You could be forgive for thinking that Trinidad & Tobago is a strictly soca music, as it is famous for it’s carnival, soca, calypso, the limbo dance and steelpan. Having a lot of Trini friends, I have been very much influenced by all sorts of Trinidadian music and will cover that later for all those guys who I know read this blog. For now though, I wanted to take a moment to let you know that Trinidad has some wonderful Reggae Artists too. Here are a few Trinis that you really ought to know about!!
Reggae Artist - Positive
Taking influence from the likes of Sizzla, Jah Cure and Richie Spice - Joel Murray aka Positive openly states that Reggae is his first love. From a young age, Positive has always wanted to take his music beyond the shores of Trinidad and Tobago and with early success with the release of his second single ‘Never Let Go’, he has set up Lion Of Judah Records and releaseed a new album which will do just that! Positive is exactly as his name suggests and he looks to spread the word of peace, love and unity with his music. I have attached his hit single ‘never let go’ but if you want to hear more then just head on over to his myspace page here. I highly recommend you listen to the track ‘I Will Survive’.
Reggae Artist - Marlon Asher
The Ganja Farmer! Marlon Asher is a very conscious reggae artist who, much like his mentor Bob Marley, uses his blesses voice to send a message. His first song ‘Ganja Farmer’, though controversial, was a huge hit and is known the world over as a classic. Marlon has a great voice and his music is brilliant. I will not dwell too much here, just go listen. Again, if you like what you hear then go check out further Marlon Asher tracks here. The track I have chosen to show those who don’t know Marlon already is the powerful track Scandals - dedicated to Kenya, ft Empress Rita and Henry Tigan.
Reggae Artist - Khari Kill
Khari Kill burst onto the reggae scene with a debut single ‘Picture Of Selassie I’, which went straight to number one in the reggae charts. Another versatile Trinidadian whos humble beginnings in La Horquetta have stuck with him and are often portrayed in his lyrics about poverty and injustice. Combine that with his brilliant lyrical ability and you can see why Khari Kill is a star reggae artist. Listen to ‘Mary Grandson’, ‘Rainy Weather’ and below ‘Picture of Selassie I’.
Reggae Artist - Prophet Benjamin
A reggae artist from the south of Trinidad and a determined one at that. It took Devon Samuel aka Prophet Benjamin more than ten years to get into the mainstream and he has arrived every bit as if he belongs. With his strong faith and tireless work ethic, Prophet Benjamin is taking the reggae scene by storm. His lyrics are close to the line sometimes, but all in good humour but this should not deter from the fact that Prophet Benjamin is a talented reggae artist in his own right. Recomended listening includes ‘Field Ah Weed’ and ‘Pretty Bwoy’ and below I have posted ‘Adore You’ for your intro to Prophet Benjamin.
Reggae Artist - King David
David Michael Nieves Jr, aka King David, grew up as the youngest of three children and attended a fairly prestigious school in Trinidad before going on to work in a large corporation before deciding to follow his dream. King David started touring the clubs in the US and became somewhat of a local hit when he returned to Trinidad. While King David is not strictly reggae as he is a versatile artist who delivers reggae, dancehall and soca, he is a great talent and you should listen to tracks like ‘Live Here’, ‘Answer to Jah’ and his first hit ‘Everything’.
Music from King David and all the above artists, along with a number of Trinidadian reggae artists, can be found out TriniJungleJuice.
