Arif Cooper remembered as a mentor

As the media and entertainment fraternities mourn the loss of popular disc jockey and producer Arif ‘Supa Coop’ Cooper, several members have been paying tribute and respects.

Cooper, who had spun his last tune at Recall Throwback Festival, Saturday night at the Police Officers Club was pronounced dead after fainting during his performance. Speaking with The Gleaner, FAME presenter and colleague Rochelle Mitchell remembers him as a great mentor.

“Arif Cooper was an awesome human being. I met him during my time as senior producer at FAME 95FM and we developed an unconventional friendship as he was also like a big brother to me. He would give a listening ear, a kind word, or a hug when I needed it. Whenever I needed his advice, his counsel was always formidable and welcome. And, no matter how busy he was, he made the time to reach out and check in on me. His last words to me were, ‘Sleep well.’ And I said ‘You too,’ not knowing that would be our last conversation. I will miss him; my friend is gone. But I am proud of who he was and the legacy he has left behind. Sleep well, superstar ‘Supa Coop’,” she shared.

Selector and host Darrielle ‘Tripple X’ Cummings also shared similar sentiments.

“Arif was easy to talk to. He was the type of person to give people their flowers and give people their respect. Definitely a ‘watch-more, talk-less’ person and every time he spoke to you, you could guarantee that it was something extremely potent, based on the things he saw you doing. He would give you constructive criticism. Some of it may not be what you want to hear, but he had a way of delivering criticism that made you just want better. He was one of those persons who could pull out the best in anybody. Trust me, there are not many figures like him in the music industry right now, especially at this calibre or the resume that he has and to be as humble as he was. I honestly can’t see anybody in the music industry like him,” Cummings said.

STELLAR MUSICAL APTITUDE

He further said that Cooper had stellar musical aptitude that made him a cut above the rest. Cummings shared that his fondest memory of him was a time when he displayed this prowess at a party in Spanish Town.

“He was playing the night and I remember when the selectors were playing the more trending songs and Arif went on and said, ‘Come on everybody, come on everybody’ and it was pure young people there dancing to all the hits from the ‘60s and ‘70s. He wasn’t speaking any at all, he was just playing music. Arif just changed the dance and I was like this man nah get the flowers dem wah him deserve. I went to him and shook his hand and say ‘Hey Supa, you bad enuh’, and he was like ‘A work mi come fi work enuh’, and the humility that he took it with I was like Jah know star. He will be truly missed,” he continued.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Babsy Grange on Sunday paid tribute to the talented musician, producer, disc jock and broadcaster.

“It is so sad that another of our outstanding personalities in the music industry has left us suddenly and at such a relatively young age. We saw Arif following his famous father, Michael ‘Ibo’ Cooper, a founder of Third World Band, into music and making his own name here in Jamaica and on the international scene where he entertained audiences in a number of United States cities and in Japan. Arif’s versatility was one of the huge features of the man and was greatly admired by his colleagues in the music industry, especially those whose careers benefitted from his talent, and by his fans,” the minister said in a press release.

Cooper spent the majority of his life around music, being the son of popular musician and co-founder of the band Third World, Ibo Cooper. He began working at Fame FM in 1998 and has been a part of their family ever since. He has also worked closely with many popular Jamaican deejays including Vybz Kartel, Aidonia, Wayne Marshall, Alkaline and Konshens. He shared his last piece of work earlier Saturday titled So Much To Give Thanks For in collaboration with Ginjah.

aaliyah.cunningham@gleanerjm.com