise Grill (27344 Bay Road, Millsboro) at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 17; Visit paradisegrillde.com or (302) 945-4500.

• The Starboard (2009 Coastal Highway, Dewey Beach) at 9 p.m., Saturday, April 13. Visit thestarboard.com; (302) 227-4600.

• Dover Motor Speedway (1131 N. Dupont Highway, Dover) at 10 a.m. Sunday, April 28. Visit dovermotorspeedway.com.

• Paradise Grill (27344 Bay Road, Millsboro) at 7 p.m. Friday, March 17.

• Lighthouse Cove Event Center (1301 Coastal Highway, Dewey Beach) at 8 p.m., Sunday, May 26. Visit lighthousecoveevents.com or (302) 567-2233.

• Rocking the Docks Music Series (43 Cape Henlopen Drive, Lewes) at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 26. Visit rockingthedockslewes.com.

• Paradise Grill (27344 Bay Road, Millsboro) at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 3.

• Paradise Grill (27344 Bay Road, Millsboro) at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10.

• Milton Theatre (110 Union St., Milton) at 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 15. Visit miltontheatre.com or (302) 684-3038.

• Gus's Crab Shack (29 W. Market St., Port Penn) at 6 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 18. Visit gusgotcrabs.com or (302) 598-2685.

If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at [email protected]. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters. 

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Amish Outlaws talk loving rap music, religion, being shunned & more