International Stars with Caribbean Roots

With everything that’s going on the world today, we sometimes just want things to be simple and a bit carefree. I know how it is, I get it, so I’ve decided to make things light and entertaining…but you’re still gonna learn something…I guarantee that!


The Caribbean seems to have done a lot more for music than we think. There are so many artists that you never knew had Caribbean roots and some of the bigger names in music of the '70's and '80's came from right here in T&T. The entire world knows that artists like Rihanna came from Barbados and Nikki Minaj was born in St. James, Trinidad, but there are so many more artists that came out of these tropical islands.

Haddaway's, "What is Love," went on to be the number one club song of the eighties and is still considered so to this day.

It was also the soundtrack for Saturday Night Live's full length movie, "Night at the Roxbury." Remember these guys...

Billy Ocean was born in Fyzabad, Trinidad and was the most popular R&B singer in the 1970's and 80's. He won a Grammy in 1985 for "Caribbean Queen," was made a companion of the Liverpool Institute for performing Arts and is an active member of the Rastafari movement. He's the voice behind hits like "Suddenly and "The Long and Winding Road."

Harry Belfonte was born to a Jamaican mother and Martinican father. He was a singer and actor (starring alongside Dorothy Dandridge in the movie "Carmen"). This is the guy that sang "The Banana Boat Song," you know, "...Day-o, me say Day-o, daylight come and meh wah go home."If you think it's familiar, that's because you may have heard it in numerous movies. Another of his hits, "Jump In The Line," became an instant history maker and was also featured in many hollywood movies, most notably, BeetleJuice.

For all you R&B lovers, you may be happy to know that Alicia Keys has some Caribbean roots. The singers father is Jamaican.

And making the cut is... the lovely Melanie Fiona! She has collaborated with artist like Ceelo Green and Stephen Marley. She also wrote songs for artists like Rihanna, was in a band with Drake and toured with Alicia Keys. Melanie's parent are from Guyana.

Lianne La Havas is a folk and soul singer with a distinct, soothing voice. She became a household name through her song, " Is Your Love Big Enough," out of the album of the same name. Lianne's mother is from Jamaica.

Surprise, surprise, bet you didn't know Beyonce had some caribbean roots. That's right, Mrs. Carter has ties in the Bahamas through her father who was born there.
                                                        

That's it...there's nothing else I can tell you about Beyonce that you don't already know...oh! Except...did you know there's actually a religion formed around her? Man I tell you...move over Christianity! That was completely off topic, I know...moving along...

Another offspring of the Bahamas is rock star Lenny Kravitz. Known for hits such as, "Again," "American Woman," "Are You Gonna Go My Way," and "Chamber." Kravitz is also an accomplished actor and you may have seen him in The Hunger Games movies. He's also the father of Zoe Kravtiz, so that would make him 52-years-old and looking like that...#blackdontcrack.

Ladies, I gave you Lenny, now I give you Maxwell...*swoons* ...

Maxwell is a singer, songwriter, producer and actor. He's credited alongside De'Angelo and Erykah Badu for shaping the genre Neo Soul into what it is today. Maxwell is also one of the headline acts at the Tobago Jazz Festival this year (look out for more on that next week, same time, same place). Maxwell is half Spanish, half Haitian.










Will.i.am, Rapper, producer and judge on The Voice, has strong caribbean roots as both his parents are from Jamaica.

So it seems like we have a Jamaican takeover...Rapper Busta Rhymes parents are from Jamaica...

The late and ever so great rapper Biggie Smalls parents are from Jamaica...

Singer Mya's father is Jamaican...

Oh man, this list can go on and on and could take forever...the Caribbean has produced many artists that have made great contributions to music. Even in Trinidad and Tobago, right at this moment, there are talented individuals working under the radar as singers, musicians and writers for international artists. If we won't accept and appreciate them here, then the rest of the world will and we'll be left wondering what would be the state of our music at Carnival next year. So let's not limit ourselves...this just shows you that no matter where in the world you are from, if your music is good, no one can deny you.

Before I go, I'll leave you with a small list of actors that you didn't know had Caribbean roots.I know it's not music, but let's recognize our Caribbean brothers and sisters!

Lorraine Toussaint- "Orange is the New Black"

Born in Trinidad

Karyn Parsons- "Fresh Prince of Bel Air"
Born in Trinidad

Kerry Washington- Mother is Jamaican

Tia and Tamara Mowry- Mother is Bahamian

Corbin Bleu- Father is Jamaican

Romany Malco- Only American in his Trinidadian family

BRING BACK THE MUSIC...Bravo out for duck with his less than impressive "Champion"

Our culture lives in our music...to understand who we are, listen to our music and it will tell you of our souls...if our music is empty, then our souls must be empty as well...

                                                                                                                                                                   

Rihanna is one of the biggest recording artists in the world. She's even broken Michael Jackson's record for number one hits on the Billboard top 100. But her last song, "Work," wasn't her best and she got a little ridicule for her very um...complexed lyrics. Thing is, because it's RiRi, it's a sell off and everyone's talking about it. So that worked, but that method really isn't safe for everyone. I mean, for every bad song that RiRi's had in her career, she has fifty more that were really good. She's allowed to have a bad song once in a while, but what happens when everyone think they can use this method of simple lyrics and using star status to sell a song?

                                                    
Now if I may, U-13 is not here to bash or criticize any form of music or entertainment, but simply to give humane and honest opinions that may foster the will to think.

Now that that's out of he way...

So our boy, cricket star Dwayne Bravo, who was actually signed to a label by the way, released his new song, "Champion." 

The songs lyrics are so complexed that it may leave you in awe. You may get a sense of wonder when you loose yourself in the magic that is his voice and you may get inspired by the energy and creative presence of the video. I'm sure you'll be out of your seat and dancing in no time!

