Fledgling rapper’s open letter to his idol, Scribe
No-one was more disappointed than Dillon Lambwhen a spiral of legal and addiction problems led to the arrest of his childhood idol in 2018.
Lamb, 24, a fledgling rapper in Foxton, was recording a song with international rapper Malo Ioane Luafutu, better known as Scribe.
But the icon’s inner demons and a stint behind bars meant he was unable to produce the recording for more than 12 months.
Lamb defended Scribe. However, hewas a lone voice amid aworld of negative headlines.
In a demo of an upcoming single, Lamb describes his childhood admiration for Scribe and the heartbreak ofwatching him battle methamphetamine addiction and the law.
He finishes the song by paying homage to his mate and describing how they mended their friendship.
‘‘I wouldwatch Vodafone Select Live on C4 as a kid and see his videos on there, and it made me want to be like him someday,’’ Lamb said. ‘‘It also showed me people from New Zealand were able to make moves in the music industry.’’
In 2017, Lamb’s dreams came true when Scribe agreed to record a verse for his song, Love Drunk.
Scribe became addicted to drugs, alcohol and gambling in 2005, following lacklustre sales of his second album.
His addiction led to his family denying him access to money and he decided to pawn the platinum awards he had won with his debut album.
While workingwith Lamb, he was either imprisoned or at rehab.
‘‘He tried to keep me updated with the odd message and a phone call, but ... I didn’t know if I could trust him,’’ Lamb said.
‘‘I started losing faith in my idol at this stage.’’
In August 2018, Scribe was imprisoned for two months after breaching his curfew to perform in Motueka.
He was released, but returned to court the next month to defend methamphetamine possession charges and breach of protection orders.
On several occasions, he promised the versewas ready to go. However, it took more than 12 months.
‘‘I felt let down. When you look up to somebody... it was a shock to find out he wasn’t who I thought he was.
‘‘I started feeling like I was doing the wrong thing by defending him.’’
Earlier that year, the duo performed together in Rotorua, Tokorua and Hamilton.
Theyworked on Love Drunk and Lamb studied Scribe’s stage presence and crowd interaction.
‘‘Looking back at it now ... I know he’s just a human being that ended up in a position where his personal life is made public.
‘‘When it’s something negative, everybody loves to focus on that.
‘‘The success, accomplishments and achievements get ignored.’’
Each time Lamb steps on stage, he performs Scribe’s hit song, Dreaming, and lets the crowd know the impact Scribe had on his career.
‘‘He changed my life and I wouldn’t bewhere I amnow without him.’’