As soon as anyone utters the words, “Not many, if any”, more often than not, the first thing that comes to mind is New Zealand hip-hop artist Scribe. Having not long come back from doing a club tour of Australia (where the crowd response to his new material from forthcoming album ‘Rhymebook’ was “amazing”), Scribe is preparing for a full national tour, co-headlining with Talib Kweli this October.
What is his main motivation as a hip-hop artist? Scribe says, “I think just because it’s something that I really love, something that I enjoy, and something that I’ve kinda been doing for a long time so I really want to succeed at it… I’ve always enjoyed it, and I think when the day comes that I don’t, will be the day that I stop. I love all realms of hip-hop… And it’s such an awesome thing to kinda be involved in.” He’s also passionate about seeing the scene grow. “I really love our local hip-hop scene, and wanna see it advance and make it possible for other kids kinda like me who had a dream to do it, to make it more easy for them.”
Scribe has grown as an artist since the release of his critically acclaimed debut album, ‘The Crusader’, in 2002. “I’m getting on a bit,” he says with a chuckle. “A lot has happened since ‘The Crusader’, I’m not the same person I was going into making that record. And so I think this new record will kind of show people where I’m at, give people a better look at who I am as a person.” His reason for new album ‘Rhymebook’ taking so long to take shape? “I kind of didn’t feel like doing it. Music… for me is a job, it’s really something that I have to work with, and it comes when it comes. I didn’t really wanna force a record out, cos that’s not what it’s about. I really wanted to take a break after ‘The Crusader’ because it was such a big record for me. It was really busy and I just wanted to take time out to just be me and grow up, and kinda enjoy life a little bit more… I just wanted it to be a natural thing for me to go, ‘Well, we can make the next one.’”
So does Scribe write lyrics with a certain audience in mind, or from the heart? He says, “I definitely write from the heart, I definitely write music for myself, but I realise that I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my fans… but I don’t compromise my music for anything, and I kinda just do what I wanna do… Like, with my new song ‘F.R.E.S.H’... I kinda wanted to do something for the club scene and, you know, I knew a lot of my fans would be angry, or might be angry with that song, because it’s not as organic as what you would expect. But I really wanted to show that I’ve evolved as an artist, and then I wanted to do something different, so I did it.” ‘Rhymebook’ shows his growth as an artist, with more conscious lyrical content, as well as better production levels. “I definitely wanted to put a defining line between ‘The Crusader’ and ‘Rhymebook’, because they’re two such different records, but they’re coming from the same person.”
Lately Australian and NZ hip-hop has been on an astronomical rise, and I asked Scribe for his take on things. “I think that it’s just a natural thing that’s happened, I think we’ve just naturally got to a level where people are getting good at what they do,” he said. “And the commercial market is more open to local acts, whereas five years ago, it would have been impossible for someone like me to come in. I definitely think ‘The Crusader’ had a lot to do with it, a lot to do with opening doors for local artists, it made radio and major labels start to take notice and see what they had in their own backyard… I think both Australia and NZ are more proud of their local content. There’s been a shift in the way that people feel about it. People aren’t so ashamed of who we are, you know, and more proud of where we are in the world and what we represent.”
His advice to aspiring artists? “Just believe in yourself, and don’t give up. And if you really wanna do it, you gotta believe in yourself, and you gotta be willing to put yourself on the line… Just practice and get better at what you’re doing and don’t do anything unless it comes from your heart.”
‘Rhymebook’ is out now through Warner. Scribe will be touring Australia with Talib Kweli and Zeph & Azeem this October, proudly presented by inthemix!
Oct 7 – Melbourne
Oct 10 – Perth
Oct 11 – Adelaide
Oct 12 – Sydney
Oct 13 – Brisbane
HungryHippo says...
Love your work scribe xo