He made it to our 2019 list of Trinidad & Tobago artists to look at; we even spoke with him about one of his releases. But now, we take a deeper look at the man behind the music, 21-year-old Kareem Kasumu aka Kaz Fuego.
Early Life
He was born in London on December 25th, 1997 to a Nigerian father and an English mother. The multicultural hub we know as Brixton in South London was what he called his hometown. It wasn’t until September 2010 that he and his mother ventured to the twin-island of Trinidad and Tobago to begin a new life. He says that initially, the adjustment process posed some difficulties but he eventually adapted.
“It was kinda hard to live. Every second, nobody understanding what you saying because of your accent. Always having to repeat yourself. So it wasn’t until I developed a Trinidadian accent that people kinda, you know…”
Kaz Fuego
Now, having lived in T&T for almost nine years, he’s fully acquainted with the culture.
Who is Kareem?
You may be familiar with Kaz, but you probably don’t know Kareem.
When he’s not creating music, he’s either listening to it or just chilling with his friends. He’s not really much of a party goer, and says he’s more of an observant person as opposed to a talkative one. But when he does speak, he believes in having stimulating conversations.
Apart from loving music, he also describes himself as being family oriented and an animal lover. If you follow him on Instagram then you probably think he’s not fond of cats because of this video:
But he assured us that he is. In fact, he once had a cat named Felix.
You might also catch him watching one of his favourite series, which include Lucifer, Sabrina, Breaking Bad, Ozard, and Peaky Blinders.
Becoming Kaz Fuego
He moved from writing poetry to writing songs with some motivation from his uncle, Benjamin Zephaniah – well-known English writer and poet. He had shown Benjamin an original poem and was told that he should consider music. He admitted that he was a bit hesitant at first, but once he agreed, nothing could have changed his mind.
Settling on a name took some time. He moved from Kazzy Da Crook, to Kaz, but eventually went with Kaz Fuego. The name was a result of him regularly saying “fuego” in studio sessions. His producer at the time suggested that the phrase be added to his name.
“At first I didn’t like it but then I had a conversation with a few friends and I said aite aite, I’ll keep it.”
Kaz Fuego
He often performed at talent shows and rallies at his high school, and says he was known for being involved with music.
Style, Sound & Inspirations
Kaz describes his sound as a mixture of every culture he’s associated with: UK, Nigerian, Caribbean. This is evident if you listen to any of his tracks.
He believes that being in the studio is the best way to make a song.
“Sometimes I write songs and I love what I wrote, but if I don’t record it in time it just feels old. So the best way for me is being in the studio with other artists and producers who can tell you “Aye, change this,” or “This works,” so…”
Kaz Fuego
Prior to his most recent release, ‘Pretend’, he says he was fishing and experimenting with his sound. On this track, he gave listeners a taste of his UK background with the rap style. When asked if the recent rise in popularity of UK rap made him more comfortable creating music like this, he said that while it helped, he feels like he would have reached this point even if it wasn’t as prominent as it is now.
Some of the artists that he looks up to are Wizkid, Fela Kuti, Sizzla, Lauryn Hill, Michael Jackson, Capleton, Kanye West and India Arie. But the artist that inspires him the most is undoubtedly Nigerian superstar Burna Boy. Kaz says that their stories are quite similar, so his admiration goes beyond just the music.
The Industry
The music industry is not all smiles and roses. It can become very frustrating and challenging. Kaz says “It’s just how the industry works.”
One early challenge for him was getting in contact with producers, especially being a new act. If they don’t “see” something in you or you’re not already known, he says it’s hardly likely that they’d reply to you.
He feels that at times, T&T doesn’t give credit where it’s due. And he isn’t the first local artist to make a statement similar to this. In fact, many locals who aren’t in the music industry admit that they don’t feel like its citizens acknowledge local artists until they make it internationally.
“They don’t like to gas people up. That’s something I find weird.”
Kaz Fuego
Trusting and relying on others also posed as a challenge in some instances for him. He says that being a creative is a serious thing, but many seem to misunderstand. He admits that some people can be very unreliable, which is unfair since he’s willingly giving his time and effort.
He says that he has grown a lot in terms of being fine with initial feedback. He was once the guy who would check back his YouTube link an hour later to see if the view count appealed to him. Now, he says it doesn’t matter as much.
“Whether it has 1000 views or 1500 views, it’s just a number. I’m just glad that people are listening, even if it’s just one person.”
Kaz Fuego
Plan B?
When asked about his career plans prior to getting into the music industry, he said that music was always plan A for him. He was honest enough to admit that he feels like giving up at times but he always manages to get back on track.
Kaz also has an interest in business ventures and entrepreneurship. He revealed to CARIB VOXX that he’s working on an original brand of handcrafted juices under the name ‘Tàn’ (Yoruba for ‘Shine’). He says he hopes that it grows and is able to flourish.
What’s Next?
If we’re speaking short-term, then definitely expect more releases from him this year. If we’re speaking short-term, he says that at the end of the day he just wants to live a comfortable life. He wishes to reach the point where he’s able to tour as an artist, release numerous bodies of work, and says that he has some plans to revamp how press runs are done in Trinidad & Tobago. He believes his ideas can improve the process.
He’s also working on releasing his music on all streaming platforms, as listeners sometimes say particular songs aren’t available to them. You can listen to his music on Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Music, Tidal, etc.
Follow him on all social media platforms @kazfuego to keep up with both his work and shenanigans.
