4 months ago
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When New York-based soca artiste Rodney Julius released the song What’s Your Name in 2019, it was instantly labelled “a patriotic soca anthem”. Julius The Artiste, as he calls himself professionally, was pleased because it meant that the message in the music was being transmitted, especially since the vociferous response to the call “ What’s your name?” was “ Trinidad!”.
The entertainer, whose roots run deep in Trinidad & Tobago, shared that 2019 was the year when he made a trip home to jump in carnival, and he had a revival of sorts.
“I fell in love with my culture all over again … calypso, soca, the food, the history. When I go home, it’s all about exploring Trinidad and Tobago … go to a few fêtes and see what’s trending,” Julius told The Gleaner.
The man who describes his music and message as “Kes the Band meets Chronixx” has been on his musical journey since he was a child. In 1991 he did a song The Future Belongs to Me with David Rudder that was written by Gregory Ballantyne. His bio states that “the song instantly became an anthem among T&T youth of that era who were facing a rising drug crisis. It also gained international appeal and was recognised by then US First Lady Hillary Clinton, who would use it as the theme for her drug-free campaign in colleges and high schools across the United States”.
“That pushed me in the forefront,” Julius recalled. “It was fast-forward … I was signed to Machel’s label, but then I migrated to the States ... I’m a young veteran.”
Julius along with 7IghQ, was the first Caribbean band to be featured in Baltimore’s Artscape, America’s biggest free music festival, and the Baltimore Book Festival in 2012.
NEW SINGLES
The singer-songwriter recently released a collaboration, Free State of Mind, with Marge Blackman, the daughter of soca music inventor Lord Shorty. The song, which was written by Blackman and produced by Jamoo 13th Sound, is described as “a refreshing spin on the traditional sound of calypso”.
Julius who is chiselled in a calypso mould, speaks with clarity on why this is so.
“Calypso is like the soul of commentary … like roots rock reggae. Soca is dancehall. The mother of the genre is calypso. People like Lord Kitchener and Harry Belafonte they did calypso,” he explained.
Julius The Artiste is gearing up to drop a new single, titled Today, on Ash Wednesday. Today is a song of gratitude.
“It’s special because I believe that being grateful and giving thanks is something powerful and special. Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and it signals new beginnings ... a rebirth, a replenishing of energy. I wanted to release Today from yesterday but a voice in my head kept on whispering ‘Ash Wednesday’ and I listened. Give thanks for this moment,” Julius said, adding that the single is a mix of calypso and Afrobeat.
English (US) ·