Rhyme and reason behind MC's success

May 11, 2005
Crusader: NZ hip-hop artist Scribe.

Crusader: NZ hip-hop artist Scribe.

Scribe is at the top of his game, writes Khalil Hegarty.

If you looked only at the travel advertisements for New Zealand, you'd never get the impression it's a hotbed of racial tension. But it's something Malo Luafatu - aka hip-hop MC Scribe - grew up with in Christchurch. It was a bit more complicated than a white-versus-Maori scuffle; Luafatu is a Pacific Islander, the smallest minority in Christchurch.

"I remember the first time I had a confrontation with skinheads; I was about nine, and they were grown men," the 25-year-old recalls.

"My city is one of the only cities that has gangs like KKK, skinheads, White Power and all these Aryan-race-type gangs."

Talk to anyone from Christchurch and they could probably tell a story or two about racial violence. But growing up there for Luafatu wasn't all skinheads and scrapping; it was where he fell in love with hip-hop and learnt how to rhyme. Sure, it fits the 8 Mile mould perfectly, but Luafatu's rise to the top of his game is genuine - at 19, he even told his disbelieving parents he was going to be a world-famous MC. Luafatu is the biggest thing in antipodean hip-hop right now, outselling his Australian counterparts in their own territory.

Part of his strength comes from his creative partnership with DJ and producer P-Money (Pete Waddams). Their latest single, the rock-tinged Stop the Music, is No.9 on the Australian charts, and Waddams' work on Luafatu's album The Crusader was a consolidation of the pair's talents, a tight package of hip-hop fireworks that went triple-platinum in New Zealand and gold in Australia.

On stage, they're a team; their explosive performances at the Big Day Out put their US counterparts to shame.

But with all the praise, accolades and success, Luafatu and Waddams have endured a barrage of negativity claiming they are too commercial.

"There's definitely been a lot of hate," he says. "No one has ever said anything to my face. Just people are frustrated with their own careers. It makes them feel better to take shots, but it's a natural thing, you know?"

But, despite what the critics might say, what they do is far from commercial.

"My goal when I made the album was just to make the album. Whether anyone bought it or not didn't matter in my eyes."

The Palace, St Kilda
WHEN Tonight
HOW MUCH Pre-sale tickets $30 plus booking fee
DETAILS Tel: 9534 0655;
http://www.palace.com.au, www.scribescribe.com


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