Biography
In the Philippines, where easy-listening love songs reign supreme, hip-hop has made only modest inroads. Kulay stands at the leading edge of this emerging scene, enjoying respectable domestic support yet achieving far greater traction abroad.
The group came together in 1991 when Boom Dayupay, born Lino, returned from Vancouver after working the club circuit there as a DJ. He teamed with his girlfriend, singer Jeannie Oakman, and together they chose the Tagalog word for “color,” Kulay, as the band’s name. An audition added local vocalist Radha Cuadrado to the lineup.
OctoArts/EMI, a partnership between the Manila label and EMI, signed the trio and issued their debut album, 100,000 Pesos Worth of Karma, in 1995. Dayupay handled composition, arrangement, and production on nearly every track, including a version of George Gershwin’s “Summertime,” a role he maintained across all subsequent Kulay releases.
Blending rap, soul, and old-school R&B, the album nevertheless failed to connect despite the label’s insistence on several verse-chorus-verse soul numbers aimed at radio. A 1996 follow-up, Flavour of da Moment, leaned more heavily into rap and funk yet never matched the debut’s vitality or commercial performance, a fact the label noted in the absence of any national album charts or SoundScan data.
Kulay then moved to Sony Music Entertainment Philippines and its Dance Pool imprint, run from Sony’s European headquarters in the United Kingdom. Vibestation appeared in August 1997, again surveying multiple rhythm & blues idioms but now spotlighting funk. The album stands as a benchmark for Philippine hip-hop.
Founding vocalist Jeannie Oakman died of an epileptic seizure the following month, nearly ending the group. American singer Angel Jones, of Philippine descent, was brought in to replace her.
Also in September 1997, the album track “Delicious” went to UK radio, prompting tours of the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy. Kulay’s self-directed video for the song earned a nomination for the 1998 MTV Asian Viewers’ Choice Award. Domestic sales of Vibestation nevertheless remained below target and had not reached the 20,000-unit gold threshold after nearly two years.
Dayupay launched Vibestation Records to develop emerging rap and hip-hop acts while Kulay stayed with SMEP. In July 1998 the new label secured distribution through BMG Records Philippines, and the members began hosting and producing the weekly television show Vibestation TV.
The Vibestation track “Burn” surfaced in 1999 as a commercial single across the United Kingdom and other European markets and as a promotional release in the United States, carrying remixes by Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, and Judge Jules. Both “Delicious” and “Burn,” along with their respective remixes, were collected for the Philippine release Kulay Remixes that same year. Scheduled American and British editions of Vibestation never appeared.
Kulay’s second album for Sony Music Entertainment Philippines, Chapter What?, arrived on 19 November 1999 outside the Dance Pool umbrella and without an international campaign. Radha Cuadrado departed in 2000; rather than seek a replacement, the remaining members disbanded, leaving behind the most accomplished body of hip-hop yet produced in the Philippines.
The group came together in 1991 when Boom Dayupay, born Lino, returned from Vancouver after working the club circuit there as a DJ. He teamed with his girlfriend, singer Jeannie Oakman, and together they chose the Tagalog word for “color,” Kulay, as the band’s name. An audition added local vocalist Radha Cuadrado to the lineup.
OctoArts/EMI, a partnership between the Manila label and EMI, signed the trio and issued their debut album, 100,000 Pesos Worth of Karma, in 1995. Dayupay handled composition, arrangement, and production on nearly every track, including a version of George Gershwin’s “Summertime,” a role he maintained across all subsequent Kulay releases.
Blending rap, soul, and old-school R&B, the album nevertheless failed to connect despite the label’s insistence on several verse-chorus-verse soul numbers aimed at radio. A 1996 follow-up, Flavour of da Moment, leaned more heavily into rap and funk yet never matched the debut’s vitality or commercial performance, a fact the label noted in the absence of any national album charts or SoundScan data.
Kulay then moved to Sony Music Entertainment Philippines and its Dance Pool imprint, run from Sony’s European headquarters in the United Kingdom. Vibestation appeared in August 1997, again surveying multiple rhythm & blues idioms but now spotlighting funk. The album stands as a benchmark for Philippine hip-hop.
Founding vocalist Jeannie Oakman died of an epileptic seizure the following month, nearly ending the group. American singer Angel Jones, of Philippine descent, was brought in to replace her.
Also in September 1997, the album track “Delicious” went to UK radio, prompting tours of the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy. Kulay’s self-directed video for the song earned a nomination for the 1998 MTV Asian Viewers’ Choice Award. Domestic sales of Vibestation nevertheless remained below target and had not reached the 20,000-unit gold threshold after nearly two years.
Dayupay launched Vibestation Records to develop emerging rap and hip-hop acts while Kulay stayed with SMEP. In July 1998 the new label secured distribution through BMG Records Philippines, and the members began hosting and producing the weekly television show Vibestation TV.
The Vibestation track “Burn” surfaced in 1999 as a commercial single across the United Kingdom and other European markets and as a promotional release in the United States, carrying remixes by Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, and Judge Jules. Both “Delicious” and “Burn,” along with their respective remixes, were collected for the Philippine release Kulay Remixes that same year. Scheduled American and British editions of Vibestation never appeared.
Kulay’s second album for Sony Music Entertainment Philippines, Chapter What?, arrived on 19 November 1999 outside the Dance Pool umbrella and without an international campaign. Radha Cuadrado departed in 2000; rather than seek a replacement, the remaining members disbanded, leaving behind the most accomplished body of hip-hop yet produced in the Philippines.
Albums
