Ebuzz News
Kairi People Remains Top Tier. Runaway Tobago Delivers Ambience, Soca and Good Vibes.
What could anyone want more in an all inclusive carnival style fete, than what was delivered at Kairi People’s recent Runaway in Tobago? Pigeon Point proved to be the ultimate location for the event’s third staging on October 16th. A perfectly sunny afternoon lent to a lot of heat in the atmosphere, but with drinks flowing, good company all around and music to make everyone move, there was very little to complain about.
Kairi People has stood solidly in the entertainment and promotions market in T&T, as a leading outfit, hosting many events over the years. Runaway Tobago was no different. The $600 all- inclusive event saw many patrons enter the venue after 1pm, ready to enjoy all that was being offered. Tobago’s trademarked, Crab and Dumpling, along with pork dishes and Chinese food were served to food lovers, while at the bar, drinks served up in signature Kairi People cups, kept the afternoon’s momentum up. To lessen the effect of the scorching sun, Kairi People embellished fans were given to patrons upon arrival. These would certainly prove necessary as the afternoon progressed. Patrons came out dressed in colorful outfits, taking perfect heed to the call by organisers for bright, festive styles.
Unapologetically absent from their regular professional duties, the crowd of happy-go- lucky fetters assembled, ready to ‘palance’ to the music of ‘D All Starz band, and the cast of artistes who would hit the stage. College Boy Jesse – one of the band’s frontline artistes, did an amazing job of introducing the live entertainment. His new single, ‘Party Genie’ shared with soca lovers ahead of Tobago Carnival, gave the crowd a little taste of what could be expected in the season ahead. He would later make way for fellow front-liner, Viking Ding Dong who, with a bag of hits to his credit, engaged with the audience like only he could. Interaction with a female fan in the audience would lead to her being brought on stage for the artiste’s release of his latest single, ‘Throwback.’ It was a moment of humor and fun as Ding Dong carelessly walked away from beside the gyrating woman, towards the crowd, leaving her to walk closer to the the bass player where she showed off her skills.
The fun wasn’t done there. Seasoned entertainer, Farmer Nappy was next. Dressed in a red t-shirt and shorts, with red sneakers, Farmer came out to an eager audience as he sang the crowd favorite, ‘How Ah Living.’ He would later have to secure himself on stage as a female fan attempted to relieve him of his footwear, saying she wanted his sneakers. He chose to give her his socks as a piece of memorabilia, but she threw them back at him on stage, much to the thrill of the enthused crowd. “Yuh disrespectful,” Farmer lashed back, before continuing with his catalogue of groovy soca anthems that succeeded in pleasing the happy Kairi People crowd.
Also in the lineup was newcomer to the soca stage scene, ‘Wadicks.’ His 2024 hit single, ‘Beat Rum Bad’ maintains its momentum at carnival events, and has taken the artiste around the US and across the Caribbean region since T&T Carnival. Now, returning with a single called, ‘Iron,’ the retired soldier turned singer is proving to be a force with performance to match. He wooed the crowd with personality and charm, moving his hips and making eye contact with the women who screamed lustily as he performed. In the end, Wadicks would leave quite a lasting impression, many agreeing that he would be one to watch in the Carnival season ahead.
The excitement and thrill of Runaway was amplified with the emergence of reigning Road March King, Mical Teja who rounds off the frontline of D All Starz band. Delivering his energy to a welcoming audience, Teja ignited the scene and proved to be a delightful addition to the feting atmosphere. The artiste, who also celebrated his birthday on that day, released his new single, ‘Energy,’ making an intentional effort to share love and positive vibes with fetters who came from near and far to experience pure vibes at another Kairi People event.
Kairi People heads to South Ranch, Debe, in Trinidad next. Already, anticipation for the November 13th event is high as soca artiste Voice is booked to hit the stage, with other artistes to be added. Kairi People’s mantra of delivering to patrons, ‘value for money’ has proven to be a major factor in the delivery of there signature event brands. Runaway Tobago was certainly proof of the team’s ability to deliver effectively, even at an affordable price to patrons.
Ebuzz News
Seven Songs. One Big Artiste. Grenada’s Spice Mas Better Be Ready for Skinny Banton.
Spice Mas, like every other carnival, is seasonal, but for Carriacou, Grenada artiste, Skinny Banton, music isn’t. He has unleashed seven songs in 2026, and like clockwork he’s locked in and ready to deliver his energy, good vibes and storytelling strengths to audiences celebrating another memorable Spice Mas experience this year.
