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Hip hop has always been well-received in the hardcore community. The lyrical content often relates to similar features in both genres, and you can't hate on good beats either. Scum of the Earth has been a long-running hip hop group with strong ties to the Chattanooga punk and hardcore scene. Whenever they play here it's a pretty wild crowd of punk kids getting down like it's nobody's business (the picture seen above is from one of their last visits).The duo was cool enough last year to drive all the way from Gainesville for their good friend Adam Foster's 25th birthday in August of 2010. We played that show too, and to this day it's the best show I've ever played and one of the most insane parties I've experienced my entire college career, needless to say there's been quite a few.
Here's an interview Adam actually did with "Scapegoat" from S.O.T.E.
What did you get into first, punk or hiphop?
Hip-hop definitely, I was excited to get cable when I was 9, just for Yo! MTV Raps. I also collected Yo! MTV Raps trading cards and listened to terrible pop rap groups. My grandmother taped a PBS documentary for me called "Rap City Rhapsody" that was my first exposure to Too $hort and Public Enemy, which my mom taped over in front of me while I cried like a maniac, because it was a "bad influence." The first tape I got was MC Hammer's "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em." The first record I got was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Soundtrack, because it had an MC Hammer song that wasn't on wither of the tapes that were out. Nothing to be proud of, but we are being honest with each other. Or at least I hope we are.
When did you start making music with waxatom?
I met Bobby when I was about 18 when he was DJing a party and we hit it off pretty immediately by talking about records we had or were into at the time. He was dating a girl that I had grown up with and I used to run into him a lot. I got him to spin records in between bands at a punk show we were doing at our house around that time too..
Me and my friend James recorded a rap demo on a four track (that my friend Tolar bought from the bass player of Limp Bizkit -- true story) and my friend Rose Saperstien who was Bobby's girlfriend at the time got me to play it for him at a party, and he was into it. We already had a show booked and I asked him if he would DJ for us. After the show, I asked him if he wanted to be in the band. He obliged and the mayhem began.
What is the wildest show Scum of the Earth has ever played?
Quite possibly the New Year's show in New Orleans, I think New Year's '08.. We played a party for the Black Label bike club, which I had never heard of at the time, I had also never heard about the whole bike club subculture which everybody at the show seemed to be a memeber of.
The first band's guitar player lit like 6 joints and handed them out to the crowd, and people pretty much just felt free to smoke whereever in the club. People also felt free to dance naked and shoot of fireworks in the club. I'm not really doing it justice with this description, but I also almost got beat up by an all girl bike gang for Richmond called the Cutthroats.
The one where we smashed all Bobby's shit when we opened up for Baroness was really wild, but I don't remember much about that.
Chronologically list the Scum of the Earth discography...
The only thing we still really distribute is the "Bad Decisions" LP, but it's something like this.
s/t Demo CD
Missed Opportunities CD
Sleeper Ep CD
The Story So Far CD (sort of a greatest hits deal because we were tired of burning all these damn cds, we probably only made in the neighborhood of 20 of these)
Bad Decisions LP
Split 7" w/ La Cara Oculta
Over the years you haven't been afraid to call people out in your songs, that ever come back to haunt you?
Not Really. The only reason I call people out is because they were fake as fuck anyway. I would know better than to call out a real motherfucker who could beat my ass.
In your opinion, what is the best florida band of all time?
Radon is my favorite Gainesville band of all time, and since that's where I'm from, I think I'm gonna stick with them.
Any Scum of the Earth releases planned for 2011?
Yeah, If I ever write any songs. We were supposed to release two albums in 2010. That never happened.
Who is the biggest shithead of all time from Gainesville?
Some people say me, I say Jason Rockhill.
Who is your favorite modern mainstream rapper?
I think Ludacris was always pretty witty, especially for a dude who is on the radio. My girlfriend just told me he is on the new Justin Bieber song and putting this will hurt my street credibility. I am going to put it anyway.
Stage Dives or Skankin'?
Stage dives all day.
