IslandMix - Soca, Reggae, Zouk and Caribbean Entertainment

Ragga soca general The Gladiator shakes the arena
By Sheldon J Yearwood

The year was 1997. An 18-year-old from Carenage stepped onto the music
scene with a thunderous voice that would make the industry tremble. He was
introduced to T&T that year, along with Precious, on the Soca Billboard
Medley in the Kisskidee Karavan.

He was then known as Magadan.

Seven years later this poet of the people has taken his message of
culture-building worldwide, going from dancehall to ragga soca.

Just as his sound has evolved, so, too, has his name. Family and friends
know him as Edghill Thomas. We now know him as Maximus Dan, while some
respectfully refer to him as “Gladiator.”

The 25-year-old artiste has taken the bold stance of staying clear of the
popular jump-and-wave tactic to sing songs you can dance to but still be
inspired by at the end of a show.

From his first hit in 2000, Rappapampam, up to his first album, From A
Distance, in 2004, he has produced a string of hits including Lash Satan,
War and Kick It Way. The latter is his biggest hit to date, he said, bigger
than last year’s smash Soca Train.

His second album, Man of Fire, was launched on January 20 and is known as
one of the most widely anticipated albums for C2K5.

The music is clean and righteous. This is a reflection of his lifestyle—he
does not smoke nor drink.

Man of Fire, according to the artiste, deals with day-to-day stresses.

“This is for the people. Those who work very hard and whose salaries don’t
reflect it. Also the heartache they go through to survive,” he explained.

“When you look at fire, fire is an element that rages and burns. When a
fire gets out of control it can cause havoc. It can destroy life and
property in the blink of an eye.

“The songs on the album is my way of channeling this anger and frustration
into something positive, because right now the world is on fire. Everybody
is in a rage, from the young to the old. So I am saying don’t give Satan
the victory.

“I am here to talk to the masses to let them know as bad as things are,
don’t lose hope. One of the tracks is the title of the album that speaks
about basic things in life that make you lose control.

“If you are the sole breadwinner of your family and you do something
violent, who is going to support your family? Think before you act,”
explained Maximus.

Some of the tracks that are already in heavy rotation on the airwaves are
Earthquake, Zion, Royal and Order.

The last child of a family of four, Thomas said growing up in Carenage was
no bed of roses.

“Carenage is not the worst place to live but there are many negative
influences that plague the area. Being the only boy I sometimes felt like a
loner. I fell into a depression trying to find my identity. Music was my
escape out of that state of mind. I did not want to be a statistic. I
wanted to be different, thus creating a difference, believe that.”

He admits the Soca Billboard track was a means to get his feet wet.

“Everyone who knows me is well aware that I love reggae music. I never hid
that fact from anybody. I grew up listening to it. I said it in Soca Train.

“But I also love music in general and soca is part of the culture.

“I wanted my talents to be heard by anybody and soca was the avenue. My
intentions were not to get heavily involved in soca music,” he said.

“That same year I went to Jamaica to record Do You See What I See on the
Filty Rhythm. That’s the rhythm with the dancehall track Heads High. That
was a big rhythm all over the world.

“When I came back to Trinidad with the song I got mixed reviews. But when
Spragga Bens’ song played on the airwaves with the same rhythm, they
wheeling the track! I would admit it was a bittersweet feeling.

“It hurt me deeply because this was my way of contributing to the culture.
I then reflected on my life and asked myself the question, ‘What position
am I in now?’”

His transition from boyhood to manhood was one of spiritual and cultural
growth.

Maximus came to believe it was his duty and responsibility as a Trinidadian
to defend what was indigenous to his country—soca. Even so, ragga soca was
the best of both worlds.

“As much as I love reggae, soca is a part of me. I am of the belief that it
was dormant in me, but my love for music and respect for my people brought
it to the surface.”

Over the years Maximus got more deeply involved in every aspect of the
business. With the assistance of his good friend the late producer Kurt
Mitchell, Maximus associated himself with 96.1 FM and Link Up studios.

Then came the name change in 2000.

“For those who don’t know, the inspiration for the change came from
watching The Gladiator (a movie starring Russell Crowe). A man small in
stature but had a big spirit.

“People who could have easily teamed up to cut him down had so much respect
for him they called him their general, their leader. They called him
Maximus. Now Maximus is a big word, therefore one would envision a big
man—but he is small.

“Now, big is a relative word, so I wanted to be big as well. I wanted to be
big spiritually, mentally, socially and lyrically. When I go on the stage
you must listen to what I am saying or turn your back, there is no
compromise. Either you love me or you don’t.”

Maximus admitted he knew he was going to get some opposition.

“When people go to a party, with alcohol in their head, they want to jump
up and relieve the stresses of the day.

“They do not want to hear preaching in their head, even though they like
the music. The truth is an offence, but not a sin. The devil trying to
distract people from listening to anything positive. He don’t want to see
God win no souls. He want as much souls as he can get because he already
know he lost the battle.

“So every time I go on that stage it’s like a battlefield and I am
determined to conquer it every time.”

In closing, Maximus had a message for the pirates.

“You vampires that sucking the money from artistes! One day you may have
children who may venture into music and someone will do the same thing to
them.

“God don’t sleep. Remember that.”

nice article

i have a lot of respect for Maximus

big up 2 de Dan

POWA thanks for this article, it WICKED!!!!

Now that's what I'm talking about!!! A smart man indeed, I like him even more now. Go Maximus go......

so weh did the DAN part of his name come from? Big respect to a big artist......best of luck to him STR8