The young entrepreneur could pass for any 22-year-old Trinidadian guy - dressed in a crisp black polo and jeans, the flicker of the computer's light in the background. What sets Jessie Peters apart from most his age, is that he is the founder of Cool and Karm Entertainment. Cool and Karm Ent is a record label, which currently acts as a recording studio but aims for the coordinating of music and video production, manufacturing and distribution. "Cool and Karm Ent will be recognised for quality" Peters emphasised in an interview with gieMAGAZINE. If the first impression is lasting, one encounter is all you will need to identify his passion for music which seems to reverberate from his every syllable.
His love for music he credits to his father Lennox Peters who was a Calypsonian. One of his fondest memories and perhaps the distinguishing moment which has helped Peters to so vigorously pursue this dream was hearing his father practice a song. "At 12 years old, my father was my world, I wanted to be just like him and I remember one night he was practicing a Calypso, making a beating from just banging on a bucket." It was this drumming that fuelled his passion for music but not Calypso, rather it was hip hop. There is a huge underground following for hip hop artistes in Trinidad and Tobago and all the different genres of music would be more successful if only there were more avenues available.
A hip hop artiste himself, it's no wonder he wants his company's focus to be on tapping in on that resource and developing all types of entertainers. He wants to make dreams more attainable for the talented youths who perform various genres. He reflects on just how difficult it was for him trying to establish himself as an entertainer while he still attended El Dorado Secondary School. "There were at least three of us who had formed a group, Wong (now part of Nebula 868) Brendon Starr and yours truly; we went everywhere to get studio time. [Based in Arima] We had to travel quite Carenage and I even started selling chocolates to make extra money" Peters related.
It was only after the release of his second mix tape and the costs incurred on that project that he decided it was time to build his own studio. "I had a big show at Trincity Mall which was a success but not as big as I expected. I wanted more and I didn't think it would make much sense spending so much money every time I wanted to record a CD" the artiste told gieMAGAZINE. This process taught Peters that nothing comes easy, however, the following years he sacrificed and endured to ensure that it would be completed. He literally laid the foundation with his bare hands. He saved every penny he had and piece by piece it all came together.
He praised his cousin Keegan Rodulfo for being his support system throughout it all, "I couldn't have done it without him, there were times I was ready to give up and although he couldn't help financially because he was still in school, he encouraged me every step of the way." He looked back on the days when they would go to Port-of-Spain with only his CDs to sell - "if we couldn't sell it, we couldn't come home", that was the do or die mentality that made him accomplish all that he has been able to thus far.Even though Peters looks to his peers for musical inspiration, he regards Diddy as the epitome of who he wants to become as a businessman. "Diddy started when he was 18 as an intern and now he has moved up to the vice president of a multimillion dollar empire." So what's next for Peters, the artiste, and Cool and Karm Ent? He is planning to release a single next month and as for Cool and Karm Ent you can look out for a nationwide competition for artistes of every genre to win a professional recording and possibly become a permanent fixture in the Cool and Karm Ent family. On a closing note, Peters wished to encourage anyone who has a similar dream by saying "there is no easy way, no short cuts, just hard work and perseverance."
Dawn Rosales
Press Pass Correspondent
University of the West Indies