KipRich hopes to run ‘Riot’ with new single

Dancehall artiste KipRich aims to "shake up dancehall" with his recent single Riot, which the former 'Sting Clash Champion' said serves as a "wake-up call" that he is ready for a lyrical war in order to "revive the clash culture" and the lyrical part of dancehall.

"Everybody just become a fan a [Vybz] Kartel life and just a watch Kartel a duh him thing like a TV," KipRich said with a laugh. "Di place just become quiet and mi want back dah life deh and di joy inna music because even Sting itself get wata dung because it lack dah clash energy deh. Suh di people dem neeven feel di vibe fi waah guh to a Sting any more. Plus, the people dem keep complaining that the music dying but nobody's doing anything to keep it alive," KipRich told THE STAR.

KipRich, who demolished the late Merciless at Sting in 2011, stressed that clashes keep Jamaican musical culture "unique and alive".

"It kinda a fade out [but] clashing is a part a wi culture...and out deh inna di world, people love and identify with dah whole vibe deh coming from Jamaica and di whole clashing ting is what keep our dancehall thing going. It does a lot for dancehall and di whole culture because sound clash will never stop happening and dat a one addi biggest ting dem weh we have outta Jamaica that many other [countries] don't have. Dat draw more people to our artistes and musical culture because of what we represent; wi always keep dem pon dem toes," he shared.

Riot has evoked mixed reactions from the music fraternity while also being referred to as a 'Beenie Man diss'. But KipRich insisted this is not so.

"Wi nuh mean nutten serious, wi just a have fun and a try get di business active again - like get back to weh di people dem used to with good lyrical content from artiste. Dem nuh waah siddung every day a watch weh who do over TikTok and watch weh Kartel a seh today," he said. "Wi nuh have no bad intent or bad vibes against Beenie because mi respect Beenie Man, down to di grung him walk pon."

The Telephone Ting singjay said though he had previously withdrawn from clashes, due to being labelled as just a 'clash artiste', he is now more mature and ready to re-enter the ring.

"If wi rest it fi a while and nobody naah tek it up, wi affi revive it suh somebody else can follow through. Yuh have di new generation of artiste weh nuh understand and neva live di real clash experience, suh mi kinda waah show dem now seh wi can dweet dah way yah weh clean and nice, nobody naah hurt nobody. Wi just a talk some lyrics and have fun," KipRich stated.

He also suggested that removing clash from Sting as was previously announced for last year's staging, pushed supporters away from di brand.

"People not interested if dem nuh hear bout a clash going on at Sting because as dem see a Sting poster come out dem ask 'Suh who ago clash dis year?' Dem waah fi hear artiste come wid dem A-game and a throw word. Sting is not a [Reggae] Sumfest suh yuh can't come wid beach party. Sting is not a pretty show, the patrons dem weh guh to Sting, a mainly because addi whole war vibe," he added.

He is set to embark on his England tour in February, while promising to take on more local shows.