Part I - The Prophetic Maximus Dan … The TRUE “Bob Marley of Soca”

Maximus Dan is a multi-dimensional entertainer and chosing an angle to write on such a profound entertainer and do justice to this class act was no easy task. All I knew was that I wanted to defend this artiste so badly because he has been unjustly ridiculed in many ways, which left me with the difficulty of deciding on which level to defend him on. I was faithful that the right angle would come and that the right words would flow freely from me to my computer and it was at this point that there was Divine intervention. Yes, God showed up.

You see, the Carnival Corbeaux was flying over the carcasses of Trinidad and Tobago’s Soca “industry” (I was backstage at a launch) when some Machel Montano sicko-fan, referred to “Winer Boy” Montano as (drum roll please), the “Bob Marley of Soca” (cymbals crashing sound effect).

If you call Machel Montano “the Spoil Chile of Soca”, “the Transformer (yes, like Megatron) of the Soca industry”, or “the poster child for the Soca mafia”, surely I totally agree, but, as Maximus himself would say, “Yuh Cross De Border” when you liken Machel’s fast-food soca music to the prophetic and substance-filled music of Bob Marley.

When I, Carnival Corbeaux heard that, I had to devour and in some way, fix that. When I got home, what song came blasting through my radio? Maximus Dan’s version of “Soca Train”. At this point I knew that this song, above all his others is the one that will justly validate my claim that other than David Rudder, the only other artiste out of contemporary soca that can be ordained “the Bob Marley of Soca” is Maximus Dan.

His music in general is season-less, timeless and holds historical relevance. Dan’s version “Soca Train” demonstrates all the characteristics of his musical repertoire in the same way that Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” embodies the messages that this prophet preached through his music. “Soca Train” spoke of the music industry, and while Max illustrated the catastrophic, disease infested, “Pop Soca” playing, sicko-fan infested, monopolistic mindless state of Trinidad and Tobago’s entertainment industry, he wanted all persons involved to take heed to his message and for those involved to make a change. Instead, we, “….wine up on he soca train” and the train of the industry travels further and further into degradation.

When Maximus Dan started out in the music industry, the then, “Maggan Dan” was coined a “Ragga Soca” artiste. I’m sure that most of us can remember lyrics like “gyal dem request de long brown sausage” on a track that he was featured on with Machel Montano. Yeah, Machel’s singing was nice, but in my humble opinion it was Magga Dan who stood out in that track. However, it was when Maximus Dan decided to cross into the Soca arena, that he was labeled a “Soca Artiste” (Why Trinidadians like to label things so much is beyond me – why couldn’t they just say that Maximus Dan wrote a nice song for the Carnival season?).

Like many aspiring artistes, the stalwarts and crucifiers of the industry (Iwer George, Chinese Laundry, Johnny Soong, Cliff Harris, Roy Maharaj et al), Maximus was told that in order for anyone to earn lucrative bread and butter from this (“cut throat”) industry (or “eat a food” as people “in the business” so crudely say), Soca was the way to go.

The argument was that you cannot be singing “Jamaican music” when you have your “own” music to embrace (I welcome the Trini Reggae “All-Stars” fraternity who proved otherwise and have consequently been re-banned by 96.1 solely because Chinese Laundry has no financial profit to gain from their continued success).

So, after listening to the hypocrites of this industry who subsequently went and hired such artistes as Shaggy, Buju, Beenie Man and most recently Sean Paul during the Carnival season (not to mention glorifying on Winer Boy who literally built his career on doing duets with all these characters), Magga Dan decided to take a trip on the Soca Train, eventually changing his name from Magga Dan to Maximus.

Of course to become a soca artiste there are rules that go along with it. In Soca, only a certain kind of Soca must be produced, sung and performed. Yes, Soca performances must be done in a certain way. Get a rag, get a flag, spin it around and…(Poor old people who have been annihilated from Carnival altogether because they just cannot keep up!) Forget about content, forget about message and just pay attention to the speed, a catchy hook -no positive messages please - and your song “sell off”. If you’re not sure about what kind of soca is “acceptable”, just look at the “Big Man in the Business”, Iwer George’s repertoire (rolling eyes).

So, when Maximus decided to ride on the Soca Train, he did as he was instructed. Maximus paid attention to speed, created catchy hooks and had massive audiences frenzied when he left the stage. Yet, in true Maximus style, he never had a rag or a flag; instead, he used the power of the hand or the fist, the hallmark symbol of unity and freedom.

