The Top Ten Soca Artists You Might Like if You Love Reggae/Dancehall

There exists, still unfortunately, a bit of a divide between fans of Reggae and Dancehall and Soca music. Historically Soca, for some reason, just hasn't been able to 'crossover' and it hasn't had an easy time even crossing over in the smaller sense of reaching Dancehall heads either. However, what has begun to happen is the development of this subgenre of Soca music which is MUCH harder than the stereotypical 'jump & wave' and it has actually been around for quite awhile and just now are we starting to see a step up from where it was and certain names are starting to 'squeeze through'. And of course there're some older favourites along the way. Thus, I submit for your approval, The Top Ten Soca Artists You Might Like if You Love Reggae music.

#10. Fay-Ann Lyons [Trinidad]

Ehhh? How wonderful are the two people who bookend this list? Easily the greatest surprise here is Lyons who has for all intent and purposes established herself as THE functional Queen of Soca music (Destra = EMPRESS) over the past three years or so and it is on the strength of this RIDICULOUS run that she’s on that I place her here. Lyons’ music isn’t like most of the names you’ll see here. She doesn’t hit as ‘hard’ as most of them (she even sings quite often actually) and she doesn’t have the kind of ruff and tuff demeanour either and nothing which, ostensibly, would seem to make her the type of artist that Dancehall heads would flock to. She is STRAIGHT MODERN Soca power. HOWEVER, in my opinion there is something about her music which gives it a different blend of sorts and while the average Dancehall fan might not have the patience to sift through the madness which she typically brings, doing just that would reveal an artist who is arguably PURE Soca’s most talented lyricist and one who most certainly has an edge of her own.

Song To Check: ‘Get On’

#9. Problem Child [SVG]

Party Animal. As Problem Child develops even more, one would think that his name would rise higher on a list like this as, much like the next entrant here, his music is just SO ‘different’ and all encompassing, that he’s definitely going to make a brand of vibes which (even though they won’t be leaving the overall scope of Soca music) are going to appeal to fans from quite a few different genres. He doesn’t seem to have the lyrical chops (consistently, although occasionally, like on ‘Galarytis’, he most certainly does) (actually, maybe I should take that back, in his case it often seems as if he’s just having too much fun to try and WOW someone lyrically) of some of his peers, but still you have to include the reigning Vincy Road March Champion as the first of a few of the ‘new breed’ of Ragga Soca type of artists who have emerged as of late.

Song To Check: ‘Jah Will Deal With Them’

#8. KMC [Trinidad]

The Veteran. Dancehall fans are certain to recognize veteran K[en] M[arlon] C[harles] from touring (and performing endlessly at the end of countless TnT Monarchs) with good friend, Beenie Man, but they also may recognize him from the fact that he has been around seemingly FOREVER. The nearly two decade tenured veteran makes such a VARIED type of Soca that he is a LOCK for a list like this. Fortunately, through his time, KMC has had a slew of hits which have endured him, at least somewhat, to the Reggae community, so his name won’t be a TOTAL new one (outside of the Beenie Man link) and his catalogue is WELL stocked with potential killers as well. On that note, also, is the fact that KMC’s music itself is so much across the board that, REALLY, anyone who likes ANY type of music is certain to find something catchy inside.

Song To Check: Too many to name

#7. Ilah Man [St. Lucia]

Familiar? Before we even get to the matter of his music, does not Ilah Man just LOOK the part. How many consistently turban clad Rastafari chanters can you think of making Soca music? I don’t even know of any besides Ilah Man and certainly not any approaching the highest level of the scene. Musically speaking? Ilah pretty much sounds how you might imagine Capleton or Jah Mason sounding if they began in a Soca base as opposed to Reggae. He has a very explosive and LYRICAL style which was birthed in seemingly the same fire which molded his Reggae and Dancehall peers. Oh and he’s steadily growing on me as well (especially after seeing him ROBBED at Lucian Monarch 2k9).

Song To Check: Mad So

#6. Maximus Dan [Trinidad]

The Professional. Maximus Dan, from a historical point of view, could probably rank as high as number two or so on this list, but he hasn’t been as active in recent seasons (at least by my own observations) and it still goes to show just how much he’s done, that he ranks this high in my opinion. I’m going to flat out call another artist on this list (#2) a Dancehall artist and I’m near doing the same thing with Maximus (calling him a Reggae artist) because his music often seems to be Reggae with Soca tinges added as opposed to the other way around. Perhaps that’s due to the fact that he got his start, at the highest level, with the famed Main Street crew (Red Rat, Vegas, Goofy etc.), a fact certainly evident in his storied career, even to this day and were he more active, like I said he would definitely be higher here.

