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Rupee
Rupee
	I Love Soca 2014 - Mangos, South Beach
Background information
Birth name	Rupert Clarke
Also known as	Rupee
Born	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 his stage name Rupee, is a soca musician from Barbados.^[1]^[2] He was born in the military barracks in Germany to a German mother and a Bajan father, who was serving in the British Armed Forces at the time. He later migrated to Barbados. He was signed to Atlantic Records.

Early life

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 his West 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 at Harrison College.

Career

1997–2000: Coalishun

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 more dancehall oriented, Rupee would find himself settling into the soca genre, a genre indigenous to Trinidad and Tobago. This was marked by the release of his first hit single, "Ice Cream".

2000–present: Solo

"Ice Cream" was followed by a string of hit songs from three self-released solo albums. "Jump", from his first album, won Rupee repeated Road March titles at carnivals in Barbados, New York City, Miami, Boston and Toronto. "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 with Atlantic Records, as well as the first single from his 1 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 the Barbados Community College, he remained in that field for some time, working with two public relations/advertising agencies in Barbados.

Discography

Albums

2001: Blame On It de Music
2002: Leave a Message
2003: Thisisrupee.com
2004: 1 on 1

Singles

2004: "Tempted to Touch"
2004: "What Happens in de Party"
2005: "Hands Up"
2006: "Massage"
2006: "Frenzy"
2007: "Slow Motion"
2008: "Magnet to Steel"
2008: "Living Lies"
2008: "Feet Don't Fail Me Now"
2009: "Standing Up Against the Law"
2009: "Single Ladies"
2010: "All Night Long"
2010: "Everybody"
2011: "I Am a Bajan"
2011: "How High"
2012: "Snake in the Grass"
2013: "My Day"
2013: "Nothing Sweeter"
2014: "Ah Playin Mas"
2015: "Footprints"
2015: "M.I.A (Missing in Action)"
2016: "Counting My Blessings"
2016: "I'll Be OK"
2016: "Tipsy"
2018: "Dip Down"
2018: "I've Got You Girl"
2018: "Perfect Fit"
2019: "Think Twice"
2019: "Most Wanted"

Collaborations

2003: "Enjoy Yourself" feat. Red Rat
2003: "If You Only Knew" feat. Destra Garcia
2004: "Tempted to Touch" feat. Daddy Yankee
2005: "Do the Damn Thing" feat. Lil' Kim
2006: "Hurricane" feat. Rihanna
2007: "Hey Mami" feat. Wisin & Yandel
2007: "Game of Love and Unity" feat. Shaggy & Fay-Ann Lyons
2008: "Push Up on Me" feat. Thara
2008: "No te veo" with Jowell & Randy feat. Pitbull, Nina Sky & Swizz Beatz
2013: "On Parade" feat. Nikita
2013: "Vamos a bailar" feat. Calero
2016: "No Name" Rupee x Ricardo Drue
2018: "Tempted to Touch" feat. Zaeden

Achievements

Apart from dominating the charts in the Caribbean, Rupee has also gone gold in Japan and in most of Europe. Furthermore, "Do the Damn Thing", a bonus track from his album 1 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 and Road March titles not only in Barbados, but also at West 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 Jamaican Shaggy and Trinidadian Fay-Ann Lyons recorded the official song for the 2007 Cricket World Cup - "The Game of Love and Unity" - written by Rupee.^[4]

He has worked with artists such as Rihanna, Shaggy, Thara Prashad, Fay-Ann Lyons, Alison Hinds, Lil' Kim, Daddy Yankee, Wisin & Yandel, Red Rat, Destra Garcia.

In 2011 during the Crop Over festival season, Rupee won the Starcom Network group of radio station's title of "People's Monarch" with his song "I Am a Bajan".^[5]