DOES SOCA MUSIC DESERVES MORE INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION?
Hip Hop is worldwide, R & B which is sometimes considered sort of a subset or a cousin of hip hop is also worldwide, a lot of other genres are worldwide including Reggae but one of the most prevalent genres in the Caribbean and Northeast America which is soca music in some people minds doesn’t really get all the respect that it truly deserves. I was once an avid non-supporter of the genre but being more exposed to it, I have become a lover of the sounds, the dances associated with it and its particularly fast paced music…So what will it take for the rest of the world to realize that this form of music is really good and deserves more attention on a worldwide scale.
We can all agree that Reggae is known as the popular music that derived from the Caribbean with the sounds from the late great Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, but the Caribbean is made up of so many different countries and cultures that sometimes some are overlooked and don’t get mention as much as the popular ones…A lot of people may argue about where soca was invented but its best known to originate from the twin island of Trinidad and Tobago in 1963. Soca's popularity grew through the 70s and early 1980s, finally becoming an international chart-topper after "Hot Hot Hot", a 1983 release by Arrow, who hailed from Montserrat. Arrow soon proved himself to be one of the most innovative soca artists of the 80s, incorporating zouk and other influences into a series of best-selling singles…However we haven’t had a lot of consistent international buzz.
Well as of late, Soca’s fan base has been growing vastly across the world, it might not have the worldwide stamp of approval as yet but its making its way and as a fellow Caribbean native I must say that I’m really proud of that accomplishment…When we talk about soca today we have to talk about Machel Montano, he has become the face of soca music and also somewhat of an ambassador as well. He hails from the origin country Trinidad and Tobago as well and in 2011, Machel won the International Soca Monarch competition and defeated the likes of Iwer George and Bunji Garlin who both have won the crown before and also serve as soca ambassadors. After a fierce night of competition in the end, Machel walked away with the $2 million prize and the first Soca Monarch title of his career. He then went on to win the road march title with the same hit 'Advantage' by a landslide victory.
You have soca artists from all over, some known countries include Trinidad and Tobago with Machel Montano and Bunji Garlin, Barbados with Lil Rick, and Grenada with Tallpree, just to name a few…In my opinion soca music is starting to put its brand on everything that it touches and a lot of people are embracing the high energy and fast-paced music…One thing I can tell you, if you go to a soca party make sure you are ready to move that waistline, jump up and down and you surely wont be bored because no one stands around…oh yeah and there are a lot of girls present from what I notice. Soca music is definitely leaving its mark and now we even see carnivals here in the US in New York, Boston, Washington D.C, Atlanta and Miami.
Wherever there is soca there is carnival, and that array of colors and costumes have made it an event you dont want to miss...You have carnivals everywhere and even recently we have seen photos from Barbados carnival where pop star and Barbados national Rihanna was taking part and having a world of fun I might add...Will that open a few more eyes to the genre, I hope so...Will Soca get the international acclaim that some thinks it deserve, we will just have to wait and see? But for now you can download the newest Soca song that is taking over and it comes from Lil Rick called Jones and Wuk Up.
Soca is what I call '. Niche' music. You either like it or you don't. I'm not one of those who sees the need for it to go so called 'mainstream'. All artists need to do is copyright their music and work on their performance skills and you would be surprised at how much more professional the artform will become. People, like you, who had limited previous exposure to soca, are starting to love it when they realize the happiness it causes.
ReplyDeleteUnlike Reggae, Soca hasn't become main stream because there hasn't really been an artist(s) that have cross-ed over. In reggae's case there has been Bob Marley, Sean Paul, Beenie Man, Kevin Little etc. -- reggae even has a category in the Grammy's (which the Marley dynasty continues to dominate). I'm not quite sure I want Soca to become mainstream. Sometimes things are more valued as a hidden treasure! One of the ways a diverse audience outside of the Caribbean gets expose to Soca is at the various carnivals around the world -- then it becomes a total experience in which you don't only get the music but the CULCHA! The last thing I would want is in my opinion a relatively unsuccessful 'phase-like' mainstream operation as we saw with reggaeton! Soca for coconut babies like me, is a part of who we are, we grew up listening to the sweet sounds, that may have been passed through generations, its part of our blood. YOU HAVE TO EARN YOUR WHININ' UP RIGHTS!!!
ReplyDeleteGood article. If soca is to break into the mainstream, it will highly depend on the push of groovy soca. Not every body like the tunes that are dedicated to "the road" such as Rupee's Jump, Big Truck by Machel just to name a few. Hence the reason you only hear the more popular fast pace tunes in top 40 night clubs in NYC. Back to Groovy Soca, We experienced some brief success with the likes of Alison Hinds Roll It, Rupee Tempted To Touch, Kevin Lyttle Turn Me On and Machel Montano- One More Time. These are the tunes that usually get the most play outside of Carnivals in the W.I and in major cities around the world and should help push us out of the shadow of reggae.
ReplyDeletegreat article. it is really making a worldwide impact. sooner or later, there will be a soca mainstream station.
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