Music is as diverse as the people who deliver it, compose and listen to it. Carrying the flexibility to match almost any preference music is here to stay. When thinking of Caribbean music certain expectations come to mind based on stereotypes and typical characteristics.
Prominent portrayals of Caribbean music
Bob Marley
Well respected and high treasured Caribbean musical icon, His musical influence lives on long after his death. His music represented the caribbean as a place of bother and sisterhood, especially regarding the Rastafarian community. His music spoke of love and continuous living, it imparted wise vibrations, all fitting to the caribbean culture.
Machel Montano
A Best of the crop in the soca kingdom, a household name when linking Caribbean artiste and soca. He exemplifies the art of soca he has earned a Honary Doctorate of Arts From the University of Trinidad and Tobago. Through his music he represents the energy, celebratory vibes and passion of the caribbean and it’s people.
Rihanna
Though on the international scene she still manages to highlight her Caribbean heritage which are naturally a part of her identity. From her accent to various little markers in her music videos depicting the Barbados flag. Her reslience represents a true caribbean woman.
Vybz Kartel
“De teacha” though a controversial figure, his musical works had a high impact on the Caribbean youth. He shed light on many societal struggles of the working class caribbean people, with emphasis on Jamaica by touching on topics such as domestic disputes, gun violence, poverty and crime. One common issue in his homeland he confronted was the prevalence of, ‘skin bleaching,’ which was popularized in his 2011 hit ‘Cake soap.’
Caribbean Music and the art of storytelling
This was evident in the use of folk songs,A storytelling type of music interaction, humourous content reflective of imagery of characters and happenings from the past. Folk songs vary from island to island however, these were some of the popular ones in Barbados.
- See muh little brown girl
- Sweet sweet flying fish and cou cou
- John belly mama
- Millie gone to Brazil
It is worth mentioning that as lightly as these folk songs can be sung they do carry some insightful meanings behind them. Such as the story behind ‘Mille gone to Brazil’ speaks of domestic violence where a man murdered mille his wife and told people she went to live in Brazil. Music is an expression of what occurs in society, it keeps issues relevant in the minds of people, in this cases showing how serious the issue of domestic violence is, these songs show wisdom by highlighting the decile of mankind.
“Thus, in a real sense, music not only informs the construction of the self, but also the social world in which the self operates.”
(Bennett Popular Music Youth 195)
Though Caribbean music is very impactful, have realistic storylines within the lyrical content don’t take for granted the entertainment and humour involved, Caribbean people in music are gems to the industry and they know how to get their fans moving to the beat.
richelle246taylor 