VAN BUREN RECORDS
Van Buren records is a Massachusetts-based rap collective that has proven itself to be a promising group to look out for in 2021. The collective consists of 13 members, most of whom are rappers, some producers, and a few designers. In the last three years, the group, named after a street gang in popular T.V show Seinfeld, has released over a dozen records as well as several clothing lines.
Interestingly, there are no major music labels in Brockton. Nor are there any famous local clubs where established musicians can hire openers in the hopes of making them bigger. And yet, Van Buren Records is making waves in the city and is still only one dimension of the bustling rap scene in the city of Brockton. It seems that the hip hop scene, which used to be a big part of the culture of nearby Boston, is now migrating along with thousands of others to Brockton, integrating with many of the much more affordable communities in the south of Massachusetts
The collective, which consists of medium to big names such as Luke Bar$, Saint Lyor, Felix!, and Jiles, released their debut album, titled Bad for Press in 2021. This was a collection of 13 tracks that showcased the rappers’ best individual and collaborative work at the time. It wasn’t until the release of their next EP, titled Black Wall Street, that fans got a chance to get to know the group and its ideals a little better.
The EP’s most popular song, “Cash Rules” is a cut-throat song that takes the listener into the eerie atmosphere of the nighttime streets. The heavy bass and almost scary synth beats hold together the cut-throat lyrics rapped in a raspy, angry, and cold voice. Cash Rules speaks of street violence and of how the Van Buren Collective is not crossed by anyone, neither in terms of musical aesthetic nor in terms of musical territory.
The ideals and vision of the group expressed in Cash Rules fit well with the history of the group’s formation. While Brockton has always had a highly underrated battle rap community, there wasn’t much of a local rap scene back when Van Buren Records started getting into the scene in 2014 and 2015. Most people in Brockton who wanted to be a part of the rap scene would usually commute or move to nearby Boston.
While still in their early 20s, the group’s initial members began to spend time recording and doing small shows at their creative hub, which was an old brick building in Brockton called SoundLab. This provided a space for them to get to know one another and expand the collective over the next few years. Interestingly, it provided them with the impetus to host one of their first major shows in 2016. Since the event also hosted an opportunity for many Boston-based rappers to come to Brockton to perform, Van Buren Records saw the event as a cultural handshake between the richer Boston and the poorer but more culturally diverse Brockton.
However, the oft-neglected city of Brockton is now becoming a hub for artistic expression. Moreover, it seems that Van Buren Records is an example of the artistic potential within the poorer yet much more diverse city of Brockton. All in all, Van Buren Records is certainly a group to watch out for over the next few years.
