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I am a Trinidadian but i have never played J'ouvert, so a friend of mine who is an american but is totally in love with the Trini culture told me she went to Trini for Carnival but didn't play J'ouvert because she read in an interview with Bunji Garlin that J'ouvert is ghetto. I couldn't answer her having never played, but i couldn't believe that Bunji, would say something like that, being he also talks about being a ghetto boy himself.
So for the folks who have played J'ouvert is it really a ghetto thing?

OH yeah here is a link and a copy and paste to the Bunji interview she read.

Jouvay.com: Interview with Ragga Soca Trinidadian Singer Bunji Garlin

At twenty five Ian Alvarez aka BUNJI GARLIN is taking the music world by storm with brilliant lyrics laced in an uptempo ragga-soca style that truly captures the essence of this new generation. Only six years in the business and Bunji is already a two time champion of the International Soca Monarch competition and the reigning ragga soca king. From being a child who never experienced carnival, to being the beat box teenager in Arima, he's now one of the most sought after artists in the business with hit songs like Send Dem Riddim Crazy, In de Ghetto, Snake Oil, By D Bar, Soca Bhangra, and Warrior Cry from his four CDs, Chronicles (1999), Revelation (2001), Black Spaniard (2003) and Graceful Vengeance Part 1 (2004). His appeal and flexibility shows through his collaborations with artists like Iwer George, Denise Belfon, Shammi, Onika Bostick, Kerwin Dubois, Red Rat and Bounty Killa. Read on to get a glimpse into the mind of this lyrical genius as he talks about family, relationships, music and his plans for the future.

Jouvay.com: We're sitting with Bunji Garlin, the girl dem dahlin. Bunji, it is a great pleasure to meet you and catch up with you to do this interview. Many people on the West Coast (California, USA), hear the music, but they don't know much about the artists and we'd like to change that. First of all, where is Point Fortin and is that where you are from?

Bunji Garlin: Point Fortin is the Deep south of Trinidad. I am from East of Trinidad. Originally Sangre Grande which is far east where wise people come from. Then I moved lower down to a place called Wallerfield where one of the first airports in Trinidad was built. There is a new airport in a more commercial area. Now I live in Arima which is the city of the east.

Jouvay.com: You had a j'ouvert thing in Arima at which you performed?

Bunji Garlin: Actually, no. Carnival monday there was monday night mas' and being I am from Arima I played there. Arima is now coming into its own.

JC: What's that like compared to Port of Spain?

BG: Very nice. It's safer for sure.

JC: With all of the police presence in Port of Spain this carnival was quite safe.

BG: Arima is extremely safe. The number of people in comparison is less. With less people everybody tends to be more free and comfortable.

Jouvay.com: Were you on the road on carnival Tuesday?

BG: Carnival Monday night my brother and some of the members from my crew, the Godfather's Asylum were in a car accident. The vehicle was no more. Some of them are in hospital right now. I almost did not come to Miami because I was the main person taking care of everybody. I just had to leave for a little bit. One of the persons is critical and everybody else is recovering slowly. Everything is in God's hands so I have no worry.

JC: I know I did not see you on the truck with Machel them and I had my theories that Bunji don't support this Poison thing.

BJ: Well, I don't do the pretty mas'. Not that I hate it. I am just an extremely hard core guy.

JC: How about j'ouvert/jouvay?

BG: Nah. I don't go to j'ouvert because of safety reasons. That is the time when the real roots of the country come out. J'ouvert is not an uptown thing. It is more ghetto. When you have that crowd coming out in that magnitutde plenty things can go wrong so I tend to stay away because I have to stay alive to entertain people. Someone might piss me off j'ouvert morning and the people might go into automation like, "Yuh disrespect Bunji that mean you disrespect all of we." So let me stay home so everybody can have a safe carnival.

JC: What is the Godfather's Asylum?

BG: The Godfather's Asylum is my crew which consists of 55+ members in Trinidad alone. We have some around the world so combined we could be anywhere from 1500-2000 strong. This crew actually started as an idea in my head because I was in a group before called Schizoflavor. Trinidad has no label where you can get signed. The music in Trinidad is like a hustle. You get into a studio and get your tune finished and you don't depend on record sales because the pirates would eat out your CD before it even hits the stores. You have to depend on all of the shows you could get to make an income. I decided that I had a talent to sing and I had all of these friends around me who could perform and sing who were looking for a way out and they always got turned down. So I thought why not use the energy that I have to try and help them. Some people might see some homeless person on the road and say don't give him money because he will take it and buy drugs. I cannot judge and say that man is going to use drugs. At some point in the day he must get hungry and I might have put towards that. If he decides to take my money and do something else God records that. If all of these people around me have talent whether they are bad or good and God allows me to observe all of that it means I must be here to help somebody do something. Every time I get a chance I try to help somebody new. They don't have to stay a part of my crew. I particularly would rather if they move on, because that would be less work for me. It will show a great sign of success when each of them branches out onto their own. The Asylum is about helping as many people as we can because soca music is not for us to keep. Music is the food of life and it is to share. Like food, there is enough food to feed everyone. It's just that some people are greedy and like to keep the food for themselves.

