Horace Tapper contributes to artiste development

Andrew Clunis, Freelance Writer

IN MOST cases, the person who gets the least glory from a recording, is the producer. Take Horace Tapper's case. His Top Kick Productions label has worked with most of the top names in dancehall and reggae music producing many hits.

However, he has been content to operate behind the scenes, contributing to the development of artistes such as Wayne Wonder, Pliers, General Trees, Richie Spice, Mikey Melody, Buccaneer and others. Now, he has taken on a veteran artiste and the returns look good. He has a CD out with veteran singer Ken Boothe entitled Smooth. Critics are hailing it as one of Booth's best efforts for a long time and Tapper says market activity confirms this.

"The response has been nothing but phenomenal. Everywhere that the CD has been introduced, people have warmed to it. I believe that Ken wanted this one to be really special so he put everything into it. I am quite pleased," he said.

A deal is being courted with VP Records for distribution of the CD in the USA while Top Kick Productions will handle it locally.

Tapper has many concerns about the state of the music industry today. He feels that the standard has become very poor and an effort needs to be made to get it back where it ought to be.

"Sometimes as a producer you realise that some of the things that are going out are not of a very high standard. However, they get out there because a man is in business and he has to make back a money. A new approach has to be taken though. We will not produce good quality artistes and music if we continue at this rate," he said.

Tapper is also a show promoter, having undertaken numerous projects in the United States with a variety of Jamaican artistes. He operates a record label in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, as well.

Back to Entertainment