Rude Kid, The Rising Star

Rude Kid, who has rapidly built a huge following, says, “Bob Marley Award means a whole lot to me because Robert Nesta Marley and the Endurance Award represent me as person, that’s musically speaking.â€?

He is known as RUDE KID-da-REGGAERAP INVENTOR. Four times DC Reggae Artist
of the Year, 2001 Bob Marley Award Winner, 2006 Rap Artist of the Month and
professionally known as the CHAIRMAN & CEO-FOUNDER OF D.A.M COMPANIES, LLC.
Since the inception, D.A.M Companies, LLC, has become the industry’s leader in business development and PR. Busy working on his album, Rude Kid took time off to have an interview with Black Star News.

BSN: How did you come up with your name?
RK:  Well, I was nicknamed “Bulla “G” because I played soccer for Kingston College in Jamaica. I played like one of the Varsity soccer player called “Bulla” thus the name BULLA G when performing “MC BULLA G”. Anyway, after coming to America and traveling back to Jamaica my friend suggested that I change my name, because bulla is a cake. I thought about what girls think I’m sensual, at times they called me rude, hence the name Rude Kid. Drop the boy add the Kid the Kid rocks. Then upon inventing “ReggaeRap” I added reggaerap inventor to market my new genre. The name speaks for itself, Rude Kid-da-ReggaeRap Inventor, affectionately called Rude Kid and a.k.a Young Rude Hefner.

BSN: How would you describe your style?
RK: Well I would describe it as “ReggaeRap”, catchy hooks, vivid vocals, lyrical content, and  intellectual rhythmic flow focused on Respect and Honor, even when I’m having fun. I was on WHBC 830 AM/TV 51 Howard University’s radio station, on Wednesday, I remember telling the interviewer how I invented “ReggaeRap”. I was going to call it dancehall rap, until in the midst of doing my research, I found out that dancehall is not only synonymous “reggae”. For example the hand dance music could be considered dancehall, thus I chose the name “ReggaeRap”.

BSN: Who are your greatest influences in life?
RK: If I tell the truth, the most high, the instrumentals, and my experiences. However, I think Shabba Ranks, Bounty Killer, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Biggie Smalls, Beenieman, Mad Cobra and now Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy and Juelz Santana are some of my biggest influences. I listen to a lot of genres though, including R&B, RAP, Rock, i.e. Creed, Reggae of course.

BSN: You have won many awards, which one means the most to you and why?
RK: They are all very dear to my heart. However the people voted for me for the first “Reggae Award and the 2006 Rap Artist of the Month”, so those really felt special. Bob Marley Award means a whole lot to me because Robert Nesta Marley and the Endurance Award represent me as person, that’s musically speaking. Entrepreneurially, when I heard that I won the Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY), out of all the candidates nationwide that was thrilling, then I was on CNN, Inc. Magazine, Washington Business Journal and
now I use it as springboard for other awards.

BSN: Talk about your companies, D.A.M & R.K.P
RK: D.A.M Companies, LLC is a business development and public relations company, which I founded on one principle that implementation of ideas with substantial relevance would yield exponential growth. Subsequently, we have developed several portfolio companies, including but not limited to C.S.C “Celebrity Style Catering” featured on page 115 of the book “I SAID YES!”, V.U.P “Vibez Universal Productions” featured on page 8 of “MOCHA LOVE” written by Essence Magazine Bestseller S. James Guitard, Imponic Technology, CNN most coveted R.K.P and how can I leave out the recording entity RKELG “Rude Kid Entertainment Label Group” comprised of R.K.E/Mid-Atlantic Records & alma mata labels Winward road Records and Roosevelt Records. R.K.P CNN most coveted is the company that landed me the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, the media reviews from NBC 4, Channel 8, Inc. Magazine, Wall Street Journal, etc. D.A.M Companies, LLC developed R.K.P “Rude Kid Productions” to offer rare name brand apparel and accessories to the community at an affordable price. R.K.P flourished by the support of the Washington DC area, which then got franchised by my brother Kevon Malcolm, and finally went international to community in Jamaica where I grew up Backbush, Mountain View. The demand got high and we expanded to Downtown, Plaza in Kingston, Jamaica managed by my mom Carol Sutherland.

BSN: How do you balance your career between performing and running your
companies?
RK: My balance comes from the ability to manage time based on the law of priority. You know they often speak about Jamaicans having 10 jobs, so I decided to put all my energy in D.A.M Companies, LLC. Generally, it goes something like this on a day-to-day basis. Wake up, eat breakfast, office, phone calls, meetings, conferences, network events, e-mails, radio, TV interviews, proposal writing and song writing at home, library and designer meetings at night, university on Tuesdays evenings, studios at night and the weekend, and generally performances on the weekends. I try to get at least eight hours of beauty sleep and the other 16 hrs is D.A.M Companies, LLC. Of course, I drop by to see the family and here and there the personals is permitted.

BSN: You donated some money to “Droit de cite,” why did you endorse them in
such a way?
RK: It was a business deal, a conduit, Vibez Universal, LLC one of the companies I developed would be one of the event manager for the Tour de France. We booked Tanya Blount “then BadBoy Recording artist”, and I recorded the song “Fais de E, Fais de O” for the album because we saw it as one, the fundraiser for the organization and the event. My mentor then, Patrice Tsague, introduced us to Jean Pier Masdua and the Team of DDC. We met in DC, did several business transactions, flew to Paris, France, where they officially chose me and my company Vibez Universal, LLC over some pretty formidable companies. The agreement was that I would give them the sale of the single, for a worthy cause DDC, which  means “For the Rights of People”.

I took  the deal because it’s a worthy cause, I would get some experience managing an International event, performing and then I would be able to deal with the distributors in Paris, France. The single ended up doing well over 100,000 units. Clive Davis, formerly of Arista Records, now of J records, showed, myself and Tanya Blount closed the act at La Cigal Theatre.

BSN: Have you done any more charity work?
RK: Yes, in fact I just performed at a family re-union for 10% of going rate. I donated my song to Mid-Night Forum/Way Too Cool To Smoke, $2,500 in video services from V.U.P to National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (N.F.T.E), $15,000 worth of clothing to NAFFCA ( National Association of Former Foster Care Children of America), $2,000 to Hurricane Katrina,  and $10,000 in items to Salvation Army. I speak and teach at schools especially NFTE schools, made a special visit to Oak Hill Prison lecturing the boys, saved the Boys Girls Club in Langley Park, MD, from Closing twice, and more recently to YEAR UP/Training Grounds for 10% of my hourly speaking rate, this is all done through my foundation D.A.M Foundation.

BSN: When can we expect an album from you?
RK: Well the demo album is out right now. I’m focused on fundraising from venture capitalist and/or P&D label deal/Record Deal. I’ve received a lot of approaches, offers of vehicles, contracts, houses, etc. I’m waiting for the right deal.

Contact:  Denton A. Malcolm, CEI. PH: 206-984-0812. email : [email protected]
www.myspace.com/rudekiddareggaerapinventor or www.myspace.com/rudekid_rke
and www.damcoworldwide.com

Ocen Allimadi is The Black Star News’s music editor.

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One thought on “Rude Kid, The Rising Star

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