Cal Scruby

A crispy new visual from Ohio native, Cal Scruby. Although we don’t see much of Scruby throughout the video (that’s him at the end), we can all agree that the casting was A1 and on point for this clip. Hats off and a round of applause.

Be on the lookout for Cal’s next single, which features Chris Brown, dropping in the very near future. That’s all we can say at the moment. For now, get “Wasted.” - Fake Shore Drive

Drake started his music career after starring on popular Canadian TV show “Degrassi: The Next Generation.”

Chance the Rapper recorded his first mixtape during a 10-day suspension while he was in high school.

Ohio State 2014 alumnus, Cal Scruby, recorded his first project, “Best Foot Forward,” in the Whisper Room on the third floor of the Science and Engineering Library — now called the 18th Avenue Library — while he was a student studying new media and information technology.

“It’s like a phone booth sized recording area where the walls are all insulated professionally,” Scruby said. “I just recorded and mixed my own stuff. That whole process probably took (about) two weeks.”

The 25-year-old from Lebanon, Ohio, said he first delved into hip-hop at the age of 9 when he made a mix out of an old burned CD. This then spun into a hobby, and with some encouragement from friends, Scruby took the rap scene more seriously. Though he had hopes of a rap career, Scruby’s dream of breaking into the music industry didn’t solidify until his contract with Riveting Management.

“I never wanted to be a rapper growing up — I never really pictured myself (rapping professionally) honestly until this year. Even when I was putting out stuff, I was hoping things would start to pop, but until I started working with Riveting, it never seemed so tangible,” he said.

When Scruby moved to Los Angeles this past September, he signed with Riveting Management as its first and only client. Riveting Management is a division of the production company Riveting Entertainment. The company represents 12 directors, including Wilmer Valderrama and Chris Brown, and produces music videos for the likes of Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Mary J. Blige, said its founder and CEO, Andrew Listermann.

Listermann and Scruby met in Cincinnati after one of Scruby’s shows. The charisma and confidence of the unsigned rapper led Listermann to investigate further into Scruby’s work later that night after Scruby’s concert.

“For some reason, something about his charisma grabbed my attention. Cal had a confidence that just stuck out for a Cincinnati white rapper,” Listermann said. “When I got home that night in my hotel room, I just Googled him, thinking, ‘Let me just see what this kid’s about,’ and I found out he had a show with about 4,000 people that night in Town Square, which is really big for an unsigned artist. I thought there was a lot of potential there.”

Scruby continued to make waves in the underground music scene with his sophomore mixtape “Boy Genius,” which he recorded with Columbus producer Alexander Dreamer. The duo created the nine-track tape in five days and released it in September 2012.

Dreamer, a student studying audio production at the Columbus music industry program Groove U, said working with Scruby was not only inspirational, but also a great learning experience.

“It was very inspirational within our local music scene — because it’s very rare you find someone as talented as (Scruby),” he said. “He is very particular and very specific about what he wants to do. I got the experience to work with a great talent and learned from him as an artist myself.”

Scruby said he thinks he falls closer to goofy and awkward than hip, but his strong writing skills made up for it.

“That’s everything I take pride in,” Scruby said. “The other part of rap is being cool, which doesn’t come naturally to me, and the writing does, so that’s what I focus on and care about.”

Rafael Huezo, a 2012 OSU alumnus and friend of Scruby’s, said the artist’s proficiency sets him apart from other rappers and suggested he is cooler than he gives himself credit for.

“He’s someone pretty intelligent as a person, and he’s got a little bit more swagger than (he) did before, and so the concoction of swagger and intellect is definitely going to catapult him into the main stage,” he said.

The rapper said he does not feel the need to try to be cool because it is better to be true to his character than create a false public image, which is something he said he will never do. As a result, he chose to stick with his real name — Cal Scruby — rather than create a stage name.

“People are trying to poke holes in your story wherever you are, so I don’t really want to have skeletons in my closet. If you want to pull up my prom photos, you can do that. I’m never going to play a character or put on a front — I would rather just be honest and truthful, and you can make fun of me for who I am but not who I’m pretending to be,” Scruby said.

Listermann said the motivation and hunger of the Ohio native puts him in a good place at the moment.

“Whether it’s new artists or veterans, you like to see that motivation and crave to inspire. His fan base is growing significantly every month. I think since we’ve met, it’s tripled just based on the content we’ve put out. We’re in a good position,” he said.

A-listers like Chris Brown also see potential in Scruby, and the two are friendly over Twitter as well.

“When I introduced Cal to Chris, (Chris) thought he was great,” Listermann said. “‘I’d love to direct videos for Cal,’ and he ended up tweeting randomly one day the link to Cal’s SoundCloud page.”

Huezo said he doesn’t see Scruby as just a rapper because of his cleverness as a lyricist.

“He just spits knowledge,” Huezo said. “It’s not just ignorant rap, it’s actually content if you listen to what he’s saying. It’s enlightening almost.”

Listermann also said directors like Valderrama and Larenz Tate enjoy Scruby’s music and see raw talent in him. He also hinted that big projects are gravitating toward Scruby.

“We’re in the studio this week with Eric Bellinger making a record. We got him in the studio with really big producers out here (in L.A.) in the next week or two, so he has a lot of new music coming out. So, for a new artist, that’s a really good thing,” Listermann said.

Even though his career is beginning to pick up momentum, Scruby said he is still trying to find his sound as a new artist. However, one thing that remains the same is his pride to represent OSU.

