He’s never too far. He’s a part of the carnival tapestry even when you hardly hear of his pursuits in a season. T&T’s carnival 2019 period has seen Jason ‘Shaft’ Bishop penetrate the airwaves with more than six carnival anthems. He’s the man behind Patrice Roberts’ killer tourism-jingle- like hit, ‘This is The Place,’ and Lyrikal’s monster chipper, ‘Passing Through.” Shaft’s always in the shadows, even when his name isn’t calling much.

For years, Jason’s been the songwriter of choice for many. From Destra Garcia who’s hit ‘Lucy’ was written by Bishop, to Machel Montano, Nikki Crosby’s ‘Granny’ persona- who he manages, and certainly Patrice Roberts, with whom he struck gold when they delivered, “Big Girl Now”. His artist repertoire across the islands, includes the likes of Peter Ram, Alison Hinds, King Bubba and Ricardo Drue. Jason ‘Shaft’ Bishop is most certainly the model songwriter in the Caribbean. “I’m an executive songwriter. I’m the only songwriter with such a significant number of songs tabulated since 1999,” he said to us during an exclusive EBUZZTT interview. Jason’s however got his eyes set on international territory these days, telling us that when Carnival is over, he’ll be heading out to Los Angeles where he’ll be treading deep waters outside of his calm Caribbean comfort zone.

Jason writes for each season, one year in advance. Explaining his process to EBUZZTT, he said he offers artistes full concepts based on his vision for the songs he pens. He also personally hand picks who receives which songs, based on character, topic and personality. Ahead of Barbados’ CropOver, he’s already prepared to distribute songs to the artistes who’ll sing them. “I’m heading to Barbados this evening,” he said when we spoke with him on Thursday. Jason’s been hard at work. His team, based in Barbados, has worked arduously behind the scenes, executing his vision of creating a full fledged songwriting business, that also features other elements that would aid all artistes in the execution of their goals. “I’m setting up offices of Shaft Vibes Entertainment in Barbados, Trinidad and New York,” he said, highlighting that artistes will be able to hire professional songwriters for all genres, videographers, marketing specialists and even dancers.

Thousands are flooding Trinidad and Tobago’s shores even as you read. It’s Carnival. The feting season’s here and in the next couple weeks, the island’s guaranteed to be overrun with tourists from around the world. Never been? Here are five words that’ll tell you all you need to know about the people of Trinidad and Tobago…. TRINBAGONIANS LIVE FOR THE THRILL.

Whether it’s how Trinis fete or how they interact with visitors, the energy that embodies the people of this West Indian twin island, will mesmerize you in one way or another. One thing’s for sure, you’ll never be able to get Trinidad and Tobago off your mind.

We’ll get you started with 5 things Trinbagonians do that will either make you smile and want give it a try, or give you the heebie jeebies. If you’re American, you’re guaranteed to get where we’re coming from. For those who aren’t… the replacement phrase would be uncomfortably nervous. Here goes:

1. Trinbagonians drink alcohol in the streets, unhindered and unbridled. There are no laws against it.

2. They take carnival loans. Now, while in the Western world or anywhere credit equates to life, this act would be questioned, in Trinidad and Tobago, a carnival loan simply taken to “enjoy the season”, is a norm.

3. The impromptu J’ouvert potty stop doesn’t always mean an indoor toilet stop. We’ll leave that one to your imagination. Just note that at Carnival, there’s usually a no holds barred kind of attitude to life.

4. Ketchup is a staple condiment to most street food and even home cooked meals like ‘pelau’. So, while in North America, a ketchup bottle would never accompany a pizza slice, the exact opposite takes place in these parts. In fact, Trinbagonians now add a slew of other condiments to their food… like garlic sauce and shadow beni sauce. Get with it! FAST.

5. Spending exorbitant amounts to see the same artistes you’d see at a $200 fete, just to say, “I went to _______ fete” for “the experience” is another norm here. According to some, Trinidad and Tobago just isn’t a real place. We’ll leave the rest to you, now… Have fun!