Watch/Listen/Enjoy... Hip Hop & Neo Soul with a Trini twist.

To every person who says "there is nothing 'new' in the Music world right now" I say, read on. If you think you've heard regurgitated sounds, uninspiring tunes, and plain old sh%t being touted as actual music, you need to go take my old job for a week. Just one week as a radio personality, and you'd get all the crappy music you can handle. It's not that my station played crap music - in fact our music selections and rosters were the most diverse and musically rewarding I've heard in awhile! We would go from old school r&b, to new school grooves, reggae, hip-hop, jazz, soca (old & new), and 70's jams, in one shift. But for all of those hits & favourites, there were just some tunes that defied explanation or radio rotations. One of my old Program Directors called such tunes 'bush music' or 'box music', aka just good to be thrown in a box somewhere in a cupboard. There were a few songs that were actually relieved of that bush music title (KMC's Bashment to Carnival is a good example), but the vast majority stayed right there. To me many of the songs we call hits back home in Trinidad, across the region and internationally, need to be crammed into that bush music pile. ASAP.


On top of that, any music lover knows that the real good stuff often comes from new & underground artistes - remember Black Eyed Peas before mainstream mania bit them? I remember hearing an Amy Winehouse track off that Frank album nobody talks about - didn't know who the hell she was, but I knew it was good. Whenever you want to get the fresh stuff, you have to check out what's bubbling under the radar, and I've come across a few Caribbean hopefuls. First up, Corinne Gray (Above). I don't know what a Trini's doing in Tel Aviv, Israel, but there she is, spinning beautiful magic with a shrill voice that somehow manages to bring a depth and warmth to music that hasn't been heard since Erykah Badu was at her heights. However, Corrine's blend of classical, jazz and Caribbean influences makes her delivery & style unique. She draws from an eclectic mix of cultures and genres - from Angelique Kidjo and Baba Maal, Zap Mama and Les Nubiennes to Ella Fitzgerald and Billy Holliday - to create her own music. Truth be told however, she really does sound like a cross between that other talented Corinne (Bailey Rae) and Ms. Badu. My favorite jam from Corinne Gray? The sublime track that caresses without overkill - So Right. Check it out on our YouTube Player...


Another vibe to check out? Spotrushaz. These guys have been forever toiling away in the Rapso/Hip Hop genres in a country where seasonal Soca rules, and for that alone I admire their determination. After seven years, the Spotrushaz (BDangerous & Chromatics) are finally at that point where they're no longer looked at as an oddity. Staying true to their hip-hop background, these talented MCs chose to bridge all gaps and incorporate their many local influences in their own brand of Island-styled Raps, otherwise known as 'Tiefhead Music'. It's an infectious combination of Hip-Hop, Calypso, Rapso and Reggae heaped with a myriad of major Global influences… and dripping with Caribbean flavor. The vibes to get hooked on? Any track from their Breakaway Mixtape (Above). Go bravely and check out these artistes.. I know 'waste-ah-time' tracks when I hear them, but these are both rotation worthy, and then some. Next week, I'll tune you in to more new & top jams that's pumping across the region.

Stay tuned...

L.M.N. Harris.