YEARS ACTIVE: 1991 – 2000
GROUP ROSTER: BOOM DAYUPAY,
JEANNIE OAKMAN, RADHA CUADRADO, ANGEL JONES* (Angel replaced Jeannie after the
latter died in 1997 because of an epileptic seizure)
90’S HITS: DELICIOUS, BURN,
SHOUT Kulay formed in 1991. Boom Dayupay (born Lino) returned that year to the Philippines from Canada, where he had worked the club scene in Vancouver as a DJ. Joining Dayupay was girlfriend/singer Jeannie Oakman. The two formed Kulay, which means "color" in Tagalog, the Philippines' national language. An audition brought local female vocalist Radha Cuadrado.
Kulay signed to OctoArts/EMI, a joint venture between local label
OctoArts and EMI, and released their debut album, 100,000 Pesos Worth of Karma,
in 1995. Dayupay composed and arranged nearly all the material (there was a
cover of George Gershwin's "Summertime"), and also produced the
album, a process followed in all of Kulay's releases.
Flavour of da Moment was released in 1996, and though a fine outing,
containing heavier doses of rap and funk, it lacked the overall charm and
energy of the first album. It also did not sell well, according to the label
(there are no album charts or SoundScan in the Philippines).
Kulay then signed with Sony Music Entertainment Philippines (SMEP) and
was placed on the Dance Pool label, operated out of Sony's European regional
office in the United Kingdom. In August of 1997, Kulay released Vibestation,
again encompassing many rhythm & blues styles, but this time emphasizing
funk. Vibestation is an outstanding effort, and sets the standard for hip-hop
in the Philippines.
Sadly, however, founding member/singer Jeannie Oakman passed away in
September of 1997 after an epileptic seizure. Kulay nearly disbanded, but then
recruited female vocalist Angel Jones, an American of Philippine ancestry.
Also in September of 1997, an album track, "Delicious," was
issued as a radio single in the United Kingdom, and the new Kulay lineup toured
the U.K., Germany, and Italy. Kulay's self-directed video for
"Delicious" was a nominee for the 1998 MTV Asian Viewers' Choice
Award. Despite these international accolades, sales at home for Vibestation
failed to match expectations, and the album hadn't reached gold (which is
20,000 units sold) after nearly two years on the market.
Dayupay founded Vibestation Records, signing several fledging rap and
hip-hop acts (Kulay remains signed to SMEP). In July of 1998, Vibestation
Records inked a distribution deal with BMG Records Philippines. Kulay also
began hosting and producing a weekly television program, Vibestation TV.
In 1999, "Burn," another track off Vibestation, was released
in the United Kingdom and several other European territories as a commercial
single and in the U.S. as a promo single, and featured remixes by top European
DJs Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, and Judge Jules. Both "Delicious"
and "Burn" and their respective remixes were released in the
Philippines in 1999 as Kulay Remixes. Planned releases in the United States and
the United Kingdom for Vibestation, however, did not materialize.
Kulay released its second album for Sony Music Entertainment
Philippines, Chapter What?, on November 19, 1999. Unlike Vibestation, however,
the album was not placed under the Dance Pool label, and the album did not
receive an international push. In 2000, female singer Radha Cuadrado left the
group. Instead of recruiting a new member, Kulay disbanded, leaving behind a
legacy of the best hip-hop the Philippines had known.
