Hip-Hop: Spotlight on Scribe

I often find upcoming artists trying to sound like their favorite artist. Not too many are creative enough to think outside the box and discover what their sound is. But once in a while I find an artist who doesn’t sound like anything I’ve heard before. That happened a few months ago when I attended a fundraiser for Flint’s water crisis. A bunch of cool artists took the stage, but the one that stood out the most was named SCRIBE. I attended more of his shows through the year and now he is starting to release songs and videos for his upcoming project.

Spocka Summa: Where are you from?

SCRIBE: I am from the East Side of Providence and moved to Cranston when I was in middle school.

SS: How did you come up with the name SCRIBE, and what does it mean?

SCRIBE: I went through a bunch of rap names like Count Christopher and C Vex and was about to just use my government name. Then one day I was reading up on Egyptian history and came across the word scribe, which was someone who kept records of what happened. As an artist I definitely cover the things young, yearning people go through as they follow their dreams and talk about what’s going on in the world, so I felt it fit me perfectly.

SS: How long have you been rapping?

SCRIBE: I’ve always been a writer. In grade school I remember my teacher having me read my stories to the class. But I started writing music about 8 years ago.

SS: Chasing your dreams is a tough job. Have you ever wanted to quit?

SCRIBE: It definitely is tough, but I’ve never thought about quitting. Sometimes I second guess myself, but never have I thought of quitting. This is what I live for. I really feel like I get the best out of myself through expressing myself and my culture through music and writing. I feel as though I can inspire a lot of people and that’s what keeps me on this grind.

SS: What is the biggest issue you find being a upcoming artist?

SCRIBE: The biggest issue is getting the exposure you feel you need. Being from Rhode Island is never an excuse I’ll use, but we don’t have the biggest connections or resources out here. Sometimes it’s disheartening, feeling like you’re not getting the exposure you deserve. And some people really could care less about local artists and won’t take them seriously. But joining forces with other local talents, networking and traveling will open many doors.

SS: Do you have any business plans outside of making music?

SCRIBE: I want to write films and act. Music is my first love, but I definitely want to write a few short films and TV series leading up to a feature film. I’ll act a bit here and there, too. I want to do a lot to help my community; as my resources grow, I want to do a lot of charity funds and help my community as much as possible. I want to show everyone how beautiful Rhode Island is and let them know they can make it here doing whatever it is they’re passionate about.

SS: I see you just dropped a video. What inspired you to make this part of your project?

SCRIBE: The video is called Impatient and I dropped a quick verse just basically addressing how I’ve been feeling. I’ve been working really hard and all my best work has yet to be released. So I’ve been growing real impatient. I just want to reveal myself to the world and let them into my world and let them see my vision. But there has to be a method to the madness, so the video was me basically venting to the audience about how although I am growing impatient, I’m doing things the right way and building my stairs to success one step at a time.

SS: How long did it take you to film?

SCRIBE: It literally took us two takes and we only did the second take for reassurance. We ended up using the first take. We thought it was as genuine as it would get. We filmed altogether for like 20 minutes. It was awesome; that was my first music video.

SS: Which song is your favorite that you ever recorded?

SCRIBE: My favorite song I ever recorded so far is definitely “Scribe of My Time.” I’ve performed it at the end of all my shows, but I haven’t released the album version yet. That song is basically my anthem.

SS: Do you have any new year’s resolutions?

SCRIBE: I don’t really have any. I always stress to myself how important it is to be consistent. Every day I want to give 100%, so no matter if it’s new year’s day or a random day I want to progress and keep at it. So for 2017 I just want to continue to grind and put myself in the position to succeed.

SS: Where can people find you?

SCRIBE: People can find me @Supremescribe on all social medias including SoundCloud and just Scribe on YouTube.

Many people give up before they ever have the opportunity to discover themselves as artists. I believe everyone can reach their full potential as long as they are willing to dig deeper than usual. It may take years to make it where you want to be, but consistency is key. Learn from your mistakes and do not ever give up.