When I think of Caribbean music, I normally think of reggae, or ragga dancehall – both associated with Jamaica.
They’re laidback and bass heavy. But there are other ways to do island sunshine vibes, and Trinidad and Tobago is the centre of the other big Carnival soundtrack – Soca!
Soca features a pulsing beat, breathless latin drums, and nowadays, some nice deep basslines. Although, it must be said, not usually as weighty as dancehall.
Still, on a riddim like this, “Yuh Bad”, the natural Carnival energy comes through. As you’ll probably be able to tell, the song isn’t particularly philosophical, but it’s got infectious energy.
It’s worth checking out Preedy’s version too, “Yuh Bad (No Stressing)”. Both tracks came out right at the end of 2019 on Yuh Bad Riddim (Soca 2020 Trinidad and Tobago Carnival).