Bio

Scapegoat Wax Bio

It was 1992, and Johnny Z was having commercial success with the group N2DEEP, when a youngster named Marty Garton called the Rated Z Recordz studio in Vallejo, CA. He was an inspiring rapper who wanted a chance at recording some of his music at Rated Z. After numerous calls, Johnny told him, “let’s give it a try.” They began working on music which was a little different than N2DEEP. It had more of an East Coast Hip Hop sound, with a little Los Angeles feel to it. They tracked a few demos, and then Johnny sent him home with his SP1200 to learn make beats.

The next time these two got together, the magic began and so did the scrubbed out demos. The original group was called, The Dirty Rats, with Marty going by the name, Snipa . The beats kept coming, some programmed by Johnny and some by Marty. They put a demo together and with a friend, Artie G as manager, they got some action and were invited to come on KMEL’s Hip Hop show for an interview. There was a buzz, and things looked promising, but eventually nothing really came of it. Johnny told Marty his rapping was cool, but that maybe he should throw a little singing into it to make him stand out, and make it a little more alternative.Try to hit them from a different angle and see what we can do. Marty took the SP1200 again and went to work. From then on, they went in a new direction.

Scapegoat Wax was born and people were feeling it. The duo would become known as the Scrub Twins production team, and soon were signed to a small independent label, GoodVibe Recordings out of Los Angeles. Their first CD “Luxurious” was released and a band was formed to perform the music live throughout California. The CD was not a commercial success, but it caught the eyes of some big players in the music industry.

Marty then moved to LA and Johnny remained in the Bay Area, and the Scrub Twins were no more. After some more unsuccessful releases through DEN and Grand Royal (Beastie Boys label), SGW found a home at Hollywood Records. The label released the full length CD, “SWAX” and single, “Aisle 10 (Hello Allison)” in 2002. The group had a solid following, but sales were low. Marty, now going by the name Marty James, dissolved the group and went on to form, One Block Radius, and is finding much success, not only with the group, but as a producer as well. Johnny continues to produce artists and release CD’s through Rated Z Recordz, and the two continue to be friends and support each other.