Bacchanal Friday was all about soca. For over six hours from the late evening to the wee hours of the following morning, over 20 acts performed bombastic sets in hopes of winning one or both of the night’s crowns.
12 acts — Dash, Muddy, Shamak, Super Flying Flint, Cryave, Lil Kerry, Boyzie, Shequan, Walkie Dan, Hitz, Happy Boy and Yung Madd — competed for the title of Power Soca Monarch, which is bestowed upon the winning performer with a song above 135 BPM. Dash ultimately took home the grand prize with a rousing performance of “The Tape” that nearly shifted Kirani James Athletic Stadium off of its foundation.
From grandiose bursts of fire to impassioned left-to-right marches, there was no other song that could come close to the sheer energy that “The Tape” inspired out of the night’s attendees. Recorded on Propa Way Production’s “Viral” riddim, “The Tape” is a masterclass in controlling the ebb and flow of energy in a soca song. Das immediately attacks the riddim with his powerful voice, but when he slightly slows down the tempo with a bit of staccato delivery (“If that move, that move/ If that shake, that shake/ If that break, that break”) before launching into the relentless “Go dung, go dung, go dung” chorus, the results are borderline hypnotic.
Notably, Boyzie came in third place off the strength of “Chaotic,” which was recently featured as the “Freshest Find” in Billboard’s Reggae/Dancehall Fresh Picks column. Muddy placed second with “The Moment.”
On the Groovy Soca side (134 BPM or below), the acts in contention were: Boyzie, Dash, Terra D Governor (the 2022 and 2023 Power Soca Monarch winner), Juice De Voice, Otis, Shamak, Jerenton, Super Flying Flint, 2 Blaxx, Runi Jay, Blaka Dan and Walkie Dan.
In a moment of heartwarming patriotism, Boyzie was crowned Groovy Soca Monarch off the strength of his beautiful dedication to Grenada, Carriacou, and Petit Martinique, “Sweet Home” (recorded on the “Oil Down & Saraca” riddim). Doused in the green, gold, and red of the Grenadian flag and joined by several dancers and moko jumbies, Boyzie’s evocative stage show elicited the most fervent crowd response with hundreds of people yelling the words louder than he did — pouring rain be damned. To close his performance, Boyzie shouted out Carriacou and Petit Martinique — both of which were decimated by Hurricane Beryl — and recited the national pledge, crafting an ambiance of solemn solidarity that proved to be the night’s most emotional moment.
Dash — an unmissable presence at Spicemas this year — placed second with “Celebrate,” while Terra D Governor finished in third with “Clean Circle.”
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Publish date : 2024-08-19 13:01:00
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