Song To Check: Too many to name

#5. Ricky T [St. Lucia]

The Pressure. Okay so yeah, Ricky T is kind of a controversial artist I’m coming to see as I find out more about him and I thought that he ROBBED the aforementioned Ilah Man at Monarch last year AND he probably had the WORST performance on the whole of TnT Monarch last year, but STILL you have to give credit to the reigning St. Lucian Monarch and Road March champion (which he has now apparently won like 40 years consecutively) because he ranks on the top half of this list from a PURELY style aspect. Ricky T might actually be quite successful were he to be strictly a Dancehall artist (even from St. Lucia) (biggup Shepp Dawg), he may very well be a star already. His music is definitely in the style of that HARD Ragga Soca category and he’s seriously getting to the point of (like number one on this list) where ANYTHING you pick up from him, as a Dancehall fan may just be enjoyable to you, but particularly the master class he delivered in 2008.

Song To Check: ‘Wheel & Come Again’

#4. Tallpree [Grenada]

Meet Tallpree. As the lone representative on this list from out of Greenz (Lava Man would have been another great choice), Tallpree has a very interesting and fittingly colourful history around him which has certainly led him to the great career ‘revival’ which he is currently enjoying. To my knowledge, the artist originally got started as a Dancehall atrist in Grenada and it shows in his music to this day. Tallpree has even performed with some of the biggest artists from the Dancehall and has a combination with the Warhead, Merciless. He also has one of the most interesting cache of fans as finding people who’ll swear that he is every bit as talented as #1 on this list isn’t very difficult at all. Regardless of how you feel about him, however, his obvious Dancehall inclinations are easily just that (obvious).

Song To Check: ‘Old Woman Alone’

#3. Skinny Fabulous [SVG]

The Heir-Apparent. Out of all of these second generation Soca/Dancehall vibed artist, the two time reigning Vincy Soca Monarch is DEFINITELY showing himself to be amongst the most talented artists in Soca PERIOD and definitely the face of the new breed of hardcore Ragga Soca artists. In a few years time, he may very become THE FACE of hardcore Soca in general, replacing the MEGA-SHOT at #1. His music is very much in the edgier scope and although what you eventually get (when he’s at his absolute best) are these HUGE and SPRAWLING Soca tunes, it almost seems as if it isn’t the same type of music sang by Machel Montano or Fay-Ann, but in this new and emerging vibes. Does it also help that the man goes to school in Jamaica, has two Monarch crowns to his name (should collect another this year) and has an album forthcoming? Of course it does. If you love Dancehall, you’ll LOVE Skinny Fabulous.

Song To Check: ‘Head Bad’

#2. Ms. Alysha [Trinidad]

Lady Bunji. I could very well say the same thing about Ms. Alysha that I just did in regards to Skinny, but I think that goes without saying actually. Ms. Alysha is a Dancehall artist - flat and simple. That’s what she is. She’s from Trinidad and unless you’re a superstar (and Jamaican), you’re probably not going to do much business as a pure Dancehall artist in TnT, so she’s adapted (sorta, kinda) to making her music as ‘Soca’, but it’s still Dancehall music really, on a Dancehall cadence and even more so than the next entrant. Alysha seems to be set on showing any and every one who’ll listen just how DOMINANT she can be with words and the result of that is this kind of tongue-twistingly demonic lyricist who does Soca . . . but not really.

Song To Check: Her album, Ms. Alysha Now

#1. Bunji Garlin [Trinidad]

The King. There’s this wonderful ‘King Of Soca’ role which is a kind of an honourary title, but definitely a sticking one within the hardcore Dancehall community. While it certainly doesn’t carry as much ‘weight’ as ‘King Of The Dancehall’, it definitely carries and demands quite a bit of respect and it has now been worn for the better part of a decade by Bunji Garlin. Sure there’s Machel, but Machel doesn’t exactly make Soca which sounds like hardcore Dancehall, but Bunji does and has MASTERED the art of wordplay, so much so that he is EASILY one of the best ten lyricist between both genres (and I’d rank him very high). Also, not too surprisingly a few years back when strange Portmore singer I-Wayne voiced his displeasure with the music, by calling Soca “the Devil’s music”, it was of course Garlin who reacted swiftly with the brilliant ‘Yuh Mad Or What’, a tuned aimed at correcting the singer (“Diss man want to gwan get comfortable, sing one big tune act like a rebel. Next thing he jump with the bass and the treble, say Soca music come from the Devil). Also I can’t count how many combinations he’s done with Dancehall artists (there’s an apparent yearly tune from Bunji & Beenie now) and even on Dancehall riddims from Jamaican producers, an honour not bestowed on ANY Soca artist with as much consistency and he’s also had two albums released via VP Records, one of a very select few of hardcore Soca artists. Lyrically he is the top of the food chain in Soca altogether as I said and seriously he may just be the strongest freestyler (Extempo style all day!) in any game today.

Song To Check: Pick One!