Reigning Soca Monarch Delroy “Fireman” Hooper is imploring disc jockeys to be fair when choosing which soca music to play.{{more}}

In a recent interview with SEARCHLIGHT, Hooper, who is an eight-time Soca Monarch, a two-time and the reigning Ragga Soca Monarch and this year’s first and second place winner in the Road March competition, says it is unfair that some DJs only play the music of certain artistes.

“People spend their money to record their music. They should be played. If I come from Largo Heights and I have my 100 people to bring down and another man from La Croix have 100, the Soca Monarch go be better, because the artiste would have his people supporting him,” he said.

According to Hooper, he has attended shows where the music of only two artistes was played.

“The radio stations have to stop this stupidness. We need to stop being all for one and be one for all. If we try that, we will have a better festival. That is all I want. You have to play everybody’s music, because you don’t know who will give you a good show. Don’t make it look like a soca artiste is better than the other,” Fireman Hooper stated.

Hooper also believes that the media helps to polarize Vincy Mas.

“It’s about what the media promotes. The papers, television and radio. For years now, they have been trying to polarize Carnival.”

“Nowadays, it’s the radio stations and DJs do it like that. It’s how they have it. It’s not us (artistes). The polarization became so bad that fans want to fight fans because they taking it on a different level…,” Hooper stated.

He also said that some persons are even made to believe that there is a personal battle between him and perhaps his biggest rival, former Soca Monarch, Gamal “Skinny Fabulous” Doyle.

Hooper made it clear that they have never had any personal battle, but admitted that it only turns competitive when it comes to music.

“It turns into that at competition time. Ain’t no passing in the street and ain’t greeting one another or anything like that. As ambassadors, we have to live together and even before that we used to live together,” he added. (KW)