I thought that the economy was in recession; I did not know soca was too. In one carnival fete, DJs played major hits from last year with more enthusiasm than the lead songs that set the stage for Carnival 2016.
Few singles from the ‘big name’ artistes really stood out. And special shout out to the new lions on the scene such as Voice with his ISM winning “Cheers to Life.” But as I had my hands in the air, eyes closed, locks free submitting to the God of calypso and soca in the sky, my heart grew heavy.
I heard a disturbing lyric for a song I have heard many times. It hit me with surprise because it was the first time the words registered beyond the narcotic rhythms and crowd-screaming chorus.
“Since I was in pampers
I was looking bumpers
I was sipping liquors
Pulling down girls’ knickers”
Is that you Skinny Fabulous?
Then I thought it was one disgusting lyric that spoiled an entire song. I was wrong. It was actually the pre-chorus and that spoiled my entire mood.
I wonder what he said after his bredrin gave him a bounce and told him, “da chune rell bad but…”. Or did dat bredrin even raise a question?
What did the producers think when Skinny jumped into the studio and did double, triple and quadruple takes for the song?
Did they say, “Yea Skinny, this time you got it right!”?
And the fete promoters on stage, “Skinny yuhz meh boi, but yuh cyah change up dat line from ‘bumpers’ and ‘knickers’ to ‘jumpers’ and ‘snickers’.”
Where were all the men who heard the line? And what did they have to say?
My supervisor informed me about the song a month earlier but I had difficulty putting the artiste’s name to the lyric for some reason. Perhaps, Skinny Fabulous never would have come to mind since he has been one of the artistes I value in terms of song writing ability, story telling in soca and earthy Vincentian voice delivery.
Among other women, the song did not go unnoticed:
This is much bigger than a complaint.
The trivialization of childhood sexual relations and celebration of sex between children as part of your sexual instincts are somethings that require to be called out.
When there is an unclear distinction between sexual expressions and behaviours of children and adults, our children are unprotected. Furthermore, a child rights framework seeks to address the vulnerabilities of children in early sexual initiations and the subordination that disproportionately happens to girls in these relations.
What do we gain by teaching boys they are essentially thusty?
This song muddies the nature versus nurture debate and celebrates not just problematic masculinities but socially harmful practices around what it means to be a boy – sexual predation (“lookin’ bumpers”), alcoholism (“sipping liquors”) and force (“pulling down girls’ knickers). Like a number of Caribbean men, I have known these tropes too well and it is a struggle I wage internally to decolonize.
The song draws on the memory of his childhood, “since I was in pampers”, and chronicles it to an ultimate transformation to his ideal self as the “big man toppa toppa”. As a man, we must call out these narratives and politics that shape our music and memories of culture because it teaches young boys that they are fundamentally dominant, hypersexual and part of sexual violence.
Can Skinny Fabulous raise awareness about the dark statistics that show St. Vincent as the country with the fourth highest rate of recorded rapes?
Can Skinny Fabulous sing us a song that we were Born Equal and Safe?
Is there a chance of Soca for Social Change?
Or is it that we will continue to jump and wave, lead our boys astray in this gayelle of gender power relations and shout out “we born for this”?
I attempted to transcribe the song. You can see the Lyrics here:
Title: Born For This
Artist: Skinny Fabulous
Year: 2015
Author: Gamal “Skinny Fabulous” Doyle
Producer: Jason “Shaft” Bishop, David “Millbeatz” Millien and Alex “Kubiyashi” Barnwell
Mixed by Precision Productions
Mastered by Pete Lyman, Infrasonic Productions
YouTube Channel: JulianspromosTV|2016 Media
Accessed: Monday 8th February 2016 (Views: 147, 140)
Published: December 23, 2015
Website Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh7YcT0lgRE
Yea
[ ]
Hear this
Ah woi
Yea yea yea
Yea yea
Badness in me nature
It in me vein
Is zero behaviour
I tellin’ yuh plain
When ah up in yuh area
I lightin’ a flame
Security done have me name!
Since I was in pampers
I was lookin’ bumpers
I was sipping liquors
Pulling down girls knickers
Now that I’m a shotta
Big man toppa toppa
We does party proper, proper, proper
Tell them we was born for this
Tell them we was born for this
We givin’ we all for this
Tell them we was born for this
Tell them we was born to mash up fete
We was born to rip up dance
When we come to buss a sweat
We was born to rip up party
Born to turn up fete
We was born to turn up dance
When we come to buss a sweat
Tell dem – action in de party!
Even as an infant
I did run the road
Playin’ mas on a Monday
Me and me alone
You don’t have to question
Soca in meh bones
Part ah meh genetic code
Since I was in pampers
I was lookin’ bumpers
I was sipping liquors
Pulling down girls knickers
Now that I’m a shotta
Big man toppa toppa
We does party proper, proper, proper
Tell them we was born for this
Tell them we was born for this
We givin’ we all for this
Tell them we was born for this
Tell them we was born to mash up fete
We was born to rip up dance
When we come to buss a sweat
We was born to rip up party
Born to turn up fete
We was born to turn up dance
When we come to buss a sweat
Tell dem – action in de party!
Let me just tell you this as well
Fabulous reach! Place start shell!
Gyal dem ah wine up! Drinks start sell!
The way how me bad, yuh think I machel!
Furthermore, me no Vibes Kartel
but im the baddes’ in case yuh cyah tell
Fabulous buss with another anthem
[Me unshell with another anthem]
Since I was in pampers
I was lookin’ bumpers
I was sipping liquors
Pulling down girls knickers
Now that I’m a shotta
Big man toppa toppa
We does party proper, proper, proper
Tell them we was born for this
Tell them we was born for this
We givin’ we all for this
Tell them we was born for this
Tell them we was born to mash up fete
We was born to rip up dance
When we come to buss a sweat
We was born to rip up party
Born to turn up fete
We was born to turn up dance
When we come to buss a sweat
Tell dem – action in de party
(Born to mash up fete)
(Born to rip up dance)
(Come to buss a sweat)
(Born to rip up party)
(Born to turn up fete)
(Born to turn up dance)
(Come to buss a sweat)
(Action in de party)
Ah woi
Yea yea yea
Yea yea
