Peppa Pot: Wha Gwan?

Lyrikal: Working, doing a lot of shows all over di place from New York to Houston, Texas. I have a lot of music coming out. I have a reggae song just released called Black Princess, produced by Sean Da MastaMind. The latest song I did was a feature on Chantwell s song.

Peppa Pot: Houston? Caribbean music is big in Houston?

Lyrikal: Actually it is and growing. I didn t even know it was like that until I went there. They have a Carnival too, around July 4th Weekend. It s not a s big as Trinidad, Brooklyn, or other states such as Boston and Washington that has had Carnival for years. But it s growing; everybody is loving the music and the culture.

Peppa Pot: Now you normally do soca / raga soca songs, why a reggae song?

Lyrikal: You can tell from the style of music that I do - it stems from reggae music. In the 80 s when I was growing up reggae was huge - reggae was always big and it had a great influence on us in Trinidad and the whole Caribbean. I never used to sing soca actually, I start off singing reggae. Sometimes I like to venture, not do soca alone, show my versatility.

Peppa Pot: Tell us about Soca Warriors.

Lyrikal: It s no news to anybody that Trinidad and Tobago made it to the World Cup. Big up the Soca Warriors. Being from Trinidad it s appropriate for me to write a song about the Soca Warriors. The song breaks down certain things that goes in a game and the mind frame of a warrior. A lot of people like the song because they can relate to the lyrical content. I think that really happens in a football game - whether playing soccer, basketball or whatever - just a warrior mind frame.

Peppa Pot: I read that you used to play football (soccer). How good of a player were you?

Lyrikal: I played forward. I was real good, not to brag or boast or anything. I was real athletic when I was small, I used to run track for Trinidad. Even up here when I came. When I came up here I was once voted MVP.

Peppa Pot: On the Soca Warriors team who do you favor?

Lyrikal: I like Lassa P because he was always a good player but when he came back to the team he brought experience. He played on the first team that tried out for the World Cup. I big up everybody from the goalies to the coaches.

Peppa Pot: Early in your career you only concentrated on lyrics when did you incorporate melody in your repertoire?

Lyrikal: That s when I started recording, taking it the studio. It was probably 1994 when I really started recording. When you just coming out you sing on the street, in the park, for people - but when you go into the studio that s where the discipline come in. You don t want to sing something people can t move to. Dangermentals was one of the first producers I worked with out of the Dangermentals studio. He taught me melody and certain style to catch people. If you don t catch them they won t even listen to your lyrics, it will be irrelevant.

Peppa Pot: You ve often been compared to Bunji Garlin do you feel that s a fair comparison?

Lyrikal: I hear that a lot. Bunji is a good artist. When I first met Bunji he already knew my style and I of course knew his. I don t see a comparison. The only comparison I see that we a dread and he s lyrical as I am. But he has a different style than me - certain phrases and things he says and I have phrases I say. He does Raga Soca, he chants I chant. There s a whole lot of people who chant such as Maximus, and KMC. I don t really sweat it me and Bunji real cool.

Peppa Pot:Well I guess they draw that comparison because Bunji was one of the first artists to come sing Soca with a heavy concentration on lyrics.

Lyrikal: He was one of the first to make it ok to be this way in the Soca market. That is why I tip my hat to Bunji because he received all di fight down and crossed a lot of bridges we don t have to cross. He take all that pressure on his shoulders and run with it. Big up to Bunji all the time.

Peppa Pot: How do you stay on top of your lyrics?

Lyrikal: I read a lot. I m always on the computer reading. I watch a lot of, not movies, but programs like discovery channel, animal planet. I listen too. A lot of people don t understand - listening - you learn a lot by listening. You might be talking and I might listen to everything you say - saying nothing - and I just take all the good things you say keep it in and throw all the bad out.

Peppa Pot: I hope when you re on the computer reading you re checking out Peppa Pot also.

Lyrikal: [Laughs] Of course, of course, of course, I always check out peppapot.com. I read different things going on in the Caribbean - Trinidad, Jamaica, Guyana.

Peppa Pot: How do you feel about what s going on in Trinidad right now - in terms of the crime rate. Like Jamaica, Trinidad also has a crime rate that is escalating.

Lyrikal: It s crazy. Right now in Trinidad a lot of blame has to be placed on the government. First of all a lot of crime going on, some of these people [committing crimes] are athletic, have passes from school, or have 1014 passes - why can t they get a job? We are the backbone to all the countries. Many people don t understand and say it because we re a third world country. But we supply the whole world with oil. Why people who go to college for all these years can t get a decent job paying decent money? Government is not opening those spots and people hungry. It s not right for people to be bussing gun but sometimes people don t have another choice. That s just the mentality people have.

We singing stop the crime stop the crime but they re not eating at the end of the day. Anything in life start from your head and that s the government and the leaders. Jr. Gong Marley, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Jay-Z, to whoever went to Trinidad and said stop the violence - it hasn t stopped. Not to say that the music doesn t have power but at the end of the day you seeing someone on stage - them eating a food. That s how people in the ghetto think - like they eating and telling we stop the violence and the government not providing no jobs, why should we stop? It s not right but they re back against the wall.

When the government open doors everything will go down [crime]. If you open one community center that s about 25 people getting a job right there. If you was on the street you re getting a job in the community center. It s not as if they don t have money, Trinidad is not a poor country.

Peppa Pot: Are you currently working on an album?

Lyrikal: Definitely. Right now we re creating the buzz with "De Hunter", "Straight To Germany", and other songs. We re trying to make the buzz a little bigger and bring the album most likely a little after Carnival. We re creating the buzz in different states and countries.

Right now I don t have a name for the album. I have about 80 something songs in the stash. I don t know which songs will be picked for the album.

Peppa Pot: Many of your songs are geared towards the ladies.

Lyrikal: [laughs] I learned it from 2Pac, Biggie, Jay-Z, ect. Once you sing for the ladies you can t loose. Fellas go anywhere the ladies are. If you don t like my style of music and you see 10 ladies like my style and come to my shows you ll come too. Ladies don t really follow men. Once I have the ladies smiling - that s what really makes my night.

Peppa Pot: I ve been to a couple of your shows and have seen first hand the reaction from the ladies.

Lyrikal: The ladies show me love. Big up the fellas too but the ladies are more passionate they make you feel more special. I have songs for the guys too like 21 gun salute and the ganja songs but I m more for the ladies.

Peppa Pot:Alright when the album drops don t forget to check us. Any last big ups?

Lyrikal:Tasha, Shawn Da Mastamind, Impact 2, I waan big up Frankie Beats, for endorsing all of my music. All the DJ s, all the radio stations, promoters, supports of Lyrikal, supports of Soca music, and all the supporters of music across di board. Music is music we don t segregate anything.

To listen to Lyrikal s music Click Here