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Scribe.
The last 18 months have been busy for Scribe: his debut album 'The Crusader,' soared to #1 on the New Zealand charts, it's success mirrored by that of his second single, Stand Up, which stayed there for 12 weeks amidst a gruelling touring schedule. Scribe has definitely cemented his place as a superstar in his homeland, but he's not content: hence he's coming out here for a national tour. "New Zealand is a small place, and it's really easy to be a big fish in a small pond," he explains, "so that's why I love coming over to Australia, because it's so huge over here."
Not used to hearing Australia described as a huge market, I ask him if he's breaking the record anywhere else, and I'm surprised when he tells me that he already has. "In England, they picked up Not Many ['The Crusader''s first single] and licensed it for a Ribena ad, which has been received really well, and it's been extended, so that actually opened the door for us there."
Perhaps part of the reason for his international success is the fact that he doesn't sound like he's from New Zealand. He doesn't chant and sing like many New Zealand and Polynesian MCs, but delivers his lines in a monotone notable by the absence of an accent; or at least, it's not a New Zealand accent.
"New Zealand teenage youth, we're very Americanised in our society," he shrugs. "We're very in touch with our roots in our images and culture and that kind of stuff, but just in normal life we dress in American fashions, you know? Our music is influenced by America, our TV, and even what we eat. I suppose the Americanisms come through, because that's how we are in real life. And I try not to do a New Zealand accent - like, we do have New Zealand-accent rappers and, to me, I just don't like the way it sounds."
Though some critics have questioned the authenticity of his music as "New Zealand hip-hop," fans have certainly embraced it and have made him the first real hip-hop superstar in New Zealand. This, coupled with his fast rhyming style, have given way to comparisons to another chart-topping rapper, something that he immediately shies away from. "I hope I'm not a New Zealand Eminem. I hope they don't mean in what I'm saying, because I definitely try to keep my messages positive and of a motivating kind of nature." It's a theme that he comes back to again, explaining why he's an MC. "I like to relate to people, for people to be inspired by my music and help them in their own lives to do what they want to do."
At the moment, what he wants to do is bring some of his friends out here for a show; something that he hasn't been able to do on his last few trips out as he's been supporting other acts. Con Psy from Frontline and Savage, one half of the Deceptikonz, will be out here, as well as P-Money, the DJ/producer who introduced Scribe on his album, 'Big Things.' Though he's keen to hype up the show, emphasising that it will be both new and old stuff from everyone, when I press him for details, he clams up. "I'll keep it under wraps for now," he chuckles.
There should be lots of new material to look forward to, with Scribe's next album about of a quarter way to completion and P-Money's follow up to 'Big Things' out very soon. "I've given him a couple of tracks which I had written for my next album, but P-Money and I have a reciprocal relationship, you know, where I just wanted to give him two songs to say thanks for all the work he put in on 'The Crusader' 'cause he put in a lot of hours on the album, even as much as I did."
At the moment, Scribe is juggling about five projects, trying to make sure that he capitalises on his current success, and there are a few others doing the same. "The scene [in New Zealand] is pretty much as tight as it's been. There's so many MCs, even I can't keep up with how things are going because hip-hop is at an all-time high here, it's pretty much pop. Our charts are dominated by hip-hop, radio plays hip-hop, TV's hip-hop, ads are hip-hop. It shows how big it is." And at the moment, nowhere is it bigger than in Christchurch, thanks to one enthusiastic MC.
Alexis Buxton-Collins
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Scribe's 'The Stand Up Tour' plays the Adelaide UniBar on Thurs 7 Oct.
Tix available from dB Magazine.
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