I am absolutely certain that you know the story of the chicken and the egg and the conundrum of which came first - was it the chicken or the egg? Fortunately, the following story should not be a problem to resolve or could become one... which came first "Pump Yuh Flag" or "Mama No (I Can't Behave)". Well if you have the answer, or would like to give your opinion, then read on and leave a comment via the comment option of this post. Now if the riddim for Pump Yuh Flag came from "Mama No" then can we say an Antiguan Riddim won the Power Soca Monarch and Road March in Trinidad and Tobago?
There is a very interesting thread on Island Mix that is starting to get the attention of the Caribbean Soca lovers attention. As a matter of fact the thread looks like it is going to become an anti Machel Montano and even a bigger bust on Kernel Roberts! So the big question is what it the big deal and why is it so important?
There is a very interesting thread on Island Mix that is starting to get the attention of the Caribbean Soca lovers attention. As a matter of fact the thread looks like it is going to become an anti Machel Montano and even a bigger bust on Kernel Roberts! So the big question is what it the big deal and why is it so important?
Well after listening to Mama No (I Can't Behave) and Pump Yuh Flag one has to say that both songs have the same riddim! We are not simply talking about a Soca Riddim because there are varying degrees of Soca in the market today. The only difference between these songs may be the lyrics... the music (especially the drum riddim) is the same. So what is the big deal? Well we recently learnt that Pump Yuh Flag came out of a musical jingle created by Kernel Roberts (Machel Montano's musicologist) that was turned down by the advertiser. This jingle went on to be renamed Pump Yuh Flag that won the Power Soca Monarch and Road March titles in Trinidad. OK fine... now what?
Well I never knew or heard of the Antiguan song "Mama No (I Can't Behave)" that was done for Antigua's 2011 Carnival celebrations! Which came first? Did Kernel Roberts come up with his jingle before Jashan Hughes and the Chezekake Factory or did he hear the song and liked the riddim and used it for Pump Yuh Flag? If the latter was the case then why not give the people credit for the riddim? Something does not feel right here and we need to get the big guns (Machel and Kernel) to state the facts regarding the riddim used for "Pump Yuh Flag". I have posted both songs below... listen and judge for yourself!
From the YouTube posting of Jashan Hughes and the Chezekake Factory song:
"This superb jumpy soca road-march song happens to be one of my favorite for Carnival 2011. Jashan's catchy tune is about a young child wanting to "jump-up" in the soca carnival, but is prevented by his mom who wants the child to "behave" properly. Kudos to Jashan Hughes and the Chezekake Factory on this wonderful chune "NO MAMA (I Can't Behave)"
Pump Yuh Flag - Machel Montano (Kernel Roberts)