What is even more beautiful, is the fact that he's talk-singing about mainly local "Champions" and some international ones who are all black, yet the women in the video are umm...not corresponding with the uh...yunno theme. Let's check this out for a moment here...

"Beenie ah champion, Bounty ah champion,

 Machel is ah champion, Bunji is ah champion

 Pollard is ah champion, Lara is ah champion, Gayle is ah champion

 Don't forget..."

It's literally two minutes and forty five seconds of basically calling out a list of random black celebrities and dignitaries and adding the words "...is ah champion," after them, while prancing around with a little Lindsey Lohan. Oh and there's a dance too and wait for it...it's actually his official World Cup anthem... you don't understand, they're taking this to the World Cup... i'll just let that sink in...

I'm all for celebrating our brothers and sisters, but maybe if they spent like, at least another, I dunno, six months or...say some years...writing the song, hey, it may have turned out pretty good...I think...probably...

Oh who are we kidding, this song was destined to be a wide ball (see what I did there). I mean, is this really happening? What type of message are we sending to the world about the way we treat music? We constantly try to get the world to notice our music, because let's face it, Trinidad is overflowing with talent and most of it is unseen or unheard. But for an unknown, trying to enter into the music scene in Trinidad and Tobago it's a constant battle. 

Yunno, it's like when you walk through a giant cobweb and you suddenly become a karate master...something like that...I dunno if that was an accurate analogy, but...lol right? Anyways...

What's messed up, is that these unknowns, the ones that are getting constant "fight down," are the ones with the actual talent. But at the same time, they have to make sure their music is so coordinated with their lyrics that it feels...well...wonderfully surreal.

So basically what we're telling the world is that we consider music a joke. There are people who dedicate their lives to perfecting their craft, constantly practicing, improving themselves out of the sheer love and respect they have for music. But these are not the ones that we want to hear on our radios and see representing Trinidad and Tobago, because they just might reveal how musically detached some of our praised musicians and artists are...hmmm, just saying.

Well...until that day, when I can listen to new music coming 'Straight Outta Trinidad and Tobago' and actually feel some sort of pride...I'll just keep looking to the outside to fulfill my musical desires. 

WHERE DID OUR MUSIC GO? Is It Lost...Forever?

"What is love? Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more..."I bet that's stuck in your head now isn't it? But did you know, Haddaway, the man who sang the song grew up in Trinidad?

Out of Trinidad came one of the most famous songs of that time and is still referenced to this day. The song was a personal experience that Haddaway brought to life through music. That, along with it's catchy hook line and upbeat tempo is what made it easily an international hit.

Look at Sparrow, he sang about his bad boy experiences, remember these lyrics “Melda oh you making wedding plans, carrying meh name to obeah man,” now that song is stuck your head too isn’t it? 

Men like Lord Kitchener with lyrics like, “Dey cyah play pan, they tell we so, you country band, go back Toco,” lyrics that represented his life in the pan world.

Fast forward to present time where the first names that pop up in your google search for “Trinidad music stars” are Soca artists like Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin, Faye Ann Lyons and Destra.

Machel Montano

                     

Bunji Garlin

Faye-Ann Lyons -Alvarez

Hey, don't get me wrong, I know they all possess something special, that's why they're who they are. But Machel’s most famous song to date talks about holding on to a woman’s 'bumper' and all the things you should and shouldn’t do to it, remember “Big Truck”?

Okay, I admit...I really like that one...and yes, yes, I know, Bunji won a Grammy for “Differentology,” another great offering and well, congrats to him, but what has the consistent message been in most of our accepted local offerings?

Think Destra; Queen of Bachannal…

                                 ...I rest my case.

Our music has gone from representing what we experienced, living in a tropical island and having a unique and wonderfully vibrant culture to a portrayal of frenzy and chaos. It has gone from sending a message that truly captured us as a country to creating an unidentifiable image. 

It’s been this way for years, but you probably never paid notice because mainstream music came to our rescue. We were so engrossed in what was happening internationally, that we lost sight of our local music scene. I ask you…have you ever felt like every year at Carnival the quality of music decreases?  I swear, one 'riddim', five songs and each of them having the same theme, I mean really bruh, really?

So we take a deep breath each year, and hope for the best next year, only to get deeply disappointed but still we accept it. We are what we listen to and maybe what we've been listening to has been suppressing our own creativity. Maybe...

   

Well not this year! This year we saw a change, a shift in the balance...as if some sort of hold was finally broken. A voice was heard, a voice from far, shifting its way through the musical mayhem and emerging victorious to the delight of all. That voice was…well…Voice.

Aaron "Voice" St. Louis

Aaron "Voice" St Loius created a wonderful upset this year at the International Soca Monarch competition, with his positive message of loving self and self motivation. It was different, it was refreshing and it was still vibes! It's what we want, something that's entertaining but still makes sense. Things are changing and consciousness is shifting, people are beginning to think differently. I bet no one knew he's been writing for Machel for years, well now you know. Talk about a breakthrough.

So what does this shift mean for the future of our music? Do you think the power lies in us, the audience? Would other artists take a page from his book and give the people what they need instead of what they want? Will we make full circle and start producing internationally recognized quality music like Haddaway and Billie Ocean did all those years ago? And what about singing of who we are like Sparrow, Kitchener and other artists like, Ras Shorty I and David Rudder did in the good old days?


Hmmm, maybe just maybe, we do need a revolution...

"My music is the spiritual expression of what I am-my faith, my knowledge, my being. 

When you begin to see the possibilities of music, you desire to do something really good for people, to help humanity free itself from its hangups, I wanna speak to their soul." 

                                                                                                                  - John Coltrane