Afro-Soca
Located in 2 routes
Afro-soca fuses Trinidadian soca with West African afrobeats, marrying soca's carnival rhythm to afrobeat log-drums, syncopated percussion, warm melodic keyboards and chanted, anthemic vocals. Tempos sit in a groovy mid-range with a rolling, hypnotic bounce, and lyrics celebrate unity, wining and pan-African connection. Productions blend soca brightness with afrobeats' laid-back swing. The mood is celebratory, cross-continental and communal.
History
Afro-soca coalesced around 2014 as Caribbean artists responded to afrobeats' global rise; a Machel Montano-featuring remix of Nigerian star Timaya's "Shake Your Bum Bum" hit big in Trinidad, and Olatunji Yearwood's 2015 "Ola" became the movement's landmark. Machel Montano, Kes, Nailah Blackman and Angela Hunte drove cross-continental collaborations, and songs like Kes's "Savannah Grass" carried the sound onto the road. Afro-soca deepened the historic ties between West African and Caribbean rhythm and expanded soca's global reach.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- OkayAfrica, "A Reunion of Rhythms: Walshy Fire and Machel Montano on Afro Soca"
- The Fader, "How Soca Is Absorbing Afrobeats To Create A New Subgenre"
- Caribbean Beat Magazine, Angela Hunte feature