Vulgarity, Bajan Soca And Musical "Decline"

When the c*ck slide in…

If you told someone in the early 2000s that this is the start of, what would have then been considered, a calypso song they would have either slapped you for cursing in front of their face. Or they probably might’ve fainted out of pure shock.

Vulgar is the word that immediately comes to mind when most Bajans think of bashment soca today. Many would say that this is now a genre that has devolved into something that is the equivalent of getting a detailed blow by blow of a sex act.

But the claim of vulgarity is not universal. The accusation and the reaction to the accusation almost serves as a perfect separation along demographic lines. Young people find the music fine, if not excellent. Many young people find the new advent of bashment soca to be what perhaps it has always intended to be; entertainment. Songs like Chite (Bounce) are songs meant to elicit a vibe, get everyone into a partying mood and the straight forward lyrics lend to that provocation.

Older demographics, think geriatric millennials, would reject this hypothesis. They remember a time when music was more metaphor than literal. Where an artist would hint to a sex act without explicitly needing to state it. To them bashment was meant to be funny not horny.

And what about the artiste? Jordan English, whilst not this generation’s Gabby, posits a vociferous defense to the turn of the music. There is demand. Globalization and streaming platforms allow Bajan artiste to be competitive in regions where they may have found it difficult in previous generations. But as freeing as new platforms of musical delivery have made being an artist it has also exposed Bajan artiste to the realities of aggressive competition. While in the past songs that hinged on Barbadian references and a certain Bajan sense of humor might have gained traction because the audience they were made for were predominantly Bajan, in the current landscape this is no longer true. Regional and international audiences are (arguably) not searching for anything specifically Bajan and are rather looking for something much straighter to the point.

And henceforth the existence of Bajan soca in its most popular format has become contentious. Vulgar is no longer up for debate. The music is crude and obscene. The bigger questions are is it effective? Is it effective for these artiste? Is this kind of music taking their songs to the places that they wish? And is it effective for us, the guardians of our heritage, that they are, whether they wish to or not, representing through their music?

Written By

Romario Griffth

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