Words by Natalie Weiner, Photo via @ASAPFerg/Instagram—
We already knew A$AP Ferg liked dancehall—now, Harlem’s Trap Lord, who happens be of Trini heritage, is getting into soca as well. Ferg has taken inspiration from the Soca Viking himself, Bunji Garlin, with “Petit Valley,” a freestyle on Garlin’s single “Carnival Tabanca.” He seems to have been inspired to create his own ode to Trinidad after visiting the island last month for Carnival, apparently rediscovering the beauty of both the music, and (naturally) the women.
According to Ferg, the freestyle is based on a true story: he fell in love with a Trini gyul “from Petit Valley” at Carnival, who made him “want to move to Trinidad to keep her happy” (aww). Fittingly, he serenades her in the sing-song melodic style he calls “the Fergie flow,” also found on the (much less romantic) track “Hood Pope.”
This isn’t Bunji’s first time getting play from a major hip-hop artist—just a few months ago, Busta spit over his crossover hit “Differentology.” But unlike “Differentology,” “Carnival Tabanca” hasn’t exactly crossed over into the mainstream, though we have heard it popping up on urban stations like Hot 97 in the last few weeks. If the perplexed Soundcloud comments and error-filled blog posts are anything to go by, most of Ferg’s fans hadn’t heard the song before this freestyle. However, with Busta and now Ferg riding the soca wave, there could be a whole trend of soca/hip-hop collaborations to come.
Check out the song below, along with this picture of Ferg and Trinidad James with their Trini fam at this year’s Carnival.
Photo via @TrinidadJamesGG/Instagram