Brixton rapper and singer Bushrod has revealed the difficulties musicians have faced during lockdown, by sharing an encounter with a disgruntled neighbour.
The Brixton, London-based artist, real name Jack Bushrod, apparently spotted a note stuck to the wall of his shared hallway.
The handwritten note complained of his “loud music” and “annoying rapping”.
“To whom it may concern, I do not appreciate you playing loud music with your annoying rapping. I have to be up for work EVERY DAY at 7:30am. You have been warned,” it said.
Bushrod, who has appeared in SB:TV’s “Warm Up” series and supported Professor Green on tour, left his own note explaining his wish to have a proper conversation, and added that he felt having music on at 6pm could not be described as “late”.
“Hi, I find leaving notes in the hallway quite petty. I tried knocking several times to talk this over, but it’s clear you aren’t answering on purpose,” he wrote.
“I am a musician and this is what I do for rehearsals. I appreciate you have to be up for work but me working on my music at 6pm isn’t late.”
However, the neighbour responded with yet another passive-aggressive note that claimed Bushrod was “the problem”, and threatening to report him to the council if he heard music again.
Bushrod then replied with a cheeky note suggesting the neighbour listen to his new track, with some help on how to find it on Spotify.
The new single, “Hide & Seek”, was released earlier this year.
Since sharing the encounter, Bushrod’s post has received more than a thousand likes, with dozens of people sending him messages of support.
“Your handwriting is amazing,” one fan commented.
Another joked that the neighbour’s day beginning at 7.30am sounded like “a f***ing lie-in”.
The Independent has contacted Bushrod’s representative for comment.
Musicians have been among the worst-hit by the pandemic, with many forced to retrain or take up work unrelated to their skillset.
In March, The Independent revealed how live music crew members were working as shelf-stackers or supermarket delivery drives to make ends meet.
