Bits & pieces - Machel's rant, Rihanna's statement and more...

So much has been going on these past few days - the Rihanna situation, Trinidad Carnival, New York Fashion Week, that it's hard to get it all in but we're trying!

First off, we have some behind the scenes pics (compliments E-Zone Entertainment - big ups to Lisa Wickham - that woman is everywhere) of Destra's upcoming Bacchanal music video.



 In other Destra-related news, islandistas would have noticed that she has teamed up this season with her former nemesis, Denise 'Saucy Wow' Belfon. Alison Hinds is also in the mix, as the three of them are on a song called Obsessive Winers. They are calling themselves the Three Ss - Saucy, Sassy (for Destra's song Sassiness) and Sexy.

However, in light of Destra and Denise's well-recorded cat fight a few years back, eyebrows might have been raised to see them performing together. However, both Destra and Denise have said that is all water under the bridge and that they are like sisters.

In an interview with Bajanfuhlife, Destra said:

 “The damage has been repaired....“Sometimes, as an artist, tensions run high and you tend to fall into a trap of competition. But that is history now…. You learn from your mistakes and move on.... We live like sisters.... We sleep at each other’s homes and sometimes eat from the same plate. That is how close we are."

Belfon concurred, adding:

"That is water under the bridge as far as I am concerned.... I think we had gone to the extreme. At that time, we were both hyper and were noted for not taking any nonsense. In any relationship, teeth and tongue must clash. That is all part of life. You live and you learn."

  And just as the ladies making up, the fellas getting into this beefing t'ing which is really so un-soca. Islandistas outside of Trinidad who were watching the Soca Monarch finals on Tempo last night may have heard Iwer George refer to a situation with Machel Montano and Shurwayne Winchester that went down at Alternative Concept 7  last weekend and ask the crowd if they feel Machel should apologise to Shurwayne. 

If, like us you were puzzled at first (seriously, where are the Trini gossip sites/blogs anyhow? We've been looking to little avail...), don't worry, here is what went down, courtesy of SourPuss at The Lime:





So ok! Saturday 14th February, 2009 at the Hasely Crawford National Stadium. The Alternative Concept 7, dubbed Heavenly Drums. However, immediately following a stellar performance by Shurwayne Winchester, Prestan, Mastamind, Maxi Priest & Y.O.U., I was witness to some not-so-heavenly behaviour by Mr. HD himself in the backstage area.  They were having a fantastic set in my opinion and I couldn't see anything that went wrong. During the performance Mr. HD was spotted having a time before his appearance on stage and all was well until one point in the set where the band started to play this popular dance/techno track. I can't remember the name now, but anyways. I stood observing as "de boy" stormed to the stage demanding that the performance be stopped.


At this point I was like, "Ok then! More bacchanal." So after the abrupt end to the Y.O.U. performance, I made my way to the backstage area to grab some refreshments and that's where the real show started. Mr. HD himself came storming demanding to see Mr. Winchester shouting, (and I quote) "Where Mr. Shurwayne Winchester? Where dat disrespectful p***y-hole?" He continued to hurl obscenities down the corridor until he finally caught up with the Y.O.U. head man. At that point he proceeded to verbally abuse his fellow bMobile endorser (and I quote again) "Dat is what yuh go do? Yuh go copy my f***in' ideas and do it before me? On my f***in' show? Yuh f***in' disrespectful! Yuh is ah disrespectful p***y-hole! Dat is what yuh go do? After I give yuh ah f***in' shot?!" He carried on with this for quite a couple minutes, yelling and cursing to Mr. Winchester's face, while the bigger man motioned to his band members to back off and leave Machel alone.Mr. Montano ended his rant saying "F***in' God will deal with allyuh!" One thing though, throughout his entire juvenile tantrum, he was smart enough to not lay a finger on his fellow artiste with his whole band standing there. Mr. Winchester showing true class, let him have his word until he was satisfied and simply gathered his troops and made his exit. 

Well... damn. All uh dat Machel? Fuh one little techno tune? It can't be that serious - you are Machel Montano after all, boss performer - Shurwayne's performance can't detract from yours. Moreover, he lucky Shurwayne tek it so calm because... umm... well Shurwayne coulda burst he tail, easy.

Anyhow, what is Carnival without a little commess? Onward!

Rihanna has been spotted in Los Angeles - she apparently left Bim late last week but is expected back soon. She has also released a statement thanking her fans for their support. It was short and to the point, saying only:

“At the request of the authorities, Rihanna is not commenting about the incident involving Chris Brown. She wants to assure her fans that she remains strong, is doing well, and deeply appreciates the outpouring of support she has received during this difficult time.”

Keep your head up, hon.

Post Title

→

Bits & pieces - Machel's rant, Rihanna's statement and more...

Post URL

→

http://nickiminaj-tdr.blogspot.com/2009/02/bits-pieces-machel-rant-rihanna.html

Visit nicki minaj for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Carnival baby - performing while preggers

As we all know by now, Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez, Trinidad's Road March queen, wife of Soca Monarch Bunji Garlin and half of soca's First Couple is nuff months pregnant.

The news was announced back in November, when Fay-Ann started wearing ... well wearing clothes! Since  Fay-Ann's ridiculously flat belly has always been her best and most flaunted feature, when she started sporting a lot of cloth, eye-brows were raised.
]

When I mentioned it to my other half and also mentioned that she would keep on performing during Carnival (the baby is due in April so she will be 7 months along at the height of Carnival), he grunted in disapproval.

