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"DON"T YOU WANNA GROW UP TO BE JUST LIKE ME?"

Entertainers, more so rappers and deejays have always been accused for the negative images which their music conjure up in the minds of the impressionable youth.
"Even with the music I write sometimes- I think when people hear it they must be wondering if I'm crazy. But at the same time it's a form of expression..." says Kurup. "Music is very powerful and I can tell you… I have witnessed it. People in war an' a man jus hear a Bounty Killer an' it encourage him fi back him gun and jus shoot di nex' bredda…Sometimes you have to think about what you say because these things can happen."
He explains that there is a huge demand for this type of music and while artists may not necessarily want to portray such negative images throughout their careers, music buyers crave for 'gun tunes'.

Kurup is currently working on his album, The Year of Agony and Frustration, which was scheduled for release this April. The album, which will consist of tracks, produced by Jeremy Harding (2 Hard Records), Jam 2 (King Jammys youngest son), Blunt Master (Keyston), and Blacks (Keyston/indie) is a mixture of dancehall and hip-hop inspired tracks. Due to other commitments and projects, the release date had to be pushed to later on down in the summer. "Based on me doing a million other things… listening to the album and taking criticisms, I am still in the process of deciding whether or not I should change a few tracks (etc.)…so it's on the way out, but we're still reviewing it." His favourite track on the album is "Smoke Everyday" which he wrote and produced. It was played at R.A.S. and Fully Loaded where and was very well received by the crowd.

W: Like Sean Paul, are you going to include any of your older songs on the album?
KK: No, because I believe …time sets its own place and value. Even though people still live with the fact that 'Wife Yuh Fi Gwaan Pressure' is the best song I have ever done I am still trying to find something better than that.

Along with his album, Kurup is also producing a dancehall beat, Fluid, on which he has laid down tracks from Beenie Man, Anthony B, Ghost, Lexxus, Singer Jay, and Leego with more to come. Giggs, his co-producer on this project is half asleep on the beanbag behind us.

W: Which do you prefer, performing or producing?
KK: The thought has been rendered so much in my mind that I am thinking about it now…you can't do both of them. That would be a fifty-fifty situation and they both demand 100% of your attention… I like to deliver as an artist because it's a form of creativity too and I like to produce…getting beats together and matching it with vocals, y'know...doing something that people will like and appreciate.
W: Who did you enjoy working with most (on the Fluid riddim)?
KK: Beenie Man, because he makes the session comfortable and everything just flows. I liked producing Anthony B and Ghost too.
W: Who was most difficult to land and work with? Why?
KK: Lexxus. It's all about preparation…Lexxus was still going through the format. We just wanted him to voice early so we just decided to deliver everything to him, the writing…(etc.)

Many dancehall artists cannot accept credit for writing the lyrics they forcefully spit into mics. "Ghost writing" has become as common here in Jamaican dancehall music as it is in the U.S.' hip-hop. Kurup explains, "On one hand writing… is a key thing to me. I like to write what I feel or what I have an understanding of and then try to bring it across to other people. But there are times when people write songs that you really like and you may not be able to find that form sometimes because that person's thoughts or mind level may be different from yours. So eventually you jus' have to accept it sometime and jus' work wid di fact seh…somebody write a song…they like you…and they want you to execute it.
For the future he has plans to take his take his writing to another level. He wants to write books, movies even, but all in due time.

DUTTILY MUCKILY

As a former member of the now defunct Dutty Cup Crew, we felt compelled to ask him about the current status of the group. Dutty Cup gained immense popularity uptown through performances at Groove in the Hills, a concert which became synonymous with the Dutty name. With all of the group's members opting to concentrate on their individual careers, Kurup confirms, "To my knowledge there is no Dutty Cup (now). Everybody has realized that it is time to build their solo careers….Sean…Chicken…they have been working on their own careers for some time…"

We talk about the current state of affairs in dancehall music and the difficulties facing young artists trying to break out. "There are so many elements acting against dancehall. People get involved because they want to make money so they don't really know the real essence…what to do to keep it standing". Kurup adds that the state of the economy and our government's cut backs on all things cultural have also impacted negatively on dancehall music. In an effort to keep the peace, authorities have restricted the number of dances, sessions, and street jams. Back in the day, aspiring deejays would get a chance to hone their skills performing on sound systems which would play at dances in their communities.
"That's how Buju and all of them came about, 'dem used to keep a ting on Red Hills Road, dem coulda walk down there, deejay and people used to hear him…Now everything is dependent on the radio…You cannot deliver what you feel…(There are so many restrictions). When yuh coulda go inna di dance and bus di place and every Tuesday people come back and expect to hear yuh - it's not going to happen…Not any more. All these elements are things that we have to work around…in order to get our music out there."

WHO'S THAT GIRL?

Kurup lays the rumours about him and hot young rapper Eve to rest.

W: What about Eve?
KK: Met her when I was down and out…She means more to me as a guide and a light in this business…more than what people think as sexual, a fantasy, or some intimate shit…it has nothing to do with that. The friendship is great…respect her for what she does…just being around (her) and listening and learning… you admire that. You do get to the point where you feel that this is somebody you want to be with, that you want to have sex with them but you have to respect the fact that this is the position they and…you are in…and you have to keep it on that level. That's my girl right there. I wish the best for her…she mek it happen and yuh have to admire that especially from a female (in this business).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nuff Said.

The munchies are kicking in and Kurup has finished all the bite sized Butterfingers...the interview has come to an end. We could continue talking all day but as always, his nokia is blowing up.

Although he faces an uncertain future in this tumultuous music business, it's important to be optimistic. If he sticks to the script, releases his album, and does what needs to be done, Kurup can become a significant force in dancehall music. Straight. Only time will tell.