The Rise of Trinidad’s ‘Trinibad’ Dancehall

With the growing popularity of the dancehall genre worldwide, it is sure to turn some heads and birth some loyalists all over the globe.

The next step from that is the need that others feel to be a part of the movement. We have long known about the heavy influence of Dancehall in Japan and African countries such as Ghana. We seem to, however, have been overlooking a country much closer to home. That’s Trinidad & Tobago.

When one thinks of Trinidadian music, the first thing that comes to mind is calypso and soca. There is, however, a new wave of music sweeping the island nation, and that is Dancehall, more specifically, Trinibad Dancehall.

Dancehall, which originated in Jamaica, has always had a massive influence in Trinidad with a steadily growing fan base. Trinidadians love the Jamaican dancehall vibe and embrace it as their own. Jamaican artistes have always enjoyed the benefits of their Trinidadian fans, selling out shows, dominating the radio stations, and enjoying online support via streams and music sales.

With the rise of Trinibad dancehall, there is concern about the support that the Jamaican artistes will receive from Trinidad. Will the promoters and fans stick to their local artistes and forget about the Jamaicans?

If you take a closer look at the Trinibad artistes, you will be pleasantly surprised at the immense progress that they have made. Their music sounds authentically Dancehall, and the only notable difference is the accent. The accent however, will not be easily recognizable outside of the Caribbean. The riddims are on point, and the sound and video productions are immaculate and professionally done.

The leading production agency behind the wave of Trinibad dancehall is Punz Entertainment. Punz seems to be the main facilitator involved in Trinibad music and video productions and even marketing.

One of the the most popular Trinibad artiste at the moment goes by the name Prince Swanny. He has multiple hits and does a lot of shows overseas, including in the US.

Other popular Trinibad artistes on the rise include Toppy Boss, Medz Boss, Boy Boy, Jahllano, Plumpy Boss, Rondo, and many more.

Now, let’s take a look at the YouTube views. Trinibad has overtaken many Jamaican dancehall artistes with the number of YouTube views. While many Jamaicans struggle to hit one million views, the Trinidadians seem to be hitting more than five million views with ease. The question is who is watching?

With Trinidad and Tobago’s population of just 1.39 million, it is highly unlikely that all their views are local. Has Trinibad Dancehall long surpassed their borders and ventured into the rest of the Caribbean or even the world? It seems that some Jamaicans could learn a thing or two about the marketing aspect of the music industry from Trinidad.

With all that said, there is only love between the two countries. Trinibad evolved out of a love for dancehall music and Jamaicans are proud when the music transcends borders to create such an impact.

There has been a lot of direct contact and collaborations between Trinibad and Jamaican dancehall artistes, which serves to unify the dancehall movement.

Rebel Sixx, for example, who was recently gunned down, was a member of the Jamaican 6ix clique, which is led by Squash, the 6ix Boss. Jamaican dancehall artiste Jahvillani and Prince Swanny has also teamed up recently on a song called First Class Flight . Other Jamaican groups, such as 4th Genna, are also direct influencers of Trinibad.

Opposing groups of artistes led by Swanny and Toppy Boss met for a peace deal, a day before Rebel’s killing. The truce will hopefully see an end to tensions between entertainers on the twin-island republic.

The evolution and rise of Trinibad dancehall is a positive one for the genre as a whole. It will definitely assist in taking the music to the next level in terms of the global impact that it needs to make.

Let us continue the unity and support for each other in our mutual love and respect for dancehall music.