Mel Cooke, STAR Writer

Cobra - file

At the fourth of our multi-part interview with deejay Cobra in the STAR launch of his Helter Skelter album this month, we have been through his start in the music business and the start before he was a deejay, when he was a dancer with the Magnificent Kiss. Now we look at something the snakey one loves but does not do much of anymore.

STAR: We started talking about the clash ting. Yu love clash, fe real.

Cobra: Yeah. Yeah.

S: You are very quick on stage, spontaneous (Cobra says 'yeah'), you react quick. That was always a ting with yu?

C: Yeah, 'cause, mek me tell yu suppen, spontaneity to me; me is a cyardist. When me sey cyardis', me mean gimmicks, people.

S: On a everyday level?

C: Yeah. That is how a man say something and you counteract it in a split second. Sometimes I say something and people feel it is something I have planned, it is not something planned it is just off the bat. (Clarkey, who sits in on the interview, reminds Cobra that Merciless is sending threats).

S: So when did you start clashing. Do you remember your first clash?

C: The thing is, I used to start clashing in the street before people knew about Cobra. I was like, if you have a deejay wicked inna Southboro, we jus' group up an' fin' him. Get soun' system an' go fi him. Clash is like, when people start hear about Cobra and clash and rey, I am seasoned to that over the years. Because I grew up watching Ninja Man an' Shabba dem a clash. Me watch Ninja Man clash Supercat an' dem ting deh. Is like me learn from the best of the best.

S: Go a the concert an ...

C: Go a the concert. You have some clash that is not recorded. You have Professor Nuts, that is one of the most dangerous clash deejay, yu understand. Stitchie, Papa San, Wolfman, when yu talk about clash (STAR murmurs 'Jonathan Wolfman). Real clash. Nothing reserved. Real clash. So you know, growing up watching and seeing those characters, so is like we siddung an' we buil' tings an' write songs. Because going into clash you have to write songs also that are effective, that will get the crowd in your favour. But you cannot go to clash with songs that is on record only. You have to bring new things to the table and you have to can freestyle. Lyrics on spot, same time. So if you are not spontaneous, I don't have you as a clash deejay. I don't rate no deejay who going to clash off what him have on record. Because if a so, it better yu jus' get yu CD an play one song fe you, one song fe you, an a de same ting. People want to see spontaneity.