KipRich keeping up with the times - Dancehall entertainer says reinvention is key in staying relevant
Published:Wednesday | March 18, 2020 | 12:00 AMStephanie Lyew/Gleaner Writer
Dancehall entertainer-songwriter KipRich says that he has been busy reinventing himself. KipRich, who entered the local music scene with dramatic lyrical content, told The Gleaner, “A lot has changed.”
“Is modern times now, so you have to come with modern things. Artistes are tested to talk about things that are happening now in the best and most creative way they can,” KipRich continued.
He used the power of the pen to put on a play on relationship drama with singles such as Telephone Ting, Leggo Di Bwoy, Mi A Check In , and Baby Mama Drama, which earned him a wide audience, and also cemented his name as a Billboard-charting songwriter in the early 2000s. In 2003, he wrote the lyrics for Elephant Man’s Jook Gal, whose remix with hip hop megastar Twista made it to the Billboard Top 100 charts and catapulted him into mainstream success.
“I am the drama king. I can write lyrics about man-and-woman issues at the snap of a finger, and I find it is always relatable. Both sexes search them partner phone and mash up their relationships. That’s how Telephone Ting came about. Then Mi A Check In is a ‘bun fi bun’-inspired track, and everybody can understand what is ‘babymother drama’. They were all ‘off topics’ people were afraid to speak about,” he said.
“When I did drama songs, in the moment I felt the need for it, but I never wanted to stay in that lane … . My brand is not only for drama-themed lyrics. It is way bigger than that. I don’t want to get bored or bore anybody, plus, it is very competitive, so you always have to be thinking and trying new things, so I am keeping up with the times, improving lyrical content, and sound.”
Though inspired by everyday drama, KipRich is not focused on writing any songs about the coronavirus crisis.
Instead, he says he is waiting to see the impact the outbreak will have on his next move and is getting ready to promote new music.
“I have a lot of events pending at the moment, and I am watching to see how we as a world get it under control, for everybody’s life to get back on track.
I was to go to Europe in months to come, and that is uncertain, but I can’t wait to get back on the road to do my duties,” he said.
Something new
New sound aside, KipRich says he has also been on a journey of self-improvement.
“I am keeping the image up also, so I can pretty much say the image is something new for those who have not seen me as yet. I have been working out, and all that,” he said about his muscular physique.
The dancehall singjay recently wrapped up the recording of his new single, Dancehall Gyallis, and the music video in Jamaica and also worked on the collaboration, titled Double Rich, with Real Rich, better known as Tanto Blacks.