For those seeking an example of uncompromising dedication to making good music, rocking the mic and the stage, and nurturing the local hip hop community, look no further than The Rebel Scum.
Comprised of emcee/producers MicWreck, HQA, Illson, WordsManifest, and turntablist/producer Cliq, The Rebel Scum began its journey in 2000, a fusion of musicans from various backgrounds and denominations, but who share a common passion for hip hop music with substance. After years of defining their sound and direction, while gigging aggressively and maintaining an influential presence in the Malaysian internet music community, The Rebel Scum in 2005 released their self-produced EP An Urban Distaste For The Concrete, which received critical acclaim from both the mass entertainment media and underground internet circles. The CD release succeeded in exposing TRS to a larger audience, culminating in, among others, a #1 spot on XFresh FM's Urban Vibes charf for the single WMD, JUICE Magazine naming the CD one of their Best 5 Local Albums of 2005, and a 3-performance tour in Jakarta and Bandung, Indonesia with local media coverage.
The success they have enjoyed has not lulled TRS into complacenry; they are already in the process of recording their 2nd release, tentatively titled The Time Has Scum. KLue Magazine observed that TRS's music features "bleak grooves typically found on music by DJ Krush, Massive Attack and Portishead", and the crew has no plans to stray away from that foundation of solid music-making. "It is a huge relief to finally hear a non-pop-rap act making its way to commercial radio..." (The Malay Mail) is a response that TRS lives to create, and hope to replicate with The Time Has Scum. Whereas the EP was a litmus test of life in the Klang Valley. The Time Has Scum will be a more far-reaching collection of musical notes on the subject of everyone's struggle to rise to the occasion, to be at the right place at the right time, and to remain human after surviving such a struggle.
Apart from musical pursuits, The Rebel Scum also owns and manages Archetype Creative Solutions, a grassroots-level media collective that caters to the music production, graphic design, photography, and videography needs of the Malaysian music industry. Archetype has made beneficial relationships with EMI Malaysia, Universal Music Malaysia, Broadway Entertainment, Rapocalypse Records, Ruffselecta Records, Echo Park and YZ International. TRS has also brought together a massive congregation of young local hip hop talent under their Rogue Squadron banner, in an effort to ensure the continuation of the Malaysian independent hip hop movement.
The Rebel Scum has appeared in the following media:
Television: Generasi (Astro RIA/Red Communications), Latte@8 (8TV), Blast Off! and Aftershock! (Hitz.tv)
Radio: XFresh FM, Traxx FM, Suria FM, Red 104.9 FM, Trax FM (Jakarta)
Print: The Malay Mail, The New Straits Times, FHM Magazine, JUICE Magazine, KLue Magazine, ROTTW Magazine, Revolution Skate Magazine, Resurgence (Singapore)
Online: www.musiccanteencom, www.the-bazement.com
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