The world is full of people from all walks of life. The music business itself represents many colorful characters from varying backgrounds and the collaborations that take place within the industry are notable, creative, and often extraordinary. Doing something on your own can be great, but to combine that given talent with others who are pushing towards a common goal can produce results that are extraordinary. At the moment in the hotbed of Miami, Florida three young talents are putting their creative efforts together in hopes of one day crossing the proverbial promise land.
Coming from different lives with mindsets that are completely unique to one another, Jason ‘Jase’ Vanterpool, Seneca Phillip Fortune, known also as ‘City Boi’, and songstress Stephanie Lecor have combined to form the group Kulture Shock and are determined to set the industry one fire. To hear the group in person one could easily attest to their talent but to get a better perspective of how unlikely their union is, all one has to do is take a trek back in time before all three ever crossed paths.
Starting with the group’s lead male vocalist Jase and his upbringing in the British Virgin Islands, one can easily see how music would end up having such a huge influence on the group’s future. “I was always involved in music,” Jase recalls fondly. “I grew up singing in the church. Besides from that I was always singing and I did a lot of music in high school. I was involved in a group when I was younger. We were a singing group of four guys and we sang at pageants and things like that. I remember hitting all the high notes at the end of each song. That really got me started on everything.” While those early days served as the foundation for Jase’ musical discovery, he would eventually take his talents to a different level.
Little did Jase realize that everything he needed was pretty much under his nose the whole time. It wasn’t until connecting with a fellow artist back home that he came across the revelation that good music doesn’t always come with a hefty price tag. “I had just gotten out of high school and I always thought to make music you had to have big budget and studios or $100,000 mixing boards,” Jase recollects. “I heard these guys from back home, Rock City, and I heard their music and they were pretty hot. I then heard one of my friends and he was doing music of the similar quality but he was producing it out of his bedroom. From being in a band in school I knew I could pick up a lot of what he was doing.” Jase realized how important music was to his life and he began investing in his own equipment. While his creative juices may have been flowing, he came to the harsh reality that he wasn’t in the ideal environment to make the kind of moves that he was seeking. It wasn’t until later, by fate, that he would make the move to America and in doing so would place himself in a position to flourish as an artist as he settled into life in South Florida. “I loved Miami,” Jase recalls fondly of moving because of a commitment towards going to school. “I came from a small community of about 20,000 people on my island and not much of anything ever really went down. They say that home is where the heart is but the change did me well. I was in a better situation in Miami. I started music back home and even had a few songs on the radio but that was nothing like trying to make something happen over here. I saw that in Miami there was always something going on and somebody who could always help you out. I liked the idea of sticking it out and trying to grind it out here.” Jase adapted to a new lifestyle in Miami but admits that he was in need of help. That support would come in the form of City Boi, who crossed Jase’s path unexpectedly when he was looking for someone to work with on his track. In coming across City Boi, Jase found a man from a completely different background, yet the two were still connected by music.
Born and raised in New Jersey, City Boi had a childhood that was far from typical. He learned to grow up on his own in many ways, as his father was out of the picture in his early years, and saw first hand how the streets worked through being around his older brother. City Boi learned the meaning of ‘street smarts’ at an early age and it gave him a different kind of appreciation for his life. Music was something that wasn’t initially instilled within him, however, as his early loves consisted mainly of sports. “Sports didn’t pan out for me and it was only when I went to college when I first tried recording something,” City Boi reflects. “My boy was a DJ and he had a little booth and we were playing around, free styling. We were just remixing people’s songs and even though it wasn’t the highest of quality people were really messing with it and we just tightened it up and went from there.” With his love for music now apparent, City Boi would take that with him as he ended up making the move to Miami years later. While in Miami he began testing his skills as an artist but came to the realization that he needed someone to compliment his own style. That man would be the aforementioned Jase, who had already settled into the scene ahead of time.
City Boi reached out to Jase on track he needed assistant with and the two would form a great bond with one another. “Basically City Boi and I had been working together for a while,” says Jase. “We got together on this song called ‘Runway Chick’ and that was the beginning of our tandem. People seemed to like the sound of it and we just started working together. We started coming out with new songs and started promoting ourselves. We did a lot of stuff down here in Miami and performed all over the area.” Jase and City Boi learned much while performing together but eventually they would reach a plateau as a duo. The shady dealings of the industry would force the two young hopefuls to change up their plan of attack, even if only for the moment. “We had gotten into a bad situation and we got shelved,” City Boi says reflecting the duo’s managerial issues. “We had known Chuck from Poe Boy for a while and we came to him with a different concept. Instead of focusing on performing we put our talents out towards writing and gave him a sampling of some of our stuff. After that we did ‘Story of my life’ with Billy Blue, ‘Married to the Streets’ with Akon, as well as ‘High definition’ for Billy Blue and ‘Test drive’ for Pleasure P.” Combining their efforts with Poe Boy Music Group, the premier record label in Miami, was definitely a good fit for Jase and City Boi and they began learning other aspects of the music industry. Little did they know that collaboration of grand proportions was right under their nose the entire time.
