by Howard Campbell
SOUTH FLORIDA – There’s nothing that gets a fete going in Trinidad than good, old time calypso. Which is what singer Kalpee went for on Gimme de Ting, his latest song.
Released August 12 by British company, Absolute Label Services, Gimme de Ting has a throwback vibe reminiscent of Lord Kitchener, the Trinidadian calypso legend whose music Kalpee heard as a boy in the town of Chaguanas.
Three weeks after it was released, a remix of Gimme de Ting came out with Stefflon Don, a British deejay of Jamaican descent.
“When I was growing up I heard all the greats in my house. Everybody would be dancing and the kind of vibe I want my music to have,” said Kalpee.
The 27 year-old artist is best known for the song No One, which was a pop hit in parts of Europe and Asia three years ago. At the time, he was signed to Sony Dubai.
While he enjoyed being with a major label, Kalpee said he didn’t have the freedom to produce his type of music.
“No One was the first song I put out as a serious artist, so there might have been pressure for a follow-up (hit single). Now, I don’t think there’s any pressure to change my sound,” he stated.
Gimme de Ting is co-produced by Kalpee and The ANMLS. It is the lead single from Feel Good Playlist Vol .1, Kalpee’s second EP which is expected out in October.
Home, his first EP, was released last year.
The 27 year-old Kalpee was born Christian Kalpee in Canada but raised in central Trinidad. Typically, he was raised on a steady diet of calypso and soca but like most of his peers, tunes into other genres such as dancehall and hip hop.
Having a Stefflon Don on Gimme de Ting is strategic. She is best known for the 2017 song Hurtin’ Me, a big hit with French Montana.