JC: So, Benjai...

BG: That's blood. That's my brother.

JC: How about Maximus?

BG: Years ago we made him an honorary member of the Godfather's Asylum.

JC: Which other singers would be part of Godfather's?

BG: Immideate members right now would be Ninja, Gailann, Scarface, Benjai, Shammi. Nobody ain't see Shammi for about a whole year. He calls every now and then and does not want to disclose his whereabouts, but don't worry Trinidad we will find him. We will bring Shammi back. That's who're known right now to the public. We have alot of artists incubating and soon they will be coming out. Everything takes time.

JC: You were saying there were no labels in Trinidad. I thought Chinese Laundry had a label?

BG: I don't know if to call it a label really because it's not very big. He has a collection of studios and a copyright logo so that when his production is finished for the season he puts it on a CD and he uses his copyright logo and that is the end of solomon grundy right there. But to say you are a new artist and you are going by Laundry and if you are good enough he will sign you to X amount of contract....Trinidad don't have that. We don't really have an industry. We have so many artists in the country and the carnival season is so short that only a certain number of artists get exposed in the season. Because of that nobody wants to give anybody else a chance and if you last too long, they try to put you out. It's a kind of hustle to stay alive. Imagine drug lords living better than soca artists in Trinidad.

JC: Drug lords live better than alot of people.

BG: It's a shame with the kind of work the artists are putting out home in Trinidad and the commitment and dedication they give. Some to the point where they are giving up their own life to make a life and getting nothing in return. It's unfair. But once you're a warrior nothing comes easy. And you have to fight for what you want and when you get it you have to fight to defend it.

JC: You put up a good fight with Warrior Cry for the Soca Monarch 2004 title!

BG: I was built for war and fight. I love hard hard challenges. You don't really know yourself until you end up in a situation to see your true self and then you realize what you really have.

this have to be old........but for me personally I do jouvert with an organized band wit security.......if is 1 time during Carnival dat yuh should be extremely concerned bout yuh safety it is for jouvert........d evil elements does really come out tuh cause trouble den.......dem yutes does be rolling deep and dey will distress u if dey want.......d police does set up serious checkpoints heading into POS but dat could only do but so much

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We Come Tuh Ramajay.................Eh Eh...............WE Come Break Away

That's an old article and other than what he said about "the real roots", dunno what he was talking about as far as jouvert.

There are jouvert bands that cater mainly to foreigners...and I'm not talking about expats and their offspring. I was just looking for one of their websites, I can't remember the name of the band but want to say its called Playtime or something like that...they start off w/ a lil fete at their own venue which features indoor mud and paint pits, then they hit the road..all inclusive of course...dunno how much more "uptown" than that jouvert can get. Besides, most of the popular jouvert bands are all inclusive and have good security -there are many that don't even go in town.

__________________
"A generation of people who refuse to be themselves.
The philosophy of 50 cent has them hook, line and sinker.
The young black men become like a sacrifice.
They love it; they living in a fool's paradise."
-Brother Valentino

J'ouvert is not an "uptown" thing. Due to security concerns there are bands that try to make the experience safer with security and drinks etc..but traditionally j'ouvert was just a free for all..including the roots of the country

I wasn't sure what he meant about the roots of the country, what does that mean?

I think he means, jouvert is man becoming one with creation. When you cover your body in mud, oil, the use of mango leaves. There is nothing "pretty" about jouvert. Jouvert opens up with stick fighting, it's ole time mas, midnight robber, dame lorain, indian. It's about d pan man, it's about tambo bamboo. Jouvert is not about the exclusive, it's about the inclusive.

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When two people cussin, they doh tell each other that they pretty or they nice.


-Meh Granny say so.

Well it depends, if you're spending you money for a band that is reputable and has security its fun. But most people who don't pay just go and crash bands with no security and it could turn ghetto then. My advice especially for a foreigner pay your money play with and exclusive band, some usually have "secret" routes away from the main town and are generally incident free.

Yes this interview is about 5 years old

but what he's saying is true, jouvert is for the ghetto of trinidad, people freeing up , and palancing with no care

The whole pretty jouvert thing isnt realy jouvert,, by pretty jouvert i mean these colorful t-shirt bands that cater to foreigners

Hmmm...."uptown", "ghetto", interesting.