The missing piece to the duo’s puzzle would end up being local artist Stephanie Lecor. If one is to get to know Lecor they will see that there is much more to her than her striking looks. Carrying with her a tremendous vocal presence and a down to earth attitude that is surprising, the Miami native is like her band mates in that music is deep within heart. “I started young,” Lecor recalls. “I was in the choir when I was young and also sang in chorus. I just fell in love with it the first chance I had. Before the choir my father was in band so I have always been around music. Music has always been a part of my life.” Lecor’s genuine demeanor isn’t what you will find from everybody in the often cutthroat nature of the music industry yet she has still found a way to make great strides as an artist. Lecor would hone her skills in the South Florida area and eventually catch the break of a lifetime when she was invited to perform on the Van Halen Fall 2007 Tour, as a back up singer for opening act Ky-Mani Marley. For LeCor, it simply didn’t get any better. “That was extremely rewarding,” LeCor reflects. “I really couldn’t be more grateful for it. I was able to travel to almost all of the fifty states and we performed at all of the big venues such as LAX and Madison Square Garden. Just seeing so many different cities and performing in front of thousands of people was a thrill. That was my first time on stage and I will never forget it.”
After the tour wrapped up LeCor would return to Miami and push forward with her musical aspirations. Being on the road gave her a new sense of belief as an artist but not even she could have expected what was next. Her eventually union with City Boi and Jase was something that could be considered a smooth transition, but beforehand the three artists hadn’t imagined such a common goal. “We met Stephanie when we were doing some work with the Fliptones, some producers out of Miami,” says Jase. “We always had a great relationship working with her so we decided to bring her into Chuck. We started working with her through Poe Boy. We started recording together and he asked us what we all thought about a group featuring the three of us and even though it caught us off guard we all liked the idea.”
At the moment the group, known better as Kulture Shock, is in the early stages of trying to make their dreams a reality. With Lecor serving as the lead female vocalist, Jase the role of the lead male singer, and City Boi standing as the rap influence in the group, there is a clear diversity that exists amongst all three. Trying to find that common harmony is part of the group’s early objectives. “Right now we are in the creative process of it all and just trying to see if it works.” Lecor states. “Right now everything is working and we sound great. We’ve been in the studio everyday and rehearsing everyday. We’re just trying to get ready for everything and we actually have a couple of shows lined up.” With the formation of the group also comes the reality that it is a completely different ballgame. To succeed in the music industry one must be on point and focused all of the time and there can be no room for error. City Boi will be the first to admit that being under the wings of Poe Boy has given him a new sense of how much work is still left to accomplish. “I’ve learned that I am only 50% of where I want to be at,” a still raw City Boi admits. “After learning from Chuck at Poe Boy records I realize that it’s a whole different ballgame. I thought I had this thing down pat but there is a lot that I didn’t know about. From changing up the melody in a verse from what to say and what not to say, and what pitch to use, I thought that was just for singers and didn’t think it applied to rappers.” All three members experimented early in their years as solo artists and they now can see just how different working in a group is. While there may be more work to do, as you are dealing with other complex personalities other than your own, Jase still sees the group effect as being ultimately rewarding. “As a solo artist everything is on you,” Jase reveals. “You have to basically meet the criteria and fit the mold of what people are looking for. In a group I think you can experiment more because there are more dimensions to add to the mix. We can bring a lot more to the table. Instead of just one talent we now have a male singer, a female singer, and a rapper from different backgrounds. Our personalities, and mindsets are also different and if you put that together there is going to be some great music.” Picking up on her band mate’s vibe, Lecor is in complete agreement with Jase. While music may be a tireless grind full of hard work and dedication, there has to be a sense of enjoyment to make anything work. “For me it’s more fun because you get share something with other people,” Lecor speaks of her band mates. “You get the chance to be on stage and vibe out with other people. I’m already used to working with both of them because I knew their work ethics from the past. It’s different in the sense that the spotlight isn’t on yourself. I’ve been a backup singer before so I was already used to being on stage with a lot of people anyways. The solo thing was definitely cool but the group project is something I really want to try out. I always love the genre of music we are making because it is more pop as opposed to what I was making, with was more soulful.”
At the end of the day the development of Kulture Shock is a rare and unique occurrence. Jase, City Boi, and Lecor all have different reasons for doing what they do while still balancing those passions out and seeing eye to eye with what the other band mates are feeling. City Boi himself will be the first to tell you that this is more than just a project and that he wants to take it as high as possible. “I’d love to do what Flo Rida and Black Eyed Peas did,” the dynamic artist closes out. “I want to be even bigger if possible. I’ve made a small name in this industry but this project is completely different. We want to take this as far as we can.” Lecor’s mindset is of course similar in that her aspirations are to achieve as much as possible. While being modest about everything that comes her way the young songstress is in pursuit of something truly great and memorable. “First and foremost I will be grateful for whatever comes our way,” Lecor states. “We’re involved in something that millions of people would love to be a part of. So of course I have to appreciate that. Still, I want to take things to the next level and make this as big as possible. I want us to accomplish as much as we possibly can.” Last but not least Jase chimes in with his beliefs on everything that this once in a lifetime encounter could mean to all three members. While Kulture Shock may be after the pursuit of something historic, none of it can come without the unity amongst its members. Coming from different walks of life, Jase, City Boi, and Lecor are now in a position where they must fight endlessly to keep their bond unbreakable. “There definitely has to be trust among you. Because you are not in this by yourself anymore. Everything you do as an individual is a reflection on the group. That can really make or break you and you have to wise in what you say, do, and how you carry yourself. We definitely have a lot of trust with one another and good team behind us. I feel that its going to be a big run. I see big things in the future with us.”
