IslandMix - Soca, Reggae, Zouk and Caribbean Entertainment

listen to de lyrics of a song when deciding what is your favorite song?

I notice a lot of ppl on here does love & glorify songs & artists based on de riddims that they are on, how big the artists are & what country they are from.

For example: A lot of ppl love Craziness (including me), but, in my opinion, it is only a good song to wukkup & get on stink to...I think that there are better songs out, as far as lyrics are concerned, there are songs out with a better message that should be considered a "favorite", UNLESS, you are into wukkin' up & partying all of the time & I'd like to think that you ppl do more than that...I know it's not about being serious all of the time either, but, if you call a song your favorite, that means that you would more than likely support the whole album, right, but, what if the whole album is the same as that one song, does that mean that you are going to continue to support this person because of it?

Are you really open to soca music being all about wukkin' up & talkin' slackness...wunna need to think about what's really going on within soca right now....there's a whole bunch of riddims, when a song isn't on a riddim, it's usually sampled off an R&B song or a re-make of a soca song, where is the originality?

I'm not trying to cause confusion, I'm just speaking my mind & asking a few questions that I really would like to know the answers to...:)

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myspace.com/bajanpryncess :)

I think most people are captured on the music itself but not necesarily the lyrical content. Most people don't listen to the content or pay any attention to the content. A lot of times you will see that we are singing songs and not really fully pay attention to what the words are. Craziness is what you call a jump up song. I can't remeber the title but Machel's song to the kids that says "listen what your mama say, you know that is the only way" is more of a concsious song with a catchy beat. but most peolpe don't really hear it but I thing that is one of the best songs on his album.
Every once in a while the music should have some consciousness in it just to make sure the kids know that the culture isn't only about wukkin up.

*applause*
One of the best posts ever dahlin....like everybody high-rating "Bonnie & Clyde" and doh realize it's a remake.....

I submit to you that ppl don't care about depth of lyrical content one bit.....gi dem something u can wukkup too and never really listen to and they happy....no balance.....and then we wonder why the world is how it is....

braxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

man that is why i am so loyal to calypso... its craft... at its best....

"you tell your children to love and be respectful - no more likes
so what happens when it comes to your own people - no more lies
you tell your children that blacks and whites ain equal - no more lies
when its your own brother cause u to crawl n fall and stumble - brutal-lies
mass deception, causing total confusion among de young generaltion leaving all dem Disillusionnnnnnnnnnnnnnn "

i can go on wid calypso wizardry

Exactly, but, even when it comes to what's being played on some of these radio stations, MOST of the time they only play de wutless soca songs, crack jokes & talk slackness...how is soca music going to expand if their song rotation list is full of de same fackery we hear everyday, some of them need to stop being so damn bias when it comes to the music & play different types...when it comes to "conscious" music they play reggae chunes, which is fine with me, but, don't disreguard a soca song that has a good message & play only de "jump up songs", just because you feel hyped up, you wanna please your "reggae heads" & are trying to get ppl to come to your parties...it's pure nonsense...

__________________
myspace.com/bajanpryncess :)

Well as for the lyrics ting, most people that come to a soca event or soca whatever, come to wukup and if you want to get your song play as an artist, is easier to make a wukup song than a good soca song. Not neccessarily right, but that is how it goes.

The majority of people singing/producing soca are being influenced heavily by North America & Reggae music as it rampant in our society. So soca is following trends of that music: sampling, etc. You really can't expect a man to listen to samples in hip-hop, reggae day in and day out and all that comes with those genres. Den go in the studio and not be influenced.

The music is a product of the environment. So yea, most people doan care. But for most songs I listen fuh rythym & melody most of all, den lyrics.

Ok, you make good points, but, I didn't say anything or ask about what they like to listen to when they go out, because, I don't want to hear too many slow songs when I go out either. I'm talking about their listening experiences at home & favoritism when it comes to soca music period & how they think it's going to progress if it's de same shyte over & over again, we need some kind of difference or soca would go down de drain before it can even really become as big as it should.

If they go in the studio & base their music on other music all of the time, is it really theirs to claim?

That's my problem, how are they gonna promote it as soca, when it sounds a lot like reggae, R&B or hip hop?

__________________
myspace.com/bajanpryncess :)

And yet it seems so many on this board fail to see the concern over soca going "mainsteam"

Oh that is the key part i forgot to mention. most people are part timers for soca (from fans to artists). They don't listen to soca besides in the fete or for a hour or so at home. I have heard so many times in a non-fete environment...'why u playin soca for, u plan to wukkup' or 'u see sumtin to wukup pun' or similar effects. So to those persons the wukup songs will suffice cause they dont want to hear soca unless its to wukup.

Ok, then those ppl wouldn't be considered hard core soca lovers, but, there are many on imix who claim they are, so, what is their excuse?!

Whether they are "part timers" or not, they/we are the ones who are in control of the direction soca music is going in, if we don't voice our opinions on the music & let the artists know what we want, how can we expect soca to survive...soca would continue to be all about riddims, re-makes & samples and eventually when it does "crossover" it would most likely be nothing we are used to hearing...take control while you can!

__________________
myspace.com/bajanpryncess :)

This is an excellent topic/discussion. I will contribute later.

Nevertheless, someone purchased Kevin Lyttle's CD on Amazon wrote this comment. I find it quite interesting.

I think it lends something to this discussion.

This is what the person said.

"Just so everyone understands, this is not soca music, soca music can basically be defined as jump, wave, raise your flags, "way mah gt people at" and "way mah trini people at". This is true music, music at its best. Kevin is an artist, not a crowd-hyper."

Some soca artist like Machal feed off the crowd reaction and them going wild. While other artist can have concert with several thousand people just standing there watching them on stage like if they were crazy. No war has a message but its not my favorite soca song. I for one love to see how soca music has the ability to bring several thousands people/cultures from all around the world to move and feel the vibe. However, you can always take them to a calypso tent but they still won't understand what hell they were singing/trying say anyway. I love showing people clips of soca concerts like this for them to have a better understanding what a real concert is like http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/events/tr...er_large.shtml Thanks LSK for the link.

people doan rasshole support de tents...

I love the calypso tents & always go support them when in TNT.

Bajan Pryncess you really set de tone WOw!!!! . I've had millions of these conversations about the way soca is perceived. I've asked over and over do people listen to the lyrical contents, or it seems as though all dum does hear is Bup Bup Bup something to wuk up to. It seem as though anything over 145 B.P.M. (beats per minute) is classified as wuk up material.

I personally have no issues with guys doing a track on the same riddem. That should not be an issue. You can create 1000 melodies out of one riddem. I think the reason why people bash that is because it is something relatively new to our industry. Calyso/kaiso/soco was always know for its originality. It is often perceived as water down music. I was listening to a radio talk show one time. The host said that he doan know what artist are doing now ah days. In his opinion It is a cheap way to produce music. I would go on to say then that if it is so. Then arrangers/producers should be more considerate when working with artist. Charging 1500.00 U.S. Dollars to produce one song in a market that cant even sell 1000 cds The average artist will tell you that. Ask J.W Records, Charlies, Strakers, Cracker or Johns discount on Church Ave. They are crying daily and trust me when I say that they are driving on fumes..(Empty Tanks) .


Do anybody here honestly think that a harcore soca song with brass, some sweet iron, and all the good ingredience will ever go mainstream.
??????????????

We can voice our opinions to the artist suggesting direction that they should go in. At the end of the day, they trying to find a way to attract de buying public so dey trying anything. We may not like it but it is a known fact. So much shite !!!!!! does go in this business, it does mek me sick as Rashole. I done Talk !!