‘Ras I’ lynches Calypsonians

Wendell “Rasta Man I” Lewis “lynched out” nine competitors to take the New Democratic Party (NDP) calypso title at the Arnos Vale Sporting Complex last Saturday night.

From the time the vibrant singer hit the stage, the audience at the packed venue, already in party mode, reached their peak as they danced and sang to every word of his popular “Lynch Time.” The veteran performer used theatrics in his voice to imitate the NDP’s talk show host, who recently emerged as the nation’s number one male radio talk show host in a survey. {{more}}

Although there was some technical difficulty to get a recording of Lynch’s voice audible, RastaMan I worked around the problem and continued his dynamic performance with a smooth flow. He earned himself $7,000 for his winning performance.

Gosnell “GC” Cupid, who performed decked out in an ensemble that depicted the national flag, came second with his composition “Good Governance” and received $3,500. And washing ashore to take the third position and $2,500 was Cecile “Little Bit” Murray with her skillful “Tsunami”.

As they had been at the semi-final round of this competition, once again both masters of ceremony Vynette “Vinny V” Frederick and Lucian “Saluche” Small were masterful at entertaining the crowd and building the tempo to the show. The pleased looks on the faces of the several thousand patrons in attendance proved they had got their money’s worth as they danced the night away to back in time music from the DJ Phil “The Thrill” Morgan and the other seven calypsonians who all received $…hundred for their performance.

The NDP did not leave anything to chance as the giant screens, quality sound and tight backing music from a Brian Alexander/Adrian Bailey led ensemble combined to provide a very high quality show.

But the real surprise on the night came from the NDP leadership which joined in a jovial performance of the timeless “Perseverance” penned and led by Gerard “Rasum” Shallow. There was very spirited dubbing and rapping from the group as they sang and grooved in unison. Even the usually reserved party president Arnhim Eustace joined in the dance onstage. All strategy, or just good fun? Or maybe just a combination of both?