For Skinny Banton, whose real name is Shirlan George, Grenada’s Jab culture is fuel to his fire. In the past, songs like ‘Soak It Good’ and ‘Wrong Again,’ brought him tremendous acclaim across the region and internationally. This season, The Jambalasse project is anticipated to be one of the artiste’s most powerful contributions, signaling his intentionality to promote his country’s authentic culture, wherever he goes. “With this project we’re trying to keep the history, while celebrating the present by revamping a song that was done by Moss International 35 years ago,” he said. That song was called ‘Jambalasse Rule,’ released in 1991. “We revamped the riddim because it was one of the first songs considered to be an original Jab Jab song from Grenada, at that time,” he explained.
Proud of his personal efforts to keep the awareness on Grenada’s cultural traditions, Skinny Banton advocates for the continued celebration of these traditions and understands his role as an artiste. “No matter what we face as artistes in this space, we stay true to our mission. I have several songs that the people will enjoy in Spice Mas and beyond. One of my personal favourites is ‘Pain,’ a song I would like to share with my fans in Trinidad and Tobago when Carnival 2027 comes around,” he said.
Strengthening Others
Other tracks released by Skinny include, ‘When Yuh Eating,’ ‘Right Up,’ ‘Black Fuh Juvay,’ ‘Can’t Stop Us,’ ‘Carnival Traffic’ featuring Jamaican artiste, I Octane, ‘My Behaviour,’ featuring Tonic X and ‘Water Line Burst,’ collaboratively done with Nicki Akull. “The collaborations done with Tonic X and Nicki Akull mean a lot to me. They are upcoming artistes who I share good vibes with. When I was younger and had hopes of connecting and collaborating with bigger artistes, it was not easy,” he recalled, adding that it often felt daunting. He says because he understands the feeling, he is happy to be able to help these up-and-coming entertainers. “This was just my way of giving them strength and encouragement. I feel like nobody takes you seriously when you don’t have a foot in the door – they refuse to embrace you because you are not known. I want them to keep pushing after this,” he added.
Dedicated and refocused, Skinny Banton is pushing full speed ahead. “I’m doing music videos for most of the songs. I already have a video for ‘Black Fuh Juvay,’ which has been uploaded to YouTube and all other streaming platforms, and the video for ‘My Behaviour’ with Tonic X is also out,” he said. Grateful to Jamaican artiste, IOctane for the strength given to him on their collaboration on the single, ‘Carnival Traffic,’ Skinny said this particular song is one that he loves, and he hopes the people will, as well.
For the past three years, the artiste had been approached by upcoming entertainer, Nicki Akull for the single they eventually brought forward this year. “Waterline Buss – Nicki Akull’s persistence and determination really brought this song into existence,” he said, happy to have eventually come around to making it happen. Even with such a vast number of singles released, Skinny Banton says he is ready to work with artistes across the Diaspora. “I’m still creating, still working and I’m looking forward to establishing more ground in the Soca community and around the world.”
Social Media, Music and Trends.
Certainly attuned to the necessary promotional adjustments that many artistes have been forced to adopt, Skinny Banton says he hopes that despite the rise in social media content distribution, true talent and good music is not sacrificed. “I feel like content creation online should not take away from artistes creating and delivering great music, because without the content, the music should still stand on its own, and with the content, the people still need the music,” he shared. “I also feel like a lot of trends are created from making yourself an online spectacle and not the music being able to sustain itself, so you may get attention for what you post as content, but the music you’re posting the content for sometimes does not have enough substance to sustain itself for longevity,” he rationalized.
Thoughtful, conscious and truly talented, Skinny Banton is a necessary part of the Caribbean’s creative landscape. His storytelling ability, coupled with his appreciation for the art and vocal capacity, makes him an artiste everyone should tap in to. “I want to encourage the young artistes to stay focused and keep pushing and never be discouraged by the many things that’s said on social media. They must work hard to establish their business to suit them, because every artiste will do things differently, when it comes to the business; Never be discouraged by the naysayers,” he advised. He thanked his fans for their love and support over the years. “People who’ve been supporting from day one and continue to support, as well as the new supporters I’ve gotten along the way – thank you. To the DJs and radio personalities, I appreciate you. One hand doesn’t clap. Thank you for keeping my songs on rotation and I hope you all continue to support me.”
Music News
JrDynamite Gets Real On New Single “Fake Energy.”
