A Letter to the Editor from Scribe1

What follows is verbatim except a few typo fixes. Enjoy. --J.B.



Couple things:

Firstly, I have to give you my deepest respect for having kept this blog going for a decade. It's truly a time capsule of the Vermont scene from almost the moment of its inception. The work you've done here is important.

Second. I invented Vermont rap and I'm not seeing the love necessary. Looking at the little catalog of 'Vermont Artists' on the side of your site, I'm laughing. As Scribe 1, one half of the most successful Vermont rap group to ever exist, Rhythm Ruckus, I think you hit the nail on the head when you said Southern Vermont never gets the love. Burlington always existed in an echo chamber.

Every time we played shows in 'BTV' whether packed or sparse there was always some fuckin' crumb talking about how we weren't Vermont rap. On the contrary, we invented this shit.

Over 150 shows, appearing as direct support for a laundry list of legends including ODB, Blackalicious, Jedi Mind Tricks, Imortal Technique, Copywrite and GZA we were paving the road YEARS ahead of our time for what exists today. North and South.

I'd argue we're one of the only Vermont bands, period, to have signed a major record contract and independent deal with ACTUAL money and an advances attached (Epic Records in partnership with MTVu, that fell apart then we signed to a French Electronic label called AirDrop which proceeded to bury our debut). Also likely the only rappers from 802 that recorded tracks with Kool G Rap, Stic Man from Dead Prez, Vast Aire, Chris Ballew (Presidents of the United States) along with spitting on tailored beats from Benefit, R'thentic and other underground beat legends.

At this point I'm probably sounding like Joe Budden bitching about Little Yachty and mumble rap. My point: Vermont rap has a long and storied history outside of Burlington. Most of which we wrote, but that's neither here nor there.

For any of the old heads out there who were part of our movement and wondered where we disappeared to: Rhythm Ruckus disbanded several years ago following the suicide of our brother, confidant and manager Lindsay Krugman. That combined with creative and personal differences between me and doc c and us and AirDrop all led me removing myself from an increasingly toxic situation.

All that said, we left behind a catalog that still stands as the most important rap records ever produced in the Green Mountain state. Anyone who would argue differently is a fuck boy. There were economies of scale to this and to be honest it hurt we never got love from the other groups operating in northern Vermont. That said, we rapped circles around you for nearly a decade and that shit was priceless.

With love and neglect,

Scribe1 aka Robert California

The last album we did together as Rhythm Ruckus (the label debut with all the major name features was shelved - we made this in response): Being Geniuses Together

Solo album produced by some of the best Vermont beat smiths to ever do it (Tweed, Tyson, Logan also me.) "A.Y.S.A.O.R.I.S.P."

Album I did with Logan Keller a Vermont producer now living in the Netherlands: Space Cadet

All these albums were self produced/recorded. All the beats were made by guys from Vermont.

Listen to these. Take time to review them on your site. Let people know a dynasty was born, ruled and collapsed 150 miles south of you.

Peace.

News from Rhythm Ruckus

I was flattered and happy to see that I'm quoted in the very first sentence of the Rhythm Ruckus bio on their myspace:

"Rhythm Ruckus has been called "the closest thing to Slayer that Vermont hip-hop will ever see." From an inauspicious complex nestled in the abdomen of Vermont's lush green mountains, Dr. Caucasian and Scribe1 dispense serrated infotainment from the barren, shrieking maw of Generation Dead. MSNBC's "Current Magazine" says "their gritty, experimental music represents a re-emergence of raw, socially conscious hip-hop." Their new LP, due in early 2008, is a sprawling meditation on rural existence, confusion, rebellion, depravity, joy, and ruin. It includes guest appearances from Kool G Rap, Vast Aire of Cannibal Ox, Sticman of Dead Prez, Cottonmouth TX and Chris Ballew of the Presidents of the United States of America. Their last gig was a sold-out hometown show."

Also, Scribe1 has a free EP out called "I'm Leaving You for Hawaii" -- apparently my dudes haven't discovered mediafire or winzip, cuz you can download all the individual tracks, not the whole album at once.

Also, something's going on here with Judas Booth. Time will tell.