"Huh! That could never be you!" he said.

His response reminded me of the reaction five years back when Soca queen Alison Hinds was also pregnant and kept on performing, right through to her ninth month. Many (like myself!) were admiring, but a lot of people also had a lot to say. Alison spoke to it in a SHE Caribbean interview some months after giving birth to her daughter Saharan.

"The fact that I did that was amazing to people. If I wasn't feeling good, I wouldn't have done it. I had to remain active. I couldn't stay in the house and draw up."

Which to me at least sums it up. If a pregnant woman is feeling good, why wrap her up in cotton balls? A little wukking up on stage (in reasonable shoes of course - some sexy gladiator sandals or cute sneakers or shoes with a wide platform heel) isn't going to make the baby drop out - it's held in place by a womb and that is a damn strong muscle! Getting them out is the real hard thing.

What do you think islandistas? Should our soca queens keep performing even while they are becoming soca mummies? Are they setting an example of female empowerment and strength or are they taking it too far?

Post Title

→

Carnival baby - performing while preggers

Post URL

→

http://nickiminaj-tdr.blogspot.com/2009/01/carnival-baby-performing-while-preggers.html

Visit nicki minaj for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Got to switch it up!

It's been a while but like a true fabulous islandista I was indulging in the delights of Barbados' Crop-Over festival for the last fortnight or so - it's only THE summer carnival to attend - sorry Antigua, St. Lucia, SVG, Grenada et al! :)

But some of the things I have seen and heard over the course of the festival have definitely got me to thinking - about entertainment and longevity and originality. There was a whole lot of fussing during Crop-Over from local artists and their managers at the fact that the National Cultural Foundation was willing to shell out $30 000 for Machel Montano and a similarly hefty sum for David Rudder and Patrice Roberts to perform at Cohobblopot which is the last major show before Kadooment Day - it is basically part of the climax of the Crop-Over festival.

By contrast, Alison Hinds was rumoured to have been offered $3500.

Ouch.

But!

During this Crop-Over season I got the opportunity to view Machel's show - or should I say Machel Montano HD.

I also saw performances by two of Barbados' most successful soca artistes - Alison Hinds and Rupee.

As little as 7,8 years ago all three of these performers were on the same level fame-wise and no doubt, fees-wise. But over the years, the gap between them has been growing, in Rupee's case despite (or maybe in part because of) his international label contract.

Truth be told, Alison and Rupee's performances, image, the whole works are little different to what they were doing years ago. Both have their 'own' bands now - Rupee has the Dot Com band and Alison has moved on to the Alison Hinds Show. But little has changed beyond the name changes.

Alison still does the 'wining test' routine where she calls up a man to 'test her wine'. Musically she has not expanded the range of music she performs, sticking to groovy soca or power soca. Yet we know that Alison is versatile - anyone who has ever heard the seminal Square One 'Four Sides' album they put out for their tenth anniversary or seen one of the Four Sides concerts they put on that year would know she is capable of dancehall chanting, ballads, RnB and so much more.

Rupee  is even worse - the last major change in his image was in 2000 when he cut off the long hair that had been his signature with Coalishun. I saw him perform this season and it pained me that it was basically a snooze-fest. He is sporting the same cap and shades and track jacket or blazer, singing the same tunes in the same groove and has not added anything. The thing is, I love Rupee's music but he is not doing himself any favours by staying in the same comfy niche for so long.

Machel on the other hand, gives you value-added. In the last five years or so, he has been making a greater and greater effort to add interest and spice to his shows. In that time he has brought us the Xtatik Circus (remember the Power Puff girls wukking up on stilts?), Xtatik the Marching Band and now Machel Montano HD.

It is not by accident then that his star has risen even after a quarter century in the industry and his fees have risen as well. He said as much back in June in an article published in the Nation:

"People like Alison Hinds came to Trinidad and commanded some great fees in times when our artistes wasn't commanding those fees. People like krosfyah, people like Rupee . . . something like fees is determined by the artistes themselves," he said, adding that critics had to come up to speed with what was happening.

He spoke specifically of the Bajan Invasion, which exploded in 1996, and the massive response from Trinidadians to the slower-paced music that they were unaccustomed to.

The 26-year veteran said artistes had to see beyond the fees, but management and professionalism had to come into play as well.

"I remember sitting down with my management and devising plans, not just to raise our fees, but to raise our production and when we raised our production level, we received more. Because it obviously cost more. So everything is a growth basis . . . you work your way up through integrity, through consistency, through product."

Moreover, this is not just the case in soca (though it may well be amplified because soca is still so seasonal that your window of opportunity for making an impact each year that will carry you through to the next one is limited).

Look at Madonna. The woman is 50 and yet she keeps changing up her image - from 'Like a Virgin' Madonna to the 'Blond Ambition' S&M Madonna to the Far East inspired 'Ray of Light' Madonna to the 70's roller disco queen 'Confessions on a Dance Floor' Madonna and several in between. She doesn't sit back and presume that being Madonna is enough.

Look at our own islandista Rihanna. It was when she dramatically changed up her image with her most recent album 'Good Girl Gone Bad' that she achieved her greatest levels of success to date.

So now it is up to Barbadian and other regional artistes to decide if they are going to follow the trail Machel has been blazing.

Post Title

→

Got to switch it up!

Post URL

→

http://nickiminaj-tdr.blogspot.com/2008/08/got-to-switch-it-up.html

Visit nicki minaj for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection