Shree Chandran, better known by the stage name Malaysian MC Kerambit, is a Malaysian rapper and music producer. Also an audio engineer, Chandran has been living, recording and performing in the United States for just over a decade.
Engineering, producing and rapping
Now based out of Los Angeles, Chandran has recorded, produced and engineered sessions for a slew of rappers and producers, both underground and mainstream, most notably, Micayle Mckinney (Danity Kane, Bow Wow), songwriter and producer Theron Feemster (Michael Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Ne-Yo), Klaus Derendorf (Carlos Santana, Josh Groban), German producer Fuego (Jason Derulo, Christina Milian), Production duo The Smeezingtons (B.o.B, Flo Rida) and mixer/audio engineer Lance Pierre (2pac, Eminem),
As a rapper, Chandran has released five solo albums, one group collaboration and two mixtapes. He has performed at shows in Los Angeles and his native Malaysia, and does much of his recording in Los Angeles and Cleveland, OH. He raps in both English and Bahasa Melayu. His topics vary from political upheaval and equality in Malaysia to grim street stories and his perspective of living in the U.S. His productions range from New York-influenced boom bap to techno, west coast funk and layered Malaysian movie samples.
Biography
Early career
Chandran credits several high school friends with encouraging him to get back into writing and eventually recording. He had never written his own material with Da Joint and had never been a soloist. Chandran knew English, but still spoke and rapped with a significant accent, not always fully understanding American idioms and figures of speech. Still, his first, full written rap in America was the song, “Demonic,” which described his own internal plight and depression over his move to the States, along with his determination to come out on top. Its opening line deemed life a “nightmare.” The song's chorus features a higher power speaking directly to Chandran and encouraging him to emerge from his funk:
“Demonic, you treat your soul like some chronic/Just burnin’ it up, making things go into hectic/ I checked on your past, you hit button ‘automatic’/You have a beautiful soul, so don’t, please don’t waste it”
Chandran would continue writing and recording with local MCs and singers through his 2001 graduation. He had a very brief stint at the University of Akron, but soon decided that studying medicine was not his passion. The rapper says the September 11 attacks presented a turning point in which he realized life is too short to ignore dreams.
Dream and Golden Dream
He soon met Hip-hop producer Herbert “The Blinder” Townsend, a Binghamton, N.Y. transplant who lived on Cleveland's west side. Chandran spent much of fall 2001 recording with The Blinder. At The Blinder's in-home studio, Kerambit recorded Dream, a seven-song demo entirely produced by Townsend that included a new version of “Demonic.” He said that experience helped him hone his writing skills.
The Blinder's studio served as a gathering for several up-and-coming Cleveland MCs, including Trauma, who Kerambit eventually formed a bond and rap duo with, entitled MalayAmerica. The group's concept played on the cultural and geographical differences between the two members, yet sought to serve as an example of unity in a post-9/11 world.
The group released the Golden Dream album, produced by The Blinder, and equal parts solo Kerambit songs and solo Trauma records. Kerambit's solo contributions were taken from the Dream album. Among the album's joint collaborations was, “Disaster Has Struck,” which directly addressed 9/11, Osama bin Laden and the then-impending war in Afghanistan. The group and its debut gained traction as they sold it independently and attended music conferences and industry events. An internal feud led to the group's split before an impressed Calvin Gaines (Destiny's Child) could bring them to Arista Records, as he promised. The Blinder shut his studio down shortly after the split and returned to New York for family issues, and remains out of contact with Chandran.