Tom Scott (rapper)
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Tom Scott (born 1984) is a New Zealand rapper. He is known for his role in the groups Home Brew, At Peace, and Avantdale Bowling Club. His groups are generally characterized by
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
-influenced instrumentation and political lyrics.
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has described Scott as "one of the biggest role players" in
New Zealand hip hop New Zealand hip hop derives from the wider hip hop cultural movement originating amongst African Americans in the United States. Like the parent movement, New Zealand hip hop consists of four parts: rapping, DJing, graffiti art and breakdancing ...
; ''
The Spinoff ''The Spinoff'' is a New Zealand online magazine and news website that was founded in 2014. It is known for current affairs coverage, political and social analysis, and cultural commentary. It earns money through commercial sponsorship and su ...
'' identifies him as "New Zealand hip-hop's finest storyteller ndmost brazen agitator".


Early life

Tom Scott was born in the United Kingdom in 1984, but lived there only briefly before his family moved to New Zealand in 1987. Scott spent most of his childhood in
Avondale, Auckland Avondale ( ) () is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, located to the east of the Whau River on the Auckland Isthmus. Avondale was established as a small settlement but grew following the establishment of a railway line, which in turn led to the ...
, a town that would become one of the inspirations for the "Avantdale Bowling Club" name. Scott began rapping at the age of ten, initially only as a hobby. His father, jazz bassist Peter Scott, also introduced Scott to 1970s jazz, soul, and funk from a young age.


Career


Home Brew

After leaving university, Scott returned to the
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
area to focus on music. Scott connected with producer Haz Beats online; the two then recruited Lui "Lui Silk" Gamaka and formed the band Home Brew. The group released several EPs throughout the later 2000s, followed by their self-titled studio album in 2012. ''Home Brew'' reached the number-one position on the New Zealand album charts in the week of 7 May 2012, and won Best Urban / Hip Hop Album at the
2012 New Zealand Music Awards The 2012 New Zealand Music Awards was the 47th holding of the annual ceremony featuring awards for musical recording artists based in or originating from New Zealand. Finalists for the three technical awards were announced on 3 October 2012, th ...
. During his time with Home Brew, Scott attracted attention and controversy for his stridently political material, including frequent criticism of then-Prime Minister
John Key Sir John Phillip Key (born 9 August 1961) is a New Zealand retired politician who served as the 38th prime minister of New Zealand from 2008 to 2016 and as leader of the National Party from 2006 to 2016. Following his father's death when ...
. As of 2019, Home Brew continues to tour together.


At Peace

Tom Scott was a member of the band At Peace (stylised as "@Peace"), along with fellow vocalist Lui Tuiasau and producers Christoph El Truento, Dandruff Dicky, and B Haru. The group released three albums between 2012 and 2014, and disbanded in 2015. Each of the group's albums was nominated for the
Taite Music Prize The Taite Music Prize is an annual New Zealand music award event. A prize of the same name (sometimes called the Taite Music Main) is one of five to be awarded. It recognises the best New Zealand album from the previous year. The prize is named ...
. During his time with At Peace, Scott attracted controversy after releasing a song titled "Kill the PM". The song, released in 2014, threatened to kill John Key and to have sex with his daughter. In a subsequent interview with
Radio New Zealand Radio New Zealand (), commonly known as RNZ or Radio NZ, is a New Zealand public service broadcaster and Crown entity. Established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995, it operates news and current affairs station, RNZ National, and a classi ...
, Scott stated that he did not regret his statements, before criticizing Key further and ultimately walking out of the interview. Scott later clarified his goals on a Facebook post, stating that his threats were not literal and that his intent was to encourage people to register to vote. Looking back on the controversy in 2018, Scott acknowledged that he had handled the situation poorly, but stated his belief that, as an artist, he had a responsibility to speak out about political issues he found important.


