Sokah2Soca

The following is part of a thread I started in the islandmix forum. The thread was created to "define the differences between Ragga Soca and Groovy Soca". If you desire you can ask, "is there a difference" to satisfy the claim made by others. Now you may be wondering why did I create the thread? Simply put, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines they contend that Ragga Soca is what we call Groovy Soca. However, in Trinidad we contend that they are two different styles of music under the 'Soca Music Umbrella'.

Here is an abstract from an article written by Glenda Alicia E. Leung. The article was first published 11/06/2009:
"In the late 1990s, a new musical genre emerged in Trinidad called ragga Soca. Ragga Soca is described as the product of blending Trinidad's indigenous Soca music with Jamaican dancehall. One peculiarity of ragga Soca is the borrowing of Jamaican Creole English phonological features into the performance genre. Initially, there was much opposition to this genre as it challenged notions of Trinidadian identity and self. This paper considers the linguistic innovativeness of ragga Soca artists, in particular, their use of Jamaican Creole English phonological borrowings, demonstrating that they have not only created a new performance genre, but have used Jamaican Creole English to mediate their Trinidadian identity."
Online Library Wiley.com

The following in quotes is the start of the discussion on islandmix:

"I have noticed a contentious thread where the discussion follows two paths regarding what is and is not Ragga Soca. However, it is clear to me that, once again, we have a labeling issue. It appears that in St. Vincent and the Grenadines the term Ragga Soca is used to define what the rest of the region calls Groovy Soca. The problem is that for the rest of the region the understanding for the term 'Ragga Soca' is a combination of Dancehall style intermixed with the Soca riddim. 

VP is not giving ground and contends that Ragga Soca was started in St. Vincent while many are attempting to differentiate the styles as basically two patterns of the music namely Ragga (Jamaican vibes) and Groovy or slower more dancing style Soca.

Apparently you can't convince someone from St. Vincent and the Grenadines that what you understand as Ragga is different. We can always agree to disagree and let it rest there. However, we can also state our opinions here for others to consume. It is apparent (as stated in the other thread) that many onlookers come here for information. We can provide information for their understanding or confuse them further." 

Continuing the discussion:

Just yesterday on WACK Radio 90.1 FM, I brought up the topic for discussion with Ellsworth James (singer and radio host). On this show he was interviewing Mr. Kenny Phillips who is a music producer extraordinaire (KMP Music Studios) and a person who has worked with many singers including Preacher. Mr. Phillips said that he was not the first person to do Ragga Soca but he was indeed the one who coined the term "Ragga Soca'. So why did I mention this? Well there are others who contend that it was Winston SoSo out of St. Vincent who coined the term. If you have information regarding this and the start of the music genre please leave a comment. 

Most Trinidadians believe that Ragga Soca was started in the early 90's with a fusion of Dancehall and Soca Riddims. What makes the genre different is the use of the Jamaican creole in the music. We have a fusion of Dancehall and Soca riddims but the lyrics are sung with a definitive Jamaican style. If you listen to Bunji Garlin it is easy to discern the lyrical style that is used. Most of the music coming out of St. Vincent that is labeled Ragga Soca is typically what we know as Groovy Soca in Trinidad. It is my humble opinion that once again we have a labeling issue and one that will remain a very contentious issue.

Here is the link to the islandmix thread: Ragga Soca and Groovy Soca, Define the differences

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