Kyper made himself into a household name in the 90’s with his pop-disco-rap mix track “Tic Tac Toe”, which dominated the Billboard charts and the club scene. The Atlanta artist has been a mainstay in the industry for the best part of three decades DJ’ing and producing. Having recently releases some sensational tunes such as “Mr G” and “Dying“, we sat down with Kyper to find out more about the man behind the music.
Tell us about how you first discovered your love for music?
Growing up, my parents always played a variety of music in the house. I would always dance for entertainment and at age 5, I began performing. As I leaned more towards urban freestyle dance cultures, I grew more fond of the electronic music sounds. In elementary I began playing the drums and in middle school my father purchased my first set of drums. That’s when my love for music really took off!
What are some of your career highlights?
There are several, but to keep things short: One of my biggest was my live appearance on Club MTV and being interviewed by Downtown Julie Brown. Reaching platinum sales after signing my first major recording deal and landing several positions on the billboard charts would be another.
When did you first fall in love with dance music?
In high school, I was asked by my school band director to play drums in his band. I wasn’t old enough to play in night clubs, but if you had a chaperone with parents’ consent, it was legal. My parents agreed with a stipulation that I kept up good grades and my band director agreed to get me home immediately after the gigs. We played a lot of up tempo dance club music and I would often hear lots of dance music playing in the clubs.
For those who haven’t listened to any of your tunes, which would be your top three to recommend?
“Tic Tac Toe” for the electro rap style, “What Gets Your Body Hyped (XTC)” because it was the first song in recorded history named XTC, that was released with references about ecstasy, so much so that it remained underground due to all of the controversial elements and still hit the billboard club chart, and “Dying” because it was my personal tribute to one of my most influential electronic musicians.
What has been your biggest career achievement so far?
I would say reaching gold and platinum sales status with “Tic Tac Toe” and the Tic Tac Toe album.
Who are some of your musical influences?
There so many, but in this lifetime I would say, Kraftwerk, Daft Punk, Africa Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force, Roger Troutman & Zapp, Midnight Star, The Prodigy, Peter Frampton, Prince, The Time, Dirty Bird Music and Major Lazor
Do you have any hobbies aside from music?
Yes I’m a martial artist and I love hot rods.
Who would be your dream collaboration?
Kraftwerk, Nile Rogers or Daft Punk.
What milestone in your career will you think “I’ve made it”?
Made it to what? Haha! To me that would depend on the goal and margins set. I guess a Grammy or two would be a nice goal to set. Heaven would be a number 1. 🙂
Finally, what can we expect from Kyper in the coming year?
More electronic experimental music with electro rap on top of hard hitting Bass groves. I am also gonna seek more collaborations with electro and tech house artists and DJs .
Follow Kyper online:
Follow Kyper, the man behind “Tic Tac Toe” and other memorable 90’s hits, on SoundCloud and Facebook.
