With his talent for witty and detailed storytelling as one of his calling cards, Jamaican star deejay/rapper Kiprich has amassed a string of #1 dancehall hits over the past few years and is poised to take that success to a wider audience.
After a sizzling performance at Sting International recently, Kiprich has released the long-anticipated new single, “Party Time on Miami-based Togetherness Records, to tremendous support from selectors from New York to Negril. “Party Time, rapid-fire rhymes over an energetic fusion of thumping techno bass lines and searing rock guitar riffs meshed into a hip-hop infused dancehall rhythm track, is the first single from Kiprichs as-yet-untitled third album, schedule for a late 2010 release. It is an entirely different direction for this multitalented artist, and one that is positioning him for crossover success.
“People have never heard me this way, says Kiprich about the song. “I am just trying something new to put my music out there and breakthrough to a wider market.
Over the past few years, Kiprich has amassed a succession of hits including “Real Bad Man, the Jamaican chart topper “Mad Sick Head No Good (featuring Predator) and one of the biggest hits of the decade, “Telephone Ting, produced by (Shaggys manager) Robert Livingston. “Telephone Ting humorously portrays the problems the 24/7 access of mobile phones can create in a relationship. It quickly attained popularity across Jamaica, then reached number one on the South Florida and New York reggae charts, in the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent and in the African nation of Kenya, but the greatest testament to the songs popularity was the many answer tunes it spawned, culminating in Kippos response, “The Letter, an engaging country and western-reggae hybrid that cleverly details his welcome return to basic forms of correspondence with his girlfriends, devoid of a digital footprint. Both songs propelled Kiprichs career to a greater level of visibility while demonstrating the realistic and witty depictions of everyday situations that characterize his exceptional songwriting skills. “Bun Fi Bun, an illustration of an unwelcomed outcome surrounding marital infidelity, followed by the sultry R&B flavored “Forty and Over, featuring veteran female deejay Junie Platinum portraying the cougar in a May/December relationship solidified his stature as a hit maker and broadened his fan base to include Japan, where he would perform to tens of thousands of fans.
Kiprich closed out the decade with another #1 single, “Nuh Ugly So (featuring deejay Black-er), a comical, upbeat tribute to women sung to a traditional Jamaican mento rhythm, which earned him two nominations (“Male Deejay of the Year and “Collaboration of the Year) at Jamaicas 2010 Excellence in Music and Entertainment Awards (EME).
With his dancehall fan base firmly secured by more than 10 years worth of hits, Kiprich, is now concentrating on penetrating the musical mainstream. His forthcoming album, recorded at Miamis Hit Factory, will feature several songs that balance his dancehall reggae roots with the farther-reaching accessibility of pop, hip-hop and R&B.
“This is the first time I am thinking that way about an album, intentionally targeting the crossover market, he admits.
“I am sure there is a market is out there for my music because my songs have already gone to number one in several countries. I listen to and know how to write in all different genres of music and anybody, no matter where they are from, can relate to the topics I write about.
For more on Kiprich, check out www.myspace.com/kiprich
Listen to Kiprich Party Time”