Average Rap Band

After the backlash to "Kill the PM", Scott and bandmate Lui Tuiasau formed a new group called Average Rap Band, seeking to release music that the public would not associate with the controversy. In contrast to the prominent jazz influences that appear in most of Scott's projects, Average Rap Band instead uses a 1980s-inspired, synthesizer-driven sound. In 2015 Average Rap Band released their first project, the 6-track EP titled ''Stream of Nonsenseness''. The following year, in 2016, they released their first full mixtape, ''El Sol''. ''El Sol'' is an abstract project, using more synthesised, electronic sounds in its production, and combines themes of existentialism and self-reflection with commentary on society and the nature of humanity. Average Rap Band also released various singles over the course of 2015 and 2016.


Avantdale Bowling Club

After moving to
Collingwood, Melbourne Collingwood is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3km north-east of the Melbourne central business district, located within the City of Yarra local government area. Collingwood recorded a population of 9,179 at the 2021 ce ...
, Australia, in 2013, Scott began writing lyrics to occupy his time while in the unfamiliar environment of the city. He subsequently returned to Avondale in 2017, at which point he announced the foundation of Avantdale Bowling Club and began collaborating with a large group of musicians to expand the material into a full album. The group's debut album, '' Avantdale Bowling Club'', was released in 2018; it went on to win the Taite Music Prize in 2019, and to be named Album of the Year at the
2019 New Zealand Music Awards The 2019 New Zealand Music Awards was the 54th holding of the annual ceremony featuring awards for musical recording artists based in or originating from New Zealand. It took place on 14 November 2019 at Spark Arena in Auckland and was hosted b ...
. Avantdale Bowling Club released its second album, ''
Trees In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only p ...
'', in 2022.


Musical style

''Massive'' magazine described Tom Scott's work with Home Brew as being "fun and satirical" and featuring "well-rehearsed flows"; ''The Spinoff'' has characterized his work from that era as "frank, controversial and at times even shocking". While Scott's lyrical content in Home Brew was widely known for "drug and alcohol-fuelled songs", he has moved away from that content on his more recent projects. Scott's lyrics in Avantdale Bowling Club have been described as "blending working-class storytelling and New Zealand colloquialisms", and as being "deeply personal and affecting". Nick Bollinger of
Radio New Zealand Radio New Zealand (), commonly known as RNZ or Radio NZ, is a New Zealand public service broadcaster and Crown entity. Established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995, it operates news and current affairs station, RNZ National, and a classi ...
described Scott's early work as "quick, witty, ndoccasionally anti-social", and characterized his performance with Avantdale Bowling Club as "polyrhythmic rhyming" that is "mature, reflective, and cautiously hopeful". Karl Puschmann of ''
The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand, ...
'' identified a similar progression, describing Scott as "delight ngin being as juvenile and obnoxious as possible" with Home Brew before featuring increasingly more mature work with his succeeding projects.


Awards

Both Home Brew albums, all three @Peace albums, and 2019 winner ''Avantdale Bowling Club'' were shortlisted for the
Taite Music Prize The Taite Music Prize is an annual New Zealand music award event. A prize of the same name (sometimes called the Taite Music Main) is one of five to be awarded. It recognises the best New Zealand album from the previous year. The prize is named ...
. Tom Scott's six appearances in Taite shortlists, including two in 2013, is a record. With ''Home Brew'', Scott won 2012's New Zealand Music Award for Best Rap Album. The group had three other nominations and arrived at the ceremony with a goat on a leash. At 2019's awards ''Avantdale Bowling Club'' was named Album of the Year.


Personal life

As of 2018, Scott was engaged. By the time ''Run It Back'' was released in 2023, he was separated from his partner. Scott has two sons, the first of whom was born in the late 2010s. Scott has stated that he left Melbourne for Avondale because he wanted to raise his son in New Zealand.


Discography


with Home Brew

*'' Home Brew'' (2012) *''Run It Back'' (2023)


with At Peace

*''@Peace'' (2012) *''Girl Songs'' (2013) *''@Peace and the Plutonian Noise Symphony'' (2014)


with Average Rap Band

*''El Sol'' (2016)


with Avantdale Bowling Club

*'' Avantdale Bowling Club'' (2018) *''
Trees In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only p ...
'' (2022)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Tom Living people 1984 births New Zealand male rappers Taite Music Prize winners