Pellau Magazine

Chromatics may be one of the most controversial Caribbean entertainers but nothing he does is ever presumed or guessed. Always in control of his destiny, the Trinidad born rapper who was christened, Richard Raj-Kumar recently returned to local shores after a brief stint in the United States where some well-strategized movements, essentially led to him winning a HOT97FM showcase in New Jersey.

Chromatics, fondly referred to as ‘Matics’ by many, became an instant local hit following carnival 2012 when he unleashed his first Carnival Rap Up single. A follow up to the track in 2013 that heard him step on the toes of some big names in the soca music industry in T&T in 2013, much like 2012, was gobbled up by radio stations and their listeners alike. It seemed inevitable, but what ‘Matics’ had said while the success of that follow up was being enjoyed, was something that couldn’t be ignored. He wanted the world to take notice of his catalogue of music- not just the controversial anthems that had taken jabs at the soca stars consecutively for two years. He made moves- consequential moves that saw him host an event dubbed 300 Strong. That proved to be a success and will be followed up with a second installment this Friday, June 28th at the Gravity Nightclub on Long Circular Road in St. James.

Ahead of that, Chromatics has unleashed a brand new video for his single, ‘STR8’. A film reel effect immerses viewers into a somewhat unfamiliar zone as it’s nothing like the typical Caribbean produced video, nothing at all. Now, with that unleashed, Chromatics is strategically positioning himself for the rest of 2013. Whether he will pay close attention to the soca industry both before and during the Carnival 2014 season enough, to create an epic Carnival Rap Up 3, is yet to be decided. For now, his focus is showcasing himself on Friday at 300 Strong, a treat for his di hard fans, and essentially promoting and marketing himself and his Highway Records artists globally. His recent trip to the U.S saw Chromatics represent Trinidad and Tobago at the 8th annual Trinity Hip-Hop festival and following that he won the HOT97FM showcase in New Jersey where his video for the single, ‘Up and Down’ was featured on US DJ, FunkMaster Flex’s entertainment website. He was even a featured act on the website, www.thisis50.com. All of this on the heels of the Carnival Rap Up 2 single and the release of his mixtape, ‘The Science of Colors’.

Chromatics has already followed up on the mixtape, having since released Volume 2 of the Science of Colors. His plans as he progressively moves onward include pushing the marketing and promotions envelope a bit- showcasing himself wherever possible. The video for ‘STR8’ is available on Youtube at http://youtu.be/KePl5esyb8s.

To learn more about Chromatics, check out Highway Records on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @chromatics1.