Scribe (rapper)
Encyclopedia
Malo Luafutu better known by his stage name
Scribe, is a New Zealand
hip hop
rapper and recording artist of Samoa
n descent. His debut album, The Crusader, was released in 2003 in New Zealand where it has since gone five times platinum, achieving two number one singles.
In 2010, he featured on R&B singer J.Williams single You Got Me
which reached number one on the RIANZ charts.
Scribe's debut album The Crusader was released in New Zealand in October 2003 by Dirty Records
with distribution through Festival Mushroom Records. The album went gold within hours and platinum within days. It has so far sold 85,000 copies in New Zealand, which is five times platinum status in that country.
Scribe followed the success of the album with the limited edition release of "Not Many - The Remix!" featuring guest vocals from MCs Savage
and Con Psy which peaked at No. 2 and then released a new single "Dreaming" in January 2004, which also reached No. 1.
Scribe took a break from new singles and toured the country on the Hook It Up tour before he returned in late 2004 with a new single off P-Money's Magic City album called "Stop the Music", again reaching No. 1.
was a released in Australia on 29 September 2007 and in New Zealand on 1 October 2007. Rhyme Book did not sell as well as its predecessor. It featured collaborations with New York hip hop artist Talib Kweli
(of Reflection Eternal
and Black Star
fame) on the track "Be Alright".
The first single off the album in New Zealand, "My Shit
", had its video premiere on Sunday, 12 August on local music channel C4. "F.R.E.S.H.
" was the second single released in New Zealand. The first single in Australia however was "F.R.E.S.H.", followed by "My Shit". The third single in both countries was "Say It Again", which features Scribe's cousin Tyra Hammond.
In November 2011 Scribe was arrested in Wellington for disorder and released after being formally warned.
Shortly after the remix's release, Scribe announced that he was working on a third album, which he hoped to release in mid-2012.
musicians Ladi6
and Tyra Hammond of The Opensouls.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Scribe, is a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
rapper and recording artist of Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
n descent. His debut album, The Crusader, was released in 2003 in New Zealand where it has since gone five times platinum, achieving two number one singles.
In 2010, he featured on R&B singer J.Williams single You Got Me
You Got Me (J.Williams song)
"You Got Me" is a single by New Zealand R&B singer J.Williams featuring Scribe, released in February 2010. Young Love features the track. The single went to number one in New Zealand five weeks after its debut, and was certified gold the week after.-Music video:The music video was directed by...
which reached number one on the RIANZ charts.
New Zealand Hip Hop Stands Up
With the initial focus on the song "Stand Up", director Chris Graham gave the video for the single the energy of a rock video with invited music guests, DJs and even the general public invited to be in the video. The song debuted at #6 on the New Zealand top 40 singles and soon rose to number 1. Amazingly the single spent 12 (non-consecutive) weeks at number one. Part of its staying power can be attributed to the fact that when the public became sick of airplay of "Stand Up" the other side of the single "Not Many" could be played, thereby enabling the song to remain high on the New Zealand charts.Scribe's debut album The Crusader was released in New Zealand in October 2003 by Dirty Records
Dirty Records
Dirty Records is a New Zealand hip hop label. The label is based in Auckland, New Zealand, and was founded in 2001 by hip hop producer Pete Wadams and business partner Callum August....
with distribution through Festival Mushroom Records. The album went gold within hours and platinum within days. It has so far sold 85,000 copies in New Zealand, which is five times platinum status in that country.
Scribe followed the success of the album with the limited edition release of "Not Many - The Remix!" featuring guest vocals from MCs Savage
Savage (rapper)
- Studio albums :-Singles:-Featured singles:- External links :*****...
and Con Psy which peaked at No. 2 and then released a new single "Dreaming" in January 2004, which also reached No. 1.
Scribe took a break from new singles and toured the country on the Hook It Up tour before he returned in late 2004 with a new single off P-Money's Magic City album called "Stop the Music", again reaching No. 1.
Rhyme Book
Scribe's second studio album titled Rhyme BookRhyme Book
Rhyme Book is the second studio album by New Zealand rapper Scribe. It follows on from his 2003 award winning album, The Crusader. It was released on 29 September 2007.-Background and release:...
was a released in Australia on 29 September 2007 and in New Zealand on 1 October 2007. Rhyme Book did not sell as well as its predecessor. It featured collaborations with New York hip hop artist Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
(of Reflection Eternal
Reflection Eternal
Reflection Eternal is a hip hop duo composed of emcee Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek. They released their first album, Train of Thought, in 2000...
and Black Star
Black Star (hip hop group)
Black Star is a hip hop duo composed of Mos Def and Talib Kweli.-History:Black Star arose from the underground movement of the late 1990s, which was in large part due to Rawkus Records, an independent record label stationed in New York City. They released one self titled album...
fame) on the track "Be Alright".
The first single off the album in New Zealand, "My Shit
My Shit
"My Shit" is a song from Scribe's second studio album, Rhyme Book. It was the first single from the album in New Zealand, and the second in Australia. The song was released in both countrries on 11 August 2007...
", had its video premiere on Sunday, 12 August on local music channel C4. "F.R.E.S.H.
F.R.E.S.H.
"F.R.E.S.H." was the second single released from Scribe's second studio solo album, Rhyme Book.It was released on 8 September 2007."F.R.E.S.H." stands for "Forever Rhyming Eternally Saving Hip hop".-Composition:...
" was the second single released in New Zealand. The first single in Australia however was "F.R.E.S.H.", followed by "My Shit". The third single in both countries was "Say It Again", which features Scribe's cousin Tyra Hammond.
