Since the mid 1980's, John Cousin has made a name for himself on the local music scene as a songwriter and performer. As a child, John wanted to be a radio D.J. and often spent hours practicing by using his parent's record collection and the family stereo. As a teen, he became fascinated with a new form of music called Rap. He began performing songs at friend's requests and on a dare, jumped on the stage of the Mandeville High School commons to give a taste of what he could do. In 1991, while stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during a three year stint in the Navy, Cousin was introduced to reggae, calypso and soca music at the bases Jamaican Cultural Arts Center. He returned to the U.S. in 1992, determined to make a record, but at the time, doing it without a label was virtually impossible. After saving up some money, he enlisted Paul "Skullman"Bartley, a popular local artist, to help him record a single at MusicWorks Studio in Kingston, 11, Jamaica. The result, a single called "Maga Lover" was given a few spins on some Jamaican sound systems and on the base in Cuba, as well as WQUE 93.3 FM. After sending out some cassettes to record labels, Tommy Tee Productions responded and offered John a contract. He signed with the label-a decision he would later regret. Two singles were recorded, but never released and John left the label shortly afterwards. He then decided he would never put himself at the mercy of a label ever again. He briefly stopped performing, although he continued to write. He also began an asociation with Madisonville La. based N.S.N., opening a few shows for them and even helping out with vocals on some of their songs. They later disbanded, although one member, James Brown, would later re-emerge as a known producer in the Northshore area. In 1997, Cousin began recording a series of demos that would not be released untill 2001 as his first official release. "I Call It Like I See It" got good reviews, but the EP's language was so blunt that it got no airplay. Cousin has continued to release material on his own labels to good reviews. Cousin also shot his first music video in 2007.
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