Mr Killa

Mr Killa

Mr Killa Talks About His Involvement In ‘The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip’ Theme Song

Written by: Lesandra Scott

If taking Soca to new heights was a person, it’d be Mr. Killa. A Grenadian ball of energy, Mr. Killa whose real name is Hollice Mapp has taken the infectious genre of soca and given it a hell of a spotlight with his involvement in The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip. Mr. Killa is the voice of the theme song for this The Real Housewives franchise spinoff.  In a thirty-second clip posted to the Bedroom Carnival artiste’s Instagram profile, he sings “Housewives in the island babay! So let the party start!” and let me tell you, the vibe he brought was exactly what they, the producers, sought!

Titled the #1 Performer in the Caribbean; he was reached out to by Glenda Cox, the Executive Producer of the Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip. Mr. Killa alongside his company, Rebel1 Entertainment, went along and created the theme song for the international show. Named, Housewives In The Island Babay, it can be heard in Season 1, and at the time of this writing, it would have been heard six times as the 6th episode aired on December 2nd.

With this being the first mashup across the Real Housewives franchise, the show will feature stars from the franchise’s Atlanta, Beverly Hills, New York, and New Jersey installments coming together for an eight-episode series.

With such a big move on an international scale for  Soca, Caribbean Entertainment Hub got to talking with the man of the hour, Mr Killa, to get the inside details.

How did the link happen?

MK: “You would remember that I have a relationship with the First Family of Hip Hop (Bravo television series). Their producer, Glenda Cox, and I have been friends and always used my music. Fast forward to now, I am the owner of a Music Library and I’ve opened my own distribution and publishing company in the US, Rebel1 Entertainment.”

What this means is they can legally provide music to shows and movies via Sync Licensing which is a type of Music License which is the primary way artistes can receive royalties for their music. This they do by giving legal permission to someone who’d like to use their work. Now, Sync Licensing is the use of music in movies, television shows, advertisements, video games, presentations, YouTube videos, or any other production where music and moving images are used simultaneously. Simply put, whenever music is used within an audiovisual production such as a film, tv show, advertisement, video game, etc, a Sync License is needed. So, with the producers wanting a new sound for the Real Housewives spinoff, and due to the fact that Mr. Killa’s the owner of a Music Library, it’s a no-brainer that he was sought after.

What was your reaction to them selecting you for the project?

MK: “Hats off to Cox for even considering. Her looking back and saying to herself she not going to leave her Caribbean people out”.

Upon inquiring how they met, it was revealed that he met while on the set of one of her projects she headed for Rebel TV. In the role of Director of Photography, introductions were made and the link secured.

Writing the song, that was all you?

MK: “I wrote and co-produced it with one of my band members, Joey Ramoutar. The song itself was produced by Rebel1.”

Theme song “Housewives In the Island Babay”, let’s talk about recording the song. Where was it recorded? In your studio (Rebel1 Studios) or abroad? And how did you know the song was finished?

MK: “New York recorded and by my skill and ear” *boisterous laughter* He continued, “Knowing when the song was finished, it came from the experience of doing a lot of production. I’ve worked and still work with US producers. I also help artistes develop their skills.”

What does this move mean for you going forward? Would you say it propels your brand and in turn, Rebel1 even more?

MK: “This move literally, having the distribution and publishing platform, it’s a brutal relief from the treatment they’ve (artistes) and myself been getting. Not being able to monetize properly and collect on the monetization? Companies were taking advantage of Caribbean artistes. I’ve been one of them suffering.  So for me, this move is like opening the gates not just for me, but for other artistes. It will give me the chance to educate the younger, upcoming ones on how the music business runs.”

We’re happy to mention that this vision of his not only extends to Grenadians, oh no. He’s looking at extending his hand to the regional population.

Speaking of Rebel1, for those who don’t know; tell them why this unit is more like family and what you guys are here to do and have been doing

MK: “I created Rebel when I left school and started studying black history. They come and take our lands… our kingdoms gave us guns and called us rebels. So I created something that is not just for me, but for all the brothers and sisters who want to help change the industry in a positive way. But also communities and countries. When I speak of Rebel, I’m really speaking of Revolutionizing Entertainment Breaking Evolutionary Limitations. They have limited us, we are here to break the chains. We welcome anyone on the same path to join us on this great musical journey.”

Now, Mr. Killa is in no way a newcomer to the Real Housewives franchise. In 2019 his songs “Oil It” and “Run Wid It” were used in Real Housewives of Atlanta.  Though he did say that during this season of RHUGT “songs from a couple of your favorite Soca artistes will be heard throughout the season”. Additionally, he said, “Rebel is placing songs throughout the whole season – not just the theme song. We’re one of the libraries providing songs”. To add to this, he said that every episode will feature two songs so in total, at the end of the season 16 songs would have been used.

Under the umbrella that is IAMREBEL falls Rebel1 which comprises the publishing and distribution company and the music library. A goal of Mr. Killa is to “connect the Caribbean to the outer world”. With his publishing companies in both New York and Atlanta, a goal of his is to “get artistes paid for their music”. In this position, he can “collect all artiste monies for them where they cannot collect, where they have been struggling before.” Mr. Killa’s vision and intention is clearer than it was when this was just a mere thought.

What is next for Mr. Killa apart from the December 5th Brooklyn concert?

MK: “Well apart from shows, it’s creating a new flavor with my music that can help merge the genres. Creating a bridge for soca music, creating fusions and collabs. Then, the business. One day having our very own streaming platform and just keep revolutionizing entertainment”

 

Hashtags #MrKilla #HolliceMapp #TheRealHouseWivesUltimateGirlsTrip

 

 

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