IslandMix - Soca, Reggae, Zouk and Caribbean Entertainment

could someone please explain???

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DEFENDING "SMALL ISAND MUSIC" FROM THE BIAS, PREJUDICE, OVER-PATRIOTIC AND RACIST SOUTHERNERS.

It is a name that was given to the artist/ business man & radio station owner (96.1 fm) known as Chinese Laundry. He was dubbed the Soca Mafia because he has been the decision maker on who's song get played or not on his station which incidentally is the most popular in TnT. His decisions in the past has had the unfortunate impact of retarding the popularity of otherwise very good soca music eminatin from TnT. This might sound like regular business but it's far from it. Artists in the past (can't speak for present) have had to pay to get their songs played on the air. Excluded from this however was music from anywhere else but TnT. So while Reggae, RnB, Hip Hop (75% of the rotation), and even soca from outside islands would be exempt from such criterior, Soca from TnT wasn't. It is for this very reason why I personally take offense to all this talk about other islands struggle when I see friends of mine in the business struggling for airplay themselves. Thankfully now there is Trini Bashment Radio allowing for an alternative route for all these artists to get their exposure.

thanks for clearing this up....and you have a right to be angry at the "soca mafia" for not allowing certin artsts and so fourth to get play...i am fully awear of these underhanded tactics in the music business over all....(payola and such elements i am very familiar with)...i understand the fustration you must have becuse of this element in existence within the trini soca scene as you said you have friends who are affected by this....BUT in no way can you sit there as an intelligent person and tell me that this doesnt impact non-trini enities as well...please any resonably intelligent person can deduce this...and for you to look down apon somebody like myself who speaks about a problem that affects things in my enviroment just becuase you cannot relate to it is disrespectful to say the least...now i dont have any idea how things are in trinidad...but here in toronto i must say their is something like that in existeance here only thing it is not a inner trini element....
where it seems that only one islands music get played by the BIG dj's (who hold the overwellming monopoly in this city)...that affects me and it affect alot of my associates just as much as the soca mafia affects you and your friends is..it is just as important.,..so for you and others to shun my agruments on certin issues and yet you can relate in some way becuase of the "soca mafia" problem that exists within the trinidad soca scene itself..is hypocritical to say the least!!!!

i hope you understand and see the corallation between the 2 things!!!

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DEFENDING "SMALL ISAND MUSIC" FROM THE BIAS, PREJUDICE, OVER-PATRIOTIC AND RACIST SOUTHERNERS.

no sir....scorpian and i can discuss without that immaturity... is mad scorpian not bake n shark or dutty!!!

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DEFENDING "SMALL ISAND MUSIC" FROM THE BIAS, PREJUDICE, OVER-PATRIOTIC AND RACIST SOUTHERNERS.

You have me down wrong, it's just an interesting topic. I'm just observing opinoins on the whole scene, when it pertains to this music that we love. It's just unbelievable to hear that an artist has to pay a certain station to get airplay, and not get recognition because of the quality of the music.

You asked for an explanation which would be returned with a comment after...

A discussion is between two people where one people is trying to get the other person to see their poit of view only..

A open dialogue is where people talk openly without fear of retribution..

How could I chat with someone who doesn't know the difference between them?

Idiot

not nice at all!

i knew it wouldnt be long before the soca KKK members came out....poca dont worry i have prejudice anti-aything that isnt' trinidad fassies like dutty on ignore so please dont quote him..i really could care less what prejudices anti unity anti equality people like him have to say.... he is nothing...less than nothing in my book!!! he is the soca equivilent to the arian nation or skinn heads or the klu klux klan...so i have nothing to say to people like that!!!

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DEFENDING "SMALL ISAND MUSIC" FROM THE BIAS, PREJUDICE, OVER-PATRIOTIC AND RACIST SOUTHERNERS.

