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New Zealand's own Scribe has been setting our hip-hop scene alight with his tight flow and gruff tone, a talented rapper like our shores have not seen before, a quality lyricist, and alongside Mareko and Savage of Deceptikonz, capable of making it on the international scene.
'The Crusader' sees the potential of his singles with P-Money stretched into a diverse and well paced album - banging single "Not Many" opens proceedings before the Shan produced "Been This Way" shows a different direction, the beat sounding like 'Hell On Earth' era Mobb Deep. "Theme From The Crusader" sees Scribe give his hometown Christchurch props over a mixture of brass and fatback bass while another banging Shan beat stands out, "Scribe Unltd" literally taking things to the next level. DJ Ali delivers a tight beat full of cut up guitar on "Too Late" before Scribe shows his range collaborating with fellow southerner (and cousin) Ladi 6 on "So Nice", a classy downtempo cut with shouts to his many loved ones.
Far more consistent than many NZ hip-hop releases, 'The Crusader' shows that our strong local scene has now produced its first true star, a young man that wants to entertain and who has the skills to keep your attention - a rapper you can proudly compare to your favourite US MC's. This release looks to be the start of an exceptional career. Recommended. |
