Words by LargeUp Crew
Photo by Wayne Lawrence
The days when soca was strictly seasonal music for jumping and waving at Carnival are long gone. In 2017, soca music continues to strike out in new and broader directions, making its presence felt year-round, across the Caribbean and worldwide. This year, we saw the continued rise of the small islands, particularly St. Lucia, which gave us the Dennery Segment, a Kreyol-inflected fusion of soca and Angolan kuduro that took over the feting scene after years underground. Barbados continued to deliver the goods, led by Marz Ville, who took the groovy route this year after taking soca to the bashment in 2016. And Grenada and St. Vincent, long-time soca powerhouses, gave us indelible 2017 soca hits from old standbys and new names.
Much of the best soca, however, still comes from its birthplace and mecca, Trinidad & Tobago. There, the dynamic trio of Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin and Kes retained their hold on the Carnival massive, MX Prime made a comeback as part of the new crew Ultimate Rejects, the young upstart Voice retained his International Soca Monarch title, and new stars were launched in the form of Nailah Blackman, Uncle Ellis and Orlando Octave.
With the energy of Carnival 2018 already building, here’s one last look at the soca anthems that ruled the 2017 season from Port-of-Spain to Castries.
Grenadian duo Lil Natty & Thunda, known collectively as Wuss Wayz, had the biggest hit of the Spicemas season with this track likening their feting credentials to those of a top striker in football. With its high BPMs and traditional drums, this aggressive anthem from the Jab Jab Nation showed power soca has life left in it still. — Jesse Serwer
Rupee, one of soca’s great vocalists, returned to form in 2017 on a sublime production from Black Shadow, the Miami-based production team best known for Sean Paul’s “Gimme the Light.” With mellow vibes more suited to off-season limes than peak Carnival time, “Tipsy” stood out with its seamless blend of soca, dancehall, R&B, EDM and pop — territory Rupee carved with “Tempted to Touch” over a decade ago. — Jesse Serwer
In the vein of Rupee now comes Jus D., a songwriter-turned-artist from Barbados whose track record includes songs penned for, yes, Rupee and Machel. “9 (Na Na Ni)” was a sleeper hit from the 2017 Crop Over season, which has become something of a favorite with the ladies thanks to its sensuous chorus. — Jesse Serwer
The defining sound of 2017 was the Dennery Segment, or Soca Kuduro, a branch of soca from a small town in St. Lucia called Dennery (Hi, Adelaine!). Leading the way was Freezy’s “Split In The Middle” a 2015 release that really just took off this year, but a 2017 tune connected just as well: Mighty and Subance‘s “Bad in Bum Bum.” The drum- and bass-fueled Local Drums Riddim (produced by DRC, and also including a second track from Subance called “Back Bend”) and a super-catchy hook made this a must play. — Paul Parris
Sekon Sta represents the younger generation of soca music, and the subculture that surrounds it in Trinidad & Tobago. His best 2017 Carnival release, “Kings and Queens” captures the joys of celebrating life in a soca party free of worry, surrounded by good people and good vibes. The song title is a double entendre, referencing a traditional masquerade costume competition called Kings and Queens that occurs during Trinidad Carnival festivities. The melodic track urges the listener to seize the moment, over the foundation of an iron riddim section, an essential element of soca and a perfect close to any sweet and sweaty fete. — GabSoul
“Plenty gal have maaaaan, acting like they single!” Orlando Octave‘s mix-up song became the ladies anthem for 2017… which was quite ironic. With vintage Trini wit, Orlando tells the story of many ah woman in the dances, over a Central Records produced-rhythm. This one had all the ladies in any fete singing word for word. — Paul Parris
Uncle Ellis captured the hearts and ears of soca lovers everywhere this year with his 2017 carnival hit, “I Doh Mind.” The artist, who was formerly homeless on the streets Port of Spain, has used soca as a means to reclaim his voice, tell his story, and, ultimately, show listeners how to have a good time. “I Doh Mind” — Sharine Taylor
Arguably the best 2017 release from the undisputed King of Soca, Machel Montano’s “Fast Wine” was a gem that lasted throughout the Carnival seasons this year. Machel gave the ladies a groovy new tune to feel empowered by, offering a positive affirmation for women of color to chant with pride: “The sugar on your skin, the sweetest melanin.” The initial four-count beat drop invites us to an entrancing rhythm (produced by P.A.G.E. and soca heavy hitters Precision Productions) before Monk Monte effortlessly takes the reigns with an infectious lines about the way the sweetness of a woman’s wine can blow a man’s mind and leave him blindly in love with her waistline. If the masses could only understand the dynamics of wining culture, this could be a crossover hit like Charly Blacks’ “Party Animal” was in 2016. — GabSoul
Trinidadian MC/radio personality Salty seems to have had the golden touch since he began appearing on tracks of his own. With “Gyal Meets Brass,” the horn-fueled Dawg E. Slaughter production that was the runaway hit of Carnival 2016, to the viral dancehall chat of “Tic Toc,” he’s carved a unique lane for himself. Salty’s recently entered into a fruitful partnership with DJ/producer Travis World, beginning with “Free Up Yuhself,” easily one of the most advanced and futuristic sounding soca tunes of the year. — Jesse Serwer