I do understand your point but I think you missed part of mine. Lets say BF have ah song that mash up all bout and is hot in TnT going into carnival, that same BF song will get rinse out on the mafia station without issue. If an artist from TnT isn't down with the mafia however no matter how big their songs are the mafia would (at his discretion) either limit it or all together not play them if he wants to grind his axe. So while you are convinced that it affects all I am telling you that it affects TnT soca artists and not outsiders in the same fashion. An outsider isn't going to go to him and say boss here is $$$ can you play my tune, but a TnT artist will if they know that their song isn't going to get anywhere without the help of the mafia. I hope you understand now what I am expressing. What you see as a problem may very well exist in Canada and even everywhere else but I honestly cannot relate to it in the same manner as you. It has nothing to do with hypocricy. It's more of a "who feels it knows" kinda thing.

remember that artist from other islands have to make the choice to promote their music in Trinidad.....give Onika (RIP) for example....Burning Flames don't promote their music in Trinidad much...they choose not to go Trinidad and promote their music...Onika has to go promote for her self, but if they did they would...same for Krosfyah....they decide not to go Trinidad this year and their tunes not playin........but Trinidad artist, for years now, has to fight to get their music play and 96....push certain tunes....and i heard it got so bad people get violent w/ the thing.

i understand...that is all i am trying to get across to people...but the majority of people on here (not neccesserily yourself)..dont have your objective views...they feel i am just totally out to lunch and all i want to do is hate on trinidad and its people...which couldnt be further from the truth...all i ever wanted to accomplish is to bring awarness to a specific problem....but all i get is denials and/or accusations of anti-trinism and hate....for simply pointing out a problem (in toronto at least) a certain group of islands music faces as a direct result of a specific attitude of certain and particular people in powerful positions who all just happen to be from one particular island..but i have people like duttylife and shake n bake and a few others who dont even live here but trying to discredit me...by trying to instigate and rally the (over-patriotic soca KKK) lynchmob by labeling me an anti-trini and trini-hater..without even reseaching the issue for themselves to see if it hold any credibility...dem all just up and feel it cant be so becuase its trinidad..and trinidad is beyond any blame, fault or reproach...and anyone (who is non trini) who attempts to bring up an issue that may show any trini entity in a not so favorable light...that person is automatically labels an anti-trini without any of those accusers taking it apon themselves to actually research the issue to see if it holds any validity!!!

thats my point...the lack of objectivity by an overwellming majority of the trinidadians on this board...

i wish more of them were like you scorpy...you obviously take the time out to do your research and corrispond and interact with soca music lovers from the other islands especially those in the north carribean (eg. antigua, st.kitts, dominica, virgin islands)
and sit back and listen to the concerns, problems and issues those islands face as far as their music goes in the overall soca scene...unlike others who jus feel say is only barbados alone do soca music outside a trinidad and is the only other soca that holds any other value or worth!!!

like i said i will keep fighting....


respect

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DEFENDING "SMALL ISAND MUSIC" FROM THE BIAS, PREJUDICE, OVER-PATRIOTIC AND RACIST SOUTHERNERS.

Your point is well documented...
and some of what you are saying is correct...but still on a larger scale don't validate your point or Mad's point...


My point is if the tune is hot...
someone will play it...might not be the soca mafia...but soneone will play it.

my problem with most of your post and others is that you think that all tunes should be given equal playing time... maybe late in the night for rotation problems...

but it should come down to if the tune is " hot ' not where or what country the artist is from and who is paying and who we like.


I don't know about you...but a radio station can play a song every hour on the hour...If i am not feeling it...I ain't going to buy it.


Just common sense to ...then again what do i know !

Nothing guy!!

again like scorpian..i agree with you...if a tune hot...it should be played....but what determins if a tune is "hot"...
a tune like all is yours by bruning flames FT onika bostic (blessings be opon her) is hot in trinidad...was hot before she passed away...right...but guess what...that tune did even register in antigua...nor in the rest of the lewward islands who support burinig flames music...debblish is the "HOT" tune..i know for a fact..(at least up here in toronto) that debblish hardly plays if it plays at all...i ceertainly havent heard it at any fetes or at on any scoa radio shows.....look at a tune like rubberbands by nu vybes
(st. kitts)...from recent reports coming outta the "small islands" that tune is mashing up from st. thomas to dominica..and is in heavy rotation in dominica for its carnival...along with moneys worth by grandmasters....thos songs are "HOT"....but do they get the time of day by the DJ's here in toronto...hell no....so that definition of hot is very subjective.....and as far as toronto goes...if the tune hasnt been accepted in trinidad by the trinidad market....its likley not going to get any airplay...dispite how "HOT" is is in other islands!!!

so the "hot" theory is really and trully null and void in this context

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DEFENDING "SMALL ISAND MUSIC" FROM THE BIAS, PREJUDICE, OVER-PATRIOTIC AND RACIST SOUTHERNERS.