I was privileged to see this great artiste perform on tracks after Machel Montano and Xtatik (barely pre-HD days) at a concert in England. Like a true Gladiator, he devoured his opponent in the arena and left the audience in a total frenzy. Picture a crowd of about thousands cheering the name (Max-i-mus… Max-i-mus… Max-i-mus) after a performance he did “on tracks” (i.e, backed by only the music from his CD) following what clearly only Trinidadians have labeled the only “big” act in Soca, Machel Montano. (…by the way, Machel - despite his usual barrage of onstage antics - received no chanting; I thought that was amazing and hilarious at the same time).

Yet, in spite of Maximus’s adherence to the, “formula for a successful Soca artiste”, he still remained distinctive among all of them because all of his songs included very strong edifying messages. Unlike most other artistes, he understood the spiritual release that music in general and Soca music in particular has for Caribbean people, and by extension, the Carnival season. Like Bob Marley, he wrote for the people and about the people. Hell, I do not even have to be so deep about his gift for substantial lyrical content. All I have to do is factually state that like Bob Marley, he wrote all of his lyrics, unlike Machel who takes writing credits for songs he had very little or no input in (big up Farmer Nappy, Mr. Flex, Bigga from Mad Bull Crew, Sean Bailey, Ken Marlon Charles AKA KMC, Fresh Life, Kerwin Du Bois, Chris Ulerie, …I could go on).

When Maximus Dan jumped on the Soca Train, he wasted no time in showing his ability to take the lemon of Trinidad’s music industry and make fine tasting (and nutritious) lemonade. Yet, it is arguable that he wasted his time, because this stellar artiste has never been given his due respect from the people and the administrators of the land of his birth.

For those of you who did not know, Maximus Dan, writer and performer of the Soca Warrior anthem “Fighter” was NOT given sponsorship by the then Ministry of Culture and Gender Affairs (Joan Yuille-Williams) to be a part of Trinidad and Tobago’s contingency during the Soca Warriors campaign to Germany upon making it to the finals in 2006. Did you know that it was Angostura who made his trip to Germany possible (alongside Destra and her band)? Do you know that in 2005 and 2006, the song of the year title according to COTT was given to Shurwayne Winchester’s, “The Band Coming” and, "Dead or Alive”, and not Maximus Dan’s “Fighter” although it was obviously the most heavily played between 2005 and 2006 thanks to the Soca Warrior fever that gripped the country? How would you know? You’ve been too busy mindlessly following Pop soca stars to consider or even care about the way an artiste of this caliber is treated with scant courtesy.

People always have a fear of the unknown or what is different, and it is in this instance, that Maximus Dan’s career closely mimics Bob Marley’s. You see, Bob Marley’s music has always been viewed as revolutionary within the context of the era that he wrote in. Maximus Dan’s music, too, is revolutionary because within the context of the Trinidadian music industry, unlike the others, he remains faithful to his commitment to propagate a message through his music while creating a style distinctive and simply Maximus-esque.

Instead of celebrating his greatness, many look upon him with scant courtesy, second-guessing his logically brilliant and deeply creative career decisions. Case in point, in the midst of the 2008 Carnival season, how could you decide that you will perform “Love Generation” at “One Fete”? How could you, Maximus Dan, decide that you will not perform the Soca Warriors Anthem? These people have typecast you and you are expected to confine yourself within the lines of your Soca Artiste script. Do not get cocky and decide that you will show diversity and the limitlessness of your creativity. You must sing what the promoters want you to sing so that you can get gigs. Forget the fact that as an artiste you are obligated to fulfill yourself as an artiste first and that doing what the promoters want is compromising your artistic soul? Do not sing songs that spread love vibrations at a time and in the midst of a period when love is the only vibration that could quell Trinidad’s disorders, because neither you nor your management will benefit financially.

In the verses of “Soca Train”, Maximus chronicles his struggles and the struggles of many other Soca Artistes (i.e. any artiste who is NOT Winer Boy). Unraveling the veracity of these verses will further support my claim that Maximus’ music is not only entertaining but is mind invoking, has longevity and prophetic in the same way that Bob Marley’s music is. This artiste reveals a fundamental reality that we the mindless ghouls, goblins and “jumbies” fail to see. The reality is, no one loves ANYONE in Soca. The Soca industry is a reflection of the old Colonial mentality, where the echelons of the society enjoy prime rewards and the lower levels of the society fight like crabs in a barrel for the mere crumbs that the upper crust say it is okay for them to have.

I can think of quite a few quick examples of “no more lovin’ up on the Soca Train...”

NEXT WEEK - Part II: “No More Lovin’ Up On De Soca Train” (Examples of the bacchanal behind the scenes… and YES, the Corbeaux names names!)

- Carnival Corbeaux Squawks.