Chamikara

Hip Hop has nothing to do with raising kids - Fatman Scoop

Chamikara Weerasinghe

New York City Hip Hop Hype Man Fatman Scoop performed at the Mount Lavinia Hotel on the 31st night delighting a full packed house at the hotel's Beach Paradise to mark the New Year's dawning. The event had been organised by the Mount Lavinia Hotel, H2O and Nelu's Advertising.

The hip hop's hype man Fatman Scoop, famed for his on-stage rough and loud voice across the world, got everyone at Beach Paradise hyped on no sooner than he hit the stage and went on with singles like, "Dance ".

"The night is flowin, got me goin
I am the main attraction growin
Gotta feel it in your system
When you hear the drums and the banger rhythm Lumidee
As you gonna miss me, you won't forget me
Straight rock the spot like you just let me (dance),
Huh I'm a little too much myself
Still into dancing scream it loud Y' all"

And that is what happened there with Scoop in control.

The two time Grammy award winner made the house dancing, yelling, jumping, singing and feeling to a high powered professional rap and hip hop act.

Scoop had bagged the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song, Loose Control with Missy Elliot and Ciara in 2005 and another Grammy for Best short form of video, Loose Control in the same year.

He took his first Grammy as a part of Mariah Carey's win for Best Contemporary R & B Album.

I met Scoop at the Mount Lavinia Hotel lobby on January 1. The artist was sitting on a couch with his beautiful wife Shanda, and seemed more or less nervous to field questions.

*What does music mean to you? What does your style, rap and hip hop music mean to you?

Ah, what does music mean to me? To me music is important to say what I feel and do what I want to do. Yeah it's all about what you wanna be.

*How did your show go with Sri Lankan fans the other day?

Oh it was great here with them. I never expected the show to be this successful. It was an unbelievable

 response from them. It was amazing that those who came that night knew my songs and sang them. Oh, they were fantastic. I never thought that the show was going to make such an impact. In fact it was more than I expected.

*Any special observations you have made about Sri Lankan people and their culture?

Oh yeah, your ladies wear the most beautiful dress I have ever seen. The saree. That dress is so nice that it displays the beauty of a woman's body without exposing it. It was wonderful to see Sri Lankan women in sarees. I think it's the nicest dress that a woman can wear.

*Are you working on a new album?

Yes, I am currently working on my new first full-length album.

*So why don't you make use of visuals women wearing sarees in that album.

Oh yeah, It's a good idea. I like doing new things. Hmmm..

*Lyrical content of many rap songs have come under fire by critics mostly because they contain indecent slang and vulgar language. The children listen to them. Do you have anything to say about this situation?

Yes. The parents will have to do something about it. Not the rap artists. You may have seen Arnold Schwazeneggar going on killing children in the movie "The Terminator." One cannot expect Schwazeneggar to raise one's kids. The parents must do it.

*But this stuff is spread through music, especially with rap and hip hop.

Then, it must be decided that the children could be kept away from that stuff. That means hip hop has nothing to do with raising kids. The parents must decide what to do with their kids.

*Is rap and hip hop music an extension of R&B?

Most definitely yes.

*Do you like to come back to Sri Lanka again?

Oh yes. I would love to come back to Sri Lanka. I would not miss coming here if someone should invite me to.

People are so friendly. I was staying at Mount Lavinia hotel and the hotel staff's hospitality was excellent. I feel happy in Sri Lanka.

Time to create R&B without copying

Nadira Gunatilleke

There is no doubt that R&B and hip-hop music are two of the most popular trends in the world today including Sri Lanka. The creativity of almost all R&B and hip-hop singers are beyond question. But how successful some local musicians are when copying foreign creations? The question is why copy foreign music videos when there is enough local talent to create our own songs?

Ne-Yo, the latest R&B sensation is one fine example for creativity. This young lyricist and singer who took the world by storm in one night by singing the song 'So sick' and some other songs exactly knows what he does. He creates his music videos within his own culture and language but attracts the whole world. We call it creativity.

50 cent is another good example for creativity and popularity. He hit the world music scene before Ne-Yo and became popular all over the world. He sings about real life, culture and problems.

Almost all rap and R&B singers use casual wear and show off their billions worth jewellery in all their music videos. They use ribald language. That is their culture. But where is our culture in our rap and R&B music? Some of our singers wear American outfits in Sinhala music videos and rap in English!

But it is sad to see how some of our prominent and popular Sri Lankan singers reproduce the same music videos in Sinhala without bothering to change a single thing. Fortunately the majority of the local fans are not aware of the original music videos done in English.

For an example 'Angel', one of the music videos produced by world famous singer Shaggy, has been reproduced in Sri Lanka. The local music video is the exact copy of the original. The local singer and models wear American outfits and make exact moves copying the original as a whole.

It is sad to see how some talented local musicians copy foreign music videos without formulating their own creations. What we need is creating our own music and conquering the world music scene like how one of our talented young singing sensations Ashanthi did. It is time to introduce something 'Sri Lankan' to the world music scene.

Police reunion rumours reaching fever pitch

Rumors are swirling that the Police will reunite for 2007 dates in England and the United States, which would be the legendary trio's first since disbanding in 1986. Sources tell Billboard.com the reports are legitimate but would not publicly comment until final details are nearer to completion.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of "Roxanne," the single that broke the Police in the United States. "Discussions have been underway as to how this will be commemorated," reads a post on Sting's Web site attributed to an A&M spokesperson. "While we can confirm that there will indeed be something special done to mark the occasion, the depth of the band's involvement still remains undetermined."

Sources say in addition to DVD releases, A&M is planning another multi-disc collection in the vein of 1993's "Message in a Box," which featured the band's complete studio recordings and a handful of rarities.

A Police reunion has been the concert industry's dream for two decades, as it is believed the band could play stadiums internationally should it choose to reunite. But besides an impromptu set at Sting's 1992 wedding to Trudie Styler, the Police's only other post-breakup performance was in celebration of its 2003 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

And while Sting has repeatedly expressed reluctance at reuniting, drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers have kept the flame alive. This summer, Summers told Billboard he was certain the group could have continued on past its 1983 commercial peak with "Synchronicity."

"The more rational approach would have been, 'OK, Sting, go make a solo record, and let's get back together in two or three years,'" he said. "I'm certain we could have done that. Of course we could have. We were definitely not in a creative dry space. We could have easily carried on, and we could probably still be there. That wasn't to be our fate.

It went in another way. I regret we never paid it off with a last tour. We snuck out the back door, which is what we were told to do, until it just became too frustrating to lie about it."