In 2025, one of the Caribbean’s most iconic superstars, Trinidad and Tobago’s Machel Montano broke through the glass ceiling internationally, appearing on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk series. It was the first for Soca music. The YouTube platform boasts a massive audience in excess of 12 million subscribers. Machel and the Monk Band’s appearance has racked up 1.3million views since it was dropped online back on January 13th, 2025.

Machel Montano continues his reign as the King of Soca music, but more than that, the artiste’s catalogue and influence, spanning more than 30 years, continues to point the world in one direction – the Mecca- Trinidad and Tobago’s Greatest Show on Earth.

Despite quite a lot of International and regional developments, new Soca music is being released by artistes in high anticipation of another epic Carnival season in Trinidad and Tobago. Machel’s latest release is a collaboration with St. Vincent and the Grenadine’s Skinny Fabulous and Grenada’s Lil Natty and Thunda, called, “Pull De Pin.” In 5 days, 506,000 people have checked out the release on YouTube, proving the magnetic pull of this trio.

One of the year’s highlghts for Soca music and the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, was in fact Machel’s appearance on the NPR Music Tiny Desk series. It has been hailed as one of the best Tiny Desk performances of 2025, by Welcome to The Culture.

In an interview with Mauricio Ruiz – Host of the Manager’s Playbook, Machel shared that initially, he did have reservations about doing the show. “I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t think I was ready,” he said on the Podcast. His manager, Che Kothari was persistent though, and eventually, Machel Montano and the Monk band was booked for the acoustic style performance on January 13th, 2025. During that showcase, Machel’s Power Soca music was stripped down. “I know he is a genius, a curator ; All you have to do is put those two entities together and it would be magic and it would have such a ripple effect in this region,” said Che during the Manager’s Playbook interview, and that it did.

That episode of the NPR Tiny Desk series has been acclaimed by Caribbean music lovers, some admitting that it had even brought tears to their eyes. “This is my first time being exposed to this artiste and I’m not too familiar with Soca, but he’s a vibe! I will be checking out more of his music,” said one viewer. Another commenter who said he is Bangladeshi-Australian said, “no other music fills me up with joy the way this music does. I hope that there’s casual Tiny Desk viewers from around the world who decide to watch this video and find their next musical love.”

Machel Montano’s groundbreaking performance on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk series was one of this year’s biggest wins for Soca music. The insistence of his manager, Che Kothari was undoubtedly a major factor in what the world got the opportunity to experience in January. Machel said it was an authentic, real experience, and it meant something big not just for him, but for the people doing it – the musicians who were there, side by side with him.

AniMints, the animation studio and creative support arm of Yaad Labs Ltd – A Jamaican Startup established in 2022, is on a mission to grow original Caribbean intellectual property (IP) through world-class illustration and animated storytelling.

Thanks to the Creative Caribbean Grant, AniMints successfully produced its first animated short series—“The Tipsy Turtles”—and laid the foundation for a new model of digital monetization powered by blockchain technology.

In simple terms, AniMints has taken the familiar model of content meets collectibles—like Pokémon’s relationship to trading cards or Disney’s cartoons to its merchandise—and applied it to the digital age. The studio plans to sell its main characters as digital collectibles (NFTs), giving fans the chance to own a piece of the show they love.

The grant funding was essential in completing the studio’s ambitious production goals: 30 character turnarounds, 101 detailed backgrounds, and over 640 seconds of animated content.

These assets form the creative backbone of AniMints’ business strategy—content that can now be directly monetized and leveraged to attract clients and collaborators across the globe.

With production wrapped and the series “export ready,” AniMints has already begun to see real results. The studio has received multiple client inquiries, secured paying animation contracts, and generated over $34,000 USD in NFT and digital collectible sales.

This early success demonstrates the commercial viability of blending Caribbean-inspired storytelling with cutting-edge blockchain distribution on platforms such as Twitter/X, Discord, and the Cardano Blockchain. Beyond immediate business outcomes, the project also had a meaningful social impact. The grant enabled AniMints to hire and fairly compensate six regional creatives, providing valuable income and experience in a challenging industry. Collaborations with other indie studios, such as Cmills Animation Studio, strengthened local creative networks and ensured production quality remained high.

Importantly, AniMints is already expanding its vision. Building on the success of The Tipsy Turtles, the studio is developing Anansi Tales, an animated series designed to preserve and modernize Afro-Caribbean folklore. By recording stories on the blockchain, AniMints hopes to both protect cultural heritage and ensure its longevity for future generations.

Since receiving the grant, Yaad Labs and AniMints have achieved significant milestones— raising capital, securing new funding, placing in the Top 10 of an international accelerator program, and signing a major collaboration with Draper University, one of Silicon Valley’s top venture networks.

The completion of The Tipsy Turtles marks a turning point for AniMints: the successful fusion of Caribbean creativity, digital innovation, and sustainable business strategy. With a proven model and a growing audience, AniMints is poised to make the region’s next great cultural export—one animated frame at a time.