Cariso - Rapso Music-in The Cariso Tradition

Rapso Music-in The Cariso Tradition

Rapso music is itself an evolution of the ‘chantwell’ or ‘griot’ tradition of African music in the diaspora. It is called ‘the poetry of Calypso’ and ‘the Power of the Word in the rhythm of the Word’. Rapso is the poetic ‘rap’ form of Trinbagonian music- the next evolutionary step of Calypso and Soca. It also has origins in the ‘oral tradition’ elements of the performances of traditional masquerade characters in the Trinidad Carnival.

Traditional Masquerade characters like the Midnight Robber, the Pierrot Grenade, and the Wild Indians each have particular forms of poetic and musical speeches that echoed ancient African masking and poetic traditions. Rapso borrowed many of the rhythmic and performance elements of these forms.

The first wave of Rapso music occurred in the late 1960s with the invention of Rapso by its pioneer Lancelot Kebu Layne. The second wave occurred in the late 1970s and mushroomed in the early 80s with the work of Brother Resistance and the Network Rhythm Band alongside other artists like Brother Cetewayo and Brother Book. This wave mainstreamed Rapso music in the musical equation of Trinidad and Tobago and World Music.

The 3rd wave of Rapso occurred with the advent of young groups such as Kindred and Homefront in the early 1990s. They were part of a musical movement entitled the ‘Kiskadee Karavan’ which was led by millionaire Robert Amar who invested his money in the unleashing of the young musical genius of Trinidad and Tobago. The Karavan revolutionised Trinidad’s music by taking ‘traditional’ forms like the Rapso and giving it modern production and promotional methods to take the music to stadiums in the native Trinidad and Tobago. This opportunity uncovered many talents on the ground, and was able to create a series of anthemic musical singles. The song ‘This Trini could Flow’ by super-group Kindred took Rapso into the 21st century and firmly entrenched the music as a form comparable to hip-hop and dancehall.