Hip-Hop artist has Wallingford roots

Wallingford native“Scribes” a.k.a. Henry Kleaveland is a hip-hop and R&B artist whose self-released title, “What Was Lost” has been in the top ten on CMJ’s Hip-hop chart and has had a fair amount of airplay on KEXP. He’s played at Bumbershoot and headlined all over the city, including the Showbox at SoDo, Chop Suey, Nectar, and the High Dive; and this Memorial Day weekend, he’ll be performing at the 2012 Sasquatch Music Festival.

Though he no longer lives in Wallingford (his mom still does), Scribes recalls growing up here, and attending Hamilton Middle School. He played piano as a child, but high school was when everything started to click.

“Rap fell into my lap when I was really young,” Scribes recalls, adding that he released his first CD with friends while he was a junior at Nathan Hale High School. He’s since recorded two more albums and an EP: the first in 2007 with the help of local hip-hop artist Macklemore. His second album was backed by Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, but all of the digital masters had been stolen from the Lake City recording studio. Scribes tells me it was one of the toughest times in his life, though he managed to re-record everything he lost.

As a rapper/lyricist/singer, Scribes’ music touches on elements in life that matter to him most. His first album with Macklemore was political since he made it during the Bush years. “I don’t want to put anything in a box. I try to speak from the heart and try to say things that some people are scared to say,” he adds. Now, more of his music speaks to his lifestyle, particularly about being lonely and struggling to get by. “It’s an ongoing struggle,” he tells me, “but I don’t even think about it. After you’ve been through it, you’re prepared.”

Scribes has worked with several local producers, including Wallingford resident, Bean One. His albums are self-released and he currently doesn’t have representation, which means he also does his own promotion and bookings. So not only has he become an established name in the music world for his talent, he’s also known as being one of the hardest working talents in the region.

If you want to have a listen or download “What Was Lost”, visit scribesmusic.com. You can also check out his Facebook page.