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Rupee | |
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 I Love Soca 2014 - Mangos, South Beach | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Rupert Clarke |
| Also known as | Rupee |
| Born | (1975-09-10)September 10, 1975 (age 49) Germany |
| Origin | Barbados |
| Genres | Soca |
| Occupation(s) | Musician,producer,songwriter |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1997–2000 (group) 2000–present (solo) |
| Labels | Independent |
Rupert Clarke (born September 10, 1975), best known by hisstage nameRupee, is asoca musician fromBarbados.[1][2] He was born in the military barracks in Germany to aGerman mother and aBajan father, who was serving in theBritishArmed Forces at the time. He later migrated to Barbados. He was signed toAtlantic Records.
By the age of nine, Rupee had lived in three different countries - Germany, England, and Barbados.
Spending his first years in England, he was exposed to a contrast of sounds which reflected his parents' diverse backgrounds:calypso on the side of hisWest Indian father, pop and rock and roll from his mother. He and his siblings would often perform on stage, coming up with all sorts of chants, rhymes and antics to tease the audience. Rupee eventually moved to Barbados in 1985. He had his first major break after winning the Richard Stoute Teen Talent Competition in 1993, when he was a schoolboy atHarrison College.
Rupee emerged on the local soca scene after being invited to join the then popular Bajan band, Coalishun, along with singers like Terencia Coward and Adrian Clarke in 1997. Though initially moredancehall oriented, Rupee would find himself settling into the soca genre, a genre indigenous toTrinidad and Tobago. This was marked by the release of his first hit single, "Ice Cream".
"Ice Cream" was followed by a string of hit songs from three self-released solo albums. "Jump", from his first album, won Rupee repeatedRoad March titles at carnivals in Barbados,New York City,Miami,Boston andToronto. "Tempted to Touch", from his second album, enjoyed over two years of international club play, spreading to urban and pop radio in Toronto and Miami. It became the catalyst for Rupee’s worldwide deal withAtlantic Records, as well as the first single from his1 on 1 album released in December 2004. The album itself introduced elements of flamenco and gospel into soca music.[3]
Before deciding to pursue music full-time, Rupee explored other careers. After completing an associate degree in Graphic Arts from theBarbados Community College, he remained in that field for some time, working with two public relations/advertising agencies in Barbados.
Apart from dominating the charts in the Caribbean, Rupee has also gone gold inJapan and in most of Europe. Furthermore, "Do the Damn Thing", a bonus track from his album1 On 1, recently featured in an episode of the American TV series,Desperate Housewives.
Over the years, Rupee has amassed a number of Party Monarch andRoad March titles not only in Barbados, but also atWest Indian Carnivals in the United States and Canada. His most popular hits have included "Ice Cream", "Jump" and the internationally released "Tempted to Touch" and "What Happens in de Party".
In 2007, Rupee along with JamaicanShaggy and TrinidadianFay-Ann Lyons recorded the official song for the2007 Cricket World Cup - "The Game of Love and Unity" - written by Rupee.[4]
He has worked with artists such asRihanna, Shaggy,Thara Prashad, Fay-Ann Lyons,Alison Hinds,Lil' Kim,Daddy Yankee,Wisin & Yandel, Red Rat, Destra Garcia.
In 2011 during theCrop Over festival season, Rupee won theStarcom Network group of radio station's title of "People's Monarch" with his song "I Am a Bajan".[5]
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