When the granddaughter of the man known as soca’s creator teams up with the man who has for years been putting the groove in soca, the result is bound to be magic. Kes and Nailah Blackman’s “Work Out” had the women switching it up on the dance floor to a song that had a little zouk, a little pop, and a lot of vibes. Not only was it one of the hottest tracks for the 2017 Carnival season, but Nailah’s soca debut sped her into the limelight in Trinidad. She now has a string of hit singles under her belt, including “Badishh,” a collaboration with dancehall artist Shenseea, and “Sokah,” already one of the hottest tracks of the 2018 season, proving that “Work Out” was only the start of big things to come. — Tishanna Williams
This tune from St. Vincent’s Dynamite features great production from Mark Cyrus and a lyrical style that falls halfway between soca and U.K. grime. Once the intro on this one hit at soca fetes this year, dancefloors erupted with echoes of Dynamite’s infectious “Ra Ta Ta Ta Ta” chant. Pure shellings ensued, especially when selectors followed with Lil Natty + Thunda’s “Top Striker.” From a production standpoint, this record could easily fit in a London grime juggling as well, potentially giving it even more life. — Paul Parris
Marz Ville, who had the smash soca hit of 2016 with the archetypal bashment soca anthem “Bang Bim,” returned to groovy soca on this track on Supa Lynks’ Gummy Bear Riddim. “Give It To Ya” had a huge buzz for Crop Over 2017 but really took off Labor Day weekend in NYC, where it was a mainstay at fetes and on the road. Anywhere Marzville was performing, it was if he had a choir with him. 2017 was the year Marz, along with Jus D’s “9 (Na Na Ni),” brought the Groovy Soca crown back to Barbados. — Paul Parris
Voice, who became the youngest ever Soca Monarch in 2016, reclaimed the throne for a second year in a row with his 2017 hit, “Far From Finished.” After earning the hearts of soca lovers with his uplifting 2016 anthem “Cheers to Life,” the singer born Aaron St. Louis followed with an ode to his humble beginnings in San Juan (pronounced Saa-waa by locals). An empowering testimony of perseverance and gratitude, the song resonated with young listeners, achieving Voice’s goal of inspiring younger listeners. But Voice’s music bridges the gaps between generations, creating anthems for all ages. The Fisherman Project and Precision Productions-produced track incorporates elements of the different heritages within Trinidadian culture, with African drums following the melody of the Indian flute. The song’s official video meanwhile gave us a cinematic depiction of life in Trinidad, capturing the range of colorful spirits you’re likely to pass on any given road, as well as cameos from Voice’s next-gen soca peers, Sekon Sta and GBM Nutron. And a visual of Trinidad wouldn’t be complete without a game of All Fours, a popular card game where you’re likely to get a good cuss-out from your partner if you slip up. — GabSoul
With “Big Bad Soca,” Bunji Garlin merged Carnival brass and drums and an EDM kick to create a track which resonated with grassroots Trinidadians who remember the days of J’Ouvert beginning right after Dimanche Gras (before the country imposed a 4a.m. start time). Produced by the riddim warriors Jus Now with a co-production credit going to DJ Fresh out of the UK, Bunji’s declaration in his chorus sums it up better than we ever could have. This track is truly the sound of soca. — Tishanna Williams
Calypso Rose teamed with Manu Chao for this feelgood record which set off the 2017 Trinidad Carnival season off right. A collaboration of two artists from two different genres and two different generations, “Leave Me Alone” was originally included on Rose’s 2016 album Far From Home. It was revived for the Carnival season by soca king Machel Montano and producer Kubiyashi, who added their indelible touch to this remix. The result was adopted as a rallying cry by women in Trinidad, even spawning a line of T-shirts from Project Runway winner and Canyaval proprietor Anya Ayoung-Chee. It’s a great, late addition to the catalog of one of Trinidad’s musical icons. — Sharine Taylor
The previously-unknown Freezy broke the soca mold this year with “Split In Di Middle,” a nearly two-year old track from St. Lucia that became the most requested/played/demanded song at Carnivals across the Caribbean this year. Propelled by Instagram videos of women doing the task named in the song’s title, “Split In Di Middle” took St. Lucia’s so-called Dennery Segment international, popularizing Soca Kuduro, a fusion of soca, Angolan kuduro music, Kreyol dialect, and rude bashment vibes. Regardless of its release date, this was the song that best summed up the energy of soca 2017. — Jesse Serwer
With so much turbulence in Trinidad & Tobago’s economy, and the government citing “an empty treasury,” 2017 Carnival saw a lot of belt tightening, and even some fete cancellations. The people needed a pick-me-up, and Ultimate Rejects answered with “Full Extreme.” The team comprised of Johann Seaton, Avaron Vanloo, Joel Aming and veteran artist/man of many sobriquets MX Prime had revelers “jammin still” to this Road March-winning EDM/Soca fusion. EDM has been creeping into soca for a while now, but the crew used it as a way of globalizing their sound and bringing even more hype to the party. MX Prime, in his distinctly commanding voice, addressed the concerns at hand: Recession doh bother we/Promote a fete and you go see/How we go party to the Full Extreme. Some were concerned lyrics like ‘light it up with kerosene’ and ‘the city could bun down’ could be incendiary, but really they just pushed you to wine, and not worry about a thing. After all, stress doesn’t belong on the road. — Tishanna Williams
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