Personal struggles and addictions
In 2011, Scribe came clean on Campbell Live, describing how he became addicted to drugs, alcohol and gambling addictions between 2005 to 2007, especially due to Rhyme Book's poor sales. His addiction led to his family denying him access to money, to the point that he had to pawn off many of his platinum awards he won from his debut album. However, he may never be able to buy the awards back.In November 2011 Scribe was arrested in Wellington for disorder and released after being formally warned.
Christchurch earthquake
Scribe released a remix of his single 'Not Many' to show support for the victims of the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes. 'Not Many Cities' features Scribe rapping in different parts of the CBD's red zone, with altered lyrics such as 'I don't know any city,' instead of 'I don't know anybody'. Although his video received positive attention from the media, there was outcry from some Christchurch residents who claimed it was unfair that Scribe was allowed in the red zones when red zone business owners were not.Shortly after the remix's release, Scribe announced that he was working on a third album, which he hoped to release in mid-2012.
Family
Scribe is the cousin of other prominent Samoan New ZealandSamoan New Zealander
Samoan New Zealanders are Samoan immigrants in New Zealand, their descendants, and New Zealanders of Samoan ethnic descent. They constitute one of New Zealand's most sizeable ethnic minorities...
musicians Ladi6
Ladi6
Ladi6 is a singer-songwriter/rapper of Samoan descent. She is currently based in New Zealand, although she spent six months living in Berlin and touring Europe in both 2010 and 2011. Her debut album Time Is Not Much debuted at number 4 on the New Zealand Top 40 Album chart...
and Tyra Hammond of The Opensouls.
Solo albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
AUS |
|||
| 2003 | Crusader
|
1 | 12 |
|
| 2007 | Rhyme Book Rhyme Book Rhyme Book is the second studio album by New Zealand rapper Scribe. It follows on from his 2003 award winning album, The Crusader. It was released on 29 September 2007.-Background and release:... |
4 | 9 |
|
Major album guest appearances
- P-MoneyP-Money-Albums:-Singles:-External links:* - News, video clips, downloads* - Information, photos, and video clips...
- Big Things (2002) (Six Songs) - Concord DawnConcord DawnConcord Dawn, is a New Zealand drum and bass group, active since mid 1999. It consists of Matt Harvey and Evan Short...
- Uprising (2003) (One Song) - P-Money - Magic City (2004) (Three Songs)
- P-Money - Everything (2010) (Three Songs)
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
NZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
|||||||||||||
| 2003 | "Stand Up Stand Up (Scribe song) "Stand Up" is the debut single by New Zealand rapper Scribe, from his album, The Crusader. It was released as a double A-side with "Not Many".-Critical reception:... "/"Not Many Not Many "Not Many" is a hip hop single by New Zealand rapper Scribe, taken from his debut album, The Crusader. It was released as a double A-side with "Stand Up".-Background and recording:... " |
— | 1 |
|
The Crusader | |||||||||
| "Not Many - The Remix!"/"Stand Up" | 21 | 2 |
|
|||||||||||
| 2004 | "Dreaming Dreaming (Scribe song) "Dreaming" is the third single from Scribe's debut album, The Crusader. In New Zealand, it was released as a double A-side with "So Nice".Lyrically, the song is about Scribe's childhood aspirations... "/"So Nice So Nice (Scribe song) "So Nice" is a hip-hop song by New Zealand rapper Scribe. Featuring singer Ladi 6, the song was released as a double A-side with "Dreaming".-Chart performance:... " |
23 | 1 | — | ||||||||||
| 2007 | "My Shit My Shit "My Shit" is a song from Scribe's second studio album, Rhyme Book. It was the first single from the album in New Zealand, and the second in Australia. The song was released in both countrries on 11 August 2007... " |
— | 4 | — | Rhyme Book Rhyme Book Rhyme Book is the second studio album by New Zealand rapper Scribe. It follows on from his 2003 award winning album, The Crusader. It was released on 29 September 2007.-Background and release:... |
|||||||||
| "F.R.E.S.H. F.R.E.S.H. "F.R.E.S.H." was the second single released from Scribe's second studio solo album, Rhyme Book.It was released on 8 September 2007."F.R.E.S.H." stands for "Forever Rhyming Eternally Saving Hip hop".-Composition:... " |
30 | 24 | — | |||||||||||
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or achieve certification | ||||||||||||||
As featured artist
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
NZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
||||
| 2004 | "Stop the Music" (P-Money P-Money -Albums:-Singles:-External links:* - News, video clips, downloads* - Information, photos, and video clips... featuring Scribe) |
7 | 1 |
|
Magic City |
| 2010 | "You Got Me You Got Me (J.Williams song) "You Got Me" is a single by New Zealand R&B singer J.Williams featuring Scribe, released in February 2010. Young Love features the track. The single went to number one in New Zealand five weeks after its debut, and was certified gold the week after.-Music video:The music video was directed by... " (J.Williams featuring Scribe) |
— | 1 |
|
Young Love (Collector's Edition) Young Love (J.Williams album) Young Love is the debut album by New Zealand R&B singer J.Williams, released on 13 July 2009 by Illegal Musik. It was a success, certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand... |
| "Fresh Boyz" (Nesian Mystik Nesian Mystik Nesian Mystik was a New Zealand Hip-Hop/R&B group formed in 1999. Their cultural backgrounds unite a remarkable diversity of Polynesia by bringing together Cook Island, Tongan, Samoan and Maori ancestry... featuring Scribe) |
— | — | 99 A.D. | ||