Orlando Octave: Deeper Than Soca
A Thought Provoking Soca Song Makes It All The Way To The International Soca Monarch Finals When Orlando Octave’s father entered him into a local television competition in Trinidad, his life changed forever. After, a few local hits, he wrote a breakthrough song “Single,” that catapulted him to a spot in the International Soca Monarch Finals. […]
HEAR THIS: Andre Xcellence “Ram It Up” PREMIERE
The Turn Up Was The Old Wave—Now It’s Time to Ram It Up! Andre Xcellence is a reckless Trini youth based in Los Angeles whose daily agenda includes “Shuttin’ down the club, even bringin’ Ballys back.” To be honest we just heard about him yesterday but he had us from the moment he flipped Super […]
“LAVAAA!!!” The Irie Flame of I-Wayne
Lava Splash! Fire Dash! Everything Burn To Ash Sunday September 4th marked Irie Jam’s 23rd Anniversary concert spotlighting Sizzla Kalonji’s return-to-New-York performance after eight long years of absence. The supporting superstar line-up to the sizzling stage show included an artist who personifies lines from Kalonji’s “King in the Jungle.” Seated up so high, yet so humble, I-Wayne brought […]
Phife Dawg’s Dopest Reggae & Dancehall Quotables
Man Like Mutty Ranks Inna The Area I woke up this morning in a pretty good mood until I heard the news that Phife Dawg had passed away. Although we all knew the 45-year-old “funky diabetic” had been battling health issues for years—he even addressed the fact in his touching music video “Dear Dilla”—the news […]
Machel Montano Rules Carnival With
“Waiting on the Stage”—Is He Leading Soca Down The Road To EDM?
Trinidad & Tobago’s “Minister of Road” Takes Third Consecutive Road March Title Trinidadian soca superstar Machel Montano has won his third consecutive road march title. Since 1932, the Trinidad Carnival Committtee has awarded the prize to the musical composition played most often at the “judging points” along the parade route throughout Port of Spain during […]
HEAR THIS: R. City ft. Adam Levine, Agent Sasco, Popcaan, Kardinal Offishall & Bunji Garlin “Locked Away” Dancehall Remix
USVI x JA x TNT x TDot Link Up On This Mega Refix Over New Year’s weekend, Shaggy & Friends annual fundraiser went down in Kingston, Jamaica with the usual star-studded guest list—hailing from yard and abroad—all to raise funds for Jamaica’s Bustamante Hospital for Children. (That “one ticket = one life” slogan is no […]
Dancehall Nice Again: Aidonia, Busy Signal and Konshens Turn Up The Vibes In Trinidad
Jamaican artists shine bright on 96.1 WEFM and at Together As One Concert in Trinidad Last night’s, July 4th, Together As One Concert (T.A.O) in Trinidad, featured the top headliners in dancehall and soca. The line up included chart toppers from Barbados, Leadpipe & Saddis; Trinidadian popular artists Roy Cape All Stars, Squeeky Ranking, Blaxx, […]
HEAR THIS: Busy Signal “WhatsApp”
Turf Prez Inna Soca Style Back in 1984 when Byron Lee and the Dragonaires created their classic hit, “Tiny Winey,” they could not have predicted that this song about a provocative dancer could inspire another soca tune, thirty-one years later. Busy Signal explains that he particularly enjoyed the tune’s exuberant narrative—as well as its infectious […]
Benjai Comes Out To Play
Who can forget the most provocative performance of 2014? Rodney Le Blanc aka Benjai at the 2014 International Soca Monarch Semi Finals on Sunday, February 9, 2014. Benjai came out in his Joe Boxers and gave an electrifying and memorable performance. The performance went viral and made women around the world smile with full joy. […]
Soca Shakespeare: Skinny Banton
A prominent feature of Caribbean culture is carnival, a seasonal time of celebration and soca competitions. This Carnival season, rising star, Shirlan George aka “Skinny Banton,” and his incendiary hit “Soak It Good,” produced by MPS Studios, shines a spotlight of international interest on the Tri-State of Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique. More After The […]
Reasoning with Machel Montano “You’ve Got To Be Yourself”
After (Almost) 33 Years in The Game, The King of Soca Tells Reshma B How He Stays Fly If you don’t know Machel Montano, you don’t know soca. He was nine years old the first time he represented Trinidad & Tobago at Madison Square Garden, and since that time he’s dominated the soca scene from […]
Dancehall & Soca Stars For “Woman Is Boss” Stage Show
In preparing for an event, most women go through a ritual grooming process. This usually involves first making sure hair, nails and eyebrows are groomed and then selecting the outfit, accessories, make-up and fragrance fit for the occasion. However, after all is said and done, confidence is the accessory that stands out the most. This […]