Soca star Rupee’s ‘Tempted to Touch’ certified gold by RIAA

Bajan soca artiste Rupee’s (Rupert Clarke) Tempted to Touch has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The RIAA has honoured music’s best through its Gold and Platinum Awards Programme for the past 60 years. When an artiste earns a Gold and Platinum certification, they join the ranks of an elite group of beloved musicians.

The 2004 hit track Tempted to Touch was included on Billboard’s 12 Best Dancehall and Reggaeton Choruses of the 21st Century at number five. The song reached number 44 on the UK Singles Chart and number 39 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

“Naturally, getting into music, there are certain goals that you set for yourself,” said Rupee.

“Billboard Charts success: I made it to Hot 100 twice. A Grammy, which is still a little elusive, could happen if not for me, I can contribute via writing. A Gold record or a Platinum record by the RIAA. That recently happened. Tempted to Touch has recently been certified gold. We’re waiting on the plaques to make it official.”

His signing to Atlantic Records was another major accomplishment.

“Another monumental part of my life and something that I am extremely proud to accomplish. That was definitely a blessing,” he said.

“The rollout and schedule they had in terms of pushing the single was a crazy schedule. Of course, people on the outside think it’s a bed of roses, and you have your bed made for you. It’s non-stop hard work; a lot of the shows you are doing are actually for free, but you have to put in the hard work and make sacrifices.

“And of course, after being signed, I couldn’t be as available to Trinidad or Barbados Crop Over as often as I would have been before being signed. At the end of the day, I saw it as me representing the Caribbean as a whole, representing Barbados, and putting the work in to allow others to walk through.”

Born to a Bajan father and a German mother in Germany, Rupee later migrated to Barbados with his parents. Rupee emerged on the local soca scene when he joined the popular Bajan group Coalishun, performing song hits like Ms Thundah and Ice Cream.

During that time he worked as a graphic artiste with McCann Erickson, a job he later gave up to become a full-time entertainer in 2000. The Bajan artiste, who first performed in Trinidad in 1996, knew in order to immerse himself fully in the world of soca he had to be part of Trinidad Carnival.

In the early 2000s, Rupee was one of the headline acts for the popular school tour run by the now defunct urban radio station 98.9 FM which was led by O’Brian Haynes. Week after week Rupee headed to various schools in T&T to perform.

“School tour was absolutely phenomenal and a big part of who I am,” he said. “Those days are forever etched in my memory; we got footage of them. Fans come with folders with clippings and photos from those days, posters I would have signed because back then I would have moved with posters I would have designed for the kids. Those were really special days to me.”

The artiste who performed hit after hit, including Blame it on de Music, also made the experience special for his fans. (Trinidad Guardian)
Photo: Rupee’s Facebook Page