BY KAVELLE ANGLIN-CHRISTIE, Staff Reporter
Stephen 'Supa Hype' Davis and Winston 'Tyson' Mayhew. - CONTRIBUTED
SUPA HYPE AND Tyson are finally stepping out as entrepreneurs in the music business.
Stephen "Supa Hype" Davis, 26, and his side-kick, Winston "Tyson" Mayhew, 26, have formed Hyperactive Entertainment, a new production company, and it's no cliché when they said it was an uphill battle.
"Hyperactive Entertainment is a company that deals with both visual and audio together. Supa produces the songs and I direct the videos," said Tyson.
"...Basically we fulfil that audio to visual thing. We voice a tune and we can do the video. From the basic stages of just voicing to mixing, then putting it as a video and getting the promotion - everything," said Supa Hype.
WICKED RESUMÉ
Some would doubt their vision after only knowing Supa Hype as a television host for RE TV and as a selector for the sound system, Code Red, and Tyson as a cameraman also for RE TV.
But obvious evidence of their talent is that they already have a resume` that most in the business would envy. They have worked with people ranging from Busy Signal, to T.O.K., Turbulence, Wayne Marshall and countless others.
"We put Busy Signal on the map. We play an integral role in his career up until now. Me voice all of his demo dem. Me an him siddung and write Step Out; me produce deh tune deh," said Supa Hype. He has also produced a number of Busy Signal's other songs, including, Bad and Born and Grow.
Tyson has also played an integral role in the artiste's career. "Hyperactive Entertainment did the Step Out video. I directed it. I also did Looga Man and Jovi's Feel Good, Elephant Man's Rrrr. I've also worked with Alley Cat; I did Flavour Unit's This Christmas and we will also be shooting Busy's Born and Grow," said Tyson.
TEDIOUS ROAD
Though the two have met some success, it has been a tedious road for them. "Me remember when me used to be in my bredrin living room.
"He was a caretaker ( of a school) and him used to live there, and is his living room me did deh. Me carry me mic and computer over there and dem ting deh and everyday fi two year, me and Busy over deh a voice. Me ah tell yuh seh if a car drive in, dust come innah di house, dat's how serious it was. Everyday me haffi deh wipe dust off ah di computer," he said.
"...All when we voice Step Out and no money naw come in, ah peer box food and box drinks we live off ah, dat fi show yuh," said Supa Hype.
Now the challenges remain, only, they are a different kind. "One of the challenges is getting artistes to voice. When you call them, they say they are coming, and you sit down and bleach and then them don't come," said Tyson.
Supa Hype gave his view: "Then you have the corrupt man dem. It hard fi get them fi play di ting dem, is almost as if you haffi pay dem. Everywhere me go me get a fight; from the soundman dem, radio...Some people say 'him deh pon tv ennuh, Supa have him tv show, him nuh need fi a produce nutting'. But dem nuh know- is not BET...so it hard."
PASSION
Theirs is a passion that many will never understand. "It's love. A love me love music still ennuh. Me love music to another level. I don't want to say I eat breathe, sleep it...but if me look pon a girl, music get jealous. Music is like my everything," said Supa Hype.
However, according to Tyson, his love for music came after he met Sizzla. "My whole introduction to the whole music thing came was because I was familiar with Miguel Collins before he became Sizzla Kalonji. That was about in '96 or '98. Being friends with him, is like his whole passion for the whole entertainment thing just become my whole life," he said.
The two are currently working on new projects which are to be released soon. "We have some new riddims out there now. We have 'Smash' out now; it was launched the other day at Asylum, and we have 'Supernatural' and 'Cool Runnings' coming out for 2006," said Supa Hype.
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