5 Questions with Kareem ‘Remus’ Burrell
Published:Friday | October 21, 2022 | 12:06 AMYasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer
Even as Kareem ‘Remus’ Burrell navigates the ins and outs of the music industry and secures his place as a producer of merit, he is not afraid to wholeheartedly embrace the great legacy of his late father, Phillip ‘Fatis’ Burrell.
He continues to be the proud son who holds dear Xterminator Records, the label which Fatis created more than three decades ago and produced songs for stars like Johnny Osbourne, Cocoa Tea, Ini Kamoze, Ninja Man, Luciano, Sizzla, Sanchez, and a host of other big name acts.
Remus is forging his way with his own XTM.Nation label, and among the projects which he has already released are Fatis Tapes In The Oven Volumes 1 and 2. The compilations feature songs by Tanya Stephens, Chezidek, Turbulence, Leopold, Beres Hammond, Josey Wales, Louie Culture, Nadine Sutherland, Sizzla Kalonji, Dean Fraser, Marcia Griffiths, Ras Shiloh, Charlie Chaplin, Lutan Fyah, Luciano and Dennis Brown.
He is always busy with new and creative musical projects and, as the responsible son of a legend, he has ease of access to other legends in the business, many of whom he refers to as ‘Uncle’.
5 Questions With ... recently caught up with the young producer, who shared with us the latest out of the XTM.Nation camp.
Earlier this year, Ini Kamoze’s classic, Here Comes the Hotstepper, re-entered the Billboard charts. Your father produced the original. How does this make you feel?
This is a signature dancehall hit. Hot Stepper, produced by Philip ‘Fatis’ Burrell, was originally released in 1990 for Fatis’ Xterminator Label. In 1994, Here Comes the Hotstepper was produced by Salaam Remi, so to see that it has made a return on the Billboard charts almost 30 years later is a big deal to me. It reflects that this song resonates with an audience on a global scale, then and today.
What are the most important lessons learned from the legendary Phillip ‘Fatis’ Burrell?
There is a lot I could tell and that could be applied in different areas, but for starters: Be myself ... to believe in myself and strive for the best. In music, he would say there isn’t a me in music and you shouldn’t try to be the ‘I’. Just make good music and let your work speak for itself.
You recently produced two songs with Tarrus Riley, Heartbreak Anniversary and Love Salute. How did that come about?
Tarrus and I are like family. His father, Jimmy Riley, and my father, Fatis, moved like family, so you know that connection is just natural. I co-produced Heartbreak Anniversary with the legend Dean ‘Cannon’ Fraser. Honestly, the original was done by Giveon, and ‘Singy’ (Tarrus) was impressed with the writing of the track. One day we were reasoning and he just said, ‘Remus, we could do this in our style, reggae lovers’ rock style.’ So I wasn’t gonna let that opportunity pass me, so I linked Uncle Dean.
Love Salute, which was released after, was a little different. The Love Salute record has a sample from a Marcia Griffths record titled Hold On, released in 1997 [and] produced by Philip ‘Fatis’ Burrell. Singy loved that idea of me sampling from my dad’s catalogue. Tarrus is a musical genius, and it is always a joy working with him. His knowledge of music allows the production process to flow easily across all genres, not only reggae. To work with a vocalist of his calibre you can only get magic.
What new projects are you working on currently?
Fatis Tapes in The Oven Vol 3, which will be out in November, and also a riddim juggling for the new year. I recently released a remix of an Ini Kamoze track called Hardware, which was accompanied by an animation video game-like lyric video.
What are your thoughts on the recently announced BCJ ban?
Though I do not produce music glorifying this type of content, I think they’re using the music as a scapegoat for a problem they, the Government, have not been able to find a solution for, which is crime and violence. Also, history has shown that this tactic didn’t work then, it actually had the opposite effect, because the music banned gained popularity. So, I don’t see how it is going to work now, especially considering the fact there are a lot more avenues to access the music today.