POWAY
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Until last week, Robert Montes Fisher ran the Rapsheet Records recording studio out of his Poway home. His label is known among Charger fans for “Lights Out,” a rap tribute to linebacker Shawne Merriman.
But on April 3, while Fisher was out of the house for about an hour, burglars cleaned out all his recording gear and instruments.
Fisher filed a sheriff's crime report, estimating the equipment was worth $17,500. He set the value of missing music files from various recording artists at $20,000.
“I had a mixer, keyboard, drum machines, microphones, monitors – everything,” said Fisher, known professionally as Vinny Montes. “But I'm not going to let this thing end what we've worked so hard for.
Fisher said he gave up a sales job at his cousin's metal-finishing company to start a recording label two years ago. His son, Tony, 23, who records as Tony Corleone, was making his way as a rapper.
“I heard Tony's music and thought it was really good,” Fisher said.
He said his son wrote and recorded the “Lights Out” rap, which has become popular among Charger fans, and recorded another original song, “It's Goin' Down,” for mixed-martial arts fighter Cung Le.
After using other studios to record his son, Fisher bought his own equipment and outfitted a back room in his home as a studio last fall. He said he had a top-of-the-line Yamaha Motif XS8 keyboard workstation and Akai MPC 4000-Plus drum machine, among other items, that are now gone.
Poway sheriff's Detective Sgt. Bill Giltner said there was no sign of forced entry at Fisher's home.
The case was assigned to Detective Norman Hubbert, who said he would be checking craigslist classified ads, the eBay auction site and pawnshops in case the stolen equipment turns up.
“This is specialized gear,” Hubbert said. “I'll be going out to talk to some people and hopefully make some progress in the next few days.”
Pauline Repard: (619) 293-1893; pauline.repard@uniontrib.com