“At Ohio State, there is so much pride in the school,” he said. “Everyone is for the same thing, especially on gamedays, so it is like a big family. What better school to represent than a school as big as Ohio State?” - The Lantern

At first glance, Cal Scruby doesn’t look like your typical rap superstar, but if you’ve ever been to one of his shows or seen his music videos your opinion might change.

Recently headlining his own show at a packed Park Street Saloon, the rapper born Calvin Scruby hit the stage with an instant outburst of screaming and applause from fans who knew nearly every word of his catalog.

Growing up in the Cincinnati suburb of Lebanon and then moving to Columbus to attend Ohio State, Scruby can call both major cities home. You see, home is something Cal is glad to visit after moving to Los Angeles to pursue a musical career.

“I was in L.A. for a month and a half before I was like, ‘Alright, I need to come home for a bit,’” Cal Scruby said about his recent return to the Buckeye State. “It’s still crazy for me at shows to come out and everybody knows every word to particular songs.”

Cal recently moved to California after inking a management deal with Riveting Entertainment — a company that has worked with the likes of Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Mary J Blige and just about every relevant music star you can think of.

Riveting is known nationally for creating some of the music industry’s best cinematic quality videos. Along with the opportunity to build his brand, Cal has had the fortuity to rub shoulders with top players in the music biz. Just ask Chris Brown, who recently told his followers to check out the Ohio rapper.

“Check out my bro CAL!!! Real spittah!” he tweeted.

One would think Scruby’s recent deal signing was born through his fan base and local stardom. Ironically, the two camps came together outside of the music biz.

“I met Andrew at a bar and I was perfect drunk, you know — before slurring your words and with an added confidence,” Scruby said in describing his initial contact with Riveting CEO Andrew Listermann. “He said he owned Riveting and I was familiar with them.”

After giving Listermann his number, Cal was contacted just days later by the entertainment company. They were interested in signing him to a management deal.

“It’s the perfect fit for me because it’s like a label deal because they’re able to provide funding and resources but at the same time I’m able to keep creative control,” he said. “It’s a little bit easier for me now to know that I can hand over the visual aspect of it to somebody credible.” - Columbus Alive

“The track itself is absolutely.......SICK”
Zane Lowe - BBC Radio 1 (Future1)

“The “Boy Genius” is undoubtedly someone to keep an eye on”
A Gram - BroBible

"...out of all the SOTD we’ve had so far, this guy is near the top of my list to keep up-to-date"
T Webb - Good Music All Day - Reverb Nation

Cal Scruby is a regular here on GMAD. With numerous releases Cal Scruby has climbed his way up the GMAD charts several times. Well today the Cincinnati native is back with a brand new music video for the new single “The Kill” featuring Jukebox. In this video we follow Cal Scruby as he rides around with two sexy bunnies and Danny Trejo. Personally I am very impressed with the progress Cal has been making with his career and am excited to see where he goes. For now check out the video and don’t forget to follow Cal Scruby on SoundCloud and Twitter. - Good Music All Day

Cal Scruby interviewed by Revolt TV on set with Riveting Entertainment in LA. - Revolt TV

The name Cal Scruby doesn’t ring any bells for the majority of hip-hop fans. But after releasing his mixtape “Scrubby” at the beginning of this monrh, that could change fast.

Becoming successful in hip-hop is hard, and making it in to the business as a white male is really hard. Unless you have the street grit of Eminem, the social relevance of Macklemore or flat out talent like Atmosphere, it is almost impossible to make a career in the genre.

People like Marky Mark, Sammy Adams and Fox & Weber had their small moments before fading into irrelevance. However, hip-hop is a game of longevity, and only a few will stick around long enough to make a career out of it.

An initial listen into Scruby’s mixtape and it’s easy to see he is nothing like his failed predecessors.

Most rappers “make dollars off of music without making cents (sense)” Scruby raps. The depth of his lyrics makes him standout out among the majority of wannabe rappers who have no real substance in their tracks.

Scruby experiments with many different types of sounds. Not a single track is bad, whether it’s an acappella flow in “ERS” or a high tempo verse in ”STRAIGHTLIKETHAT,” Scruby brings it.

Listening to the album, the amount of witty and provocative lines that Scruby uses throughout his songs is overwhelming. It is such an impressive display that by the end of his last song “The Realist,” you might think you just finished listening to a professional LP by a well-established artist.

It’s hard to compare the likeness of rappers to others rappers. Most successful musicians have tailored their sound en route to standing out in a competitive industry.

For Cal Scruby, his sound is reminiscent of J. Cole. However, he brings enough unique brilliance he really can’t be limited by comparisons. His genuine and fresh flow is a must listen for any rap enthusiast. - Indiana Daily Student

Earlier this month Cal Scruby released a music video for "The Kill," featuring Jukebox. Arguably one of his best songs to date, the Cincinnati native also dropped off this brand new record entitled, "Fake World" and it's FRESH.

A melodically-tinged rap record led by its brilliant piano chords, the "Fake World" beat features a chill, down-tempo sound that has an alluring vibe. Cal Scruby's focused rap flows thrive over it and he even provides a dope "Fake World" chorus where all together this new recording points to his promising development as a versatile artist with relatable material. Take a listen to "Fake World" by Cal Scruby and start following Cal Scruby on Twitter for more new tracks coming soon. Enjoy! - Good Music All Day