BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AS of late, radio stations in St. Kitts have been ‘pumping’ Small Axe Band’s mix with lyrics that are rapidly becoming popular in the Federation. An excerpt from the mix says, “Yo Melinda, de Rasta man bawling out Melinda. Yo Melinda de people them say that boy can’t deliver.”
The mix is being requested by many people on various radio stations; some of which had to play it repeatedly on a daily basis. And in addition to the multiple requests, curious minds have been wondering who is Melinda, or what is Melinda, as the lyrics are becoming more and more popular.
Is there a meaning behind the lyrics or are they just words put together with musical accompaniment to attract music lovers? This is what some people are asking. It is being rumoured that the mix is a ‘diss’ to another popular band in the Federation. However, SKNVibes PEP was unable to confirm the rumour, as the Small Axe Band’s manager preferred not to comment on the Melinda topic.
Many persons are also wondering if this would develop into a song that would be used to vie for the 2010 Road March title, since it has already riding the waves of popularity.
In recent times, Small Axe is the only band that has been having weekly engagements. Every Friday, over the past few months, the band has been entertaining patrons at the Potential Bar on Cayon Street, Basseterre.
Some people are of the view that because the band did not attract a large following during the carnival season, Melinda is being used as a strategy of hitting back hard and letting fans and other people know the band is still around and functioning well. Also, with the return of Ras Kelly, the band is once again showing its true strength.
One young lady said, “I don’t know who Melinda is but the chant is just catchy and sweet, even the other bands play it sometimes.” And a young man said that he thinks the band should capitalise on the chant because it is already a hit.
Now that Music Festival is around the corner, and this event traditionally serves as a kickoff for what the bands have to offer for the carnival season, Grand Masters and d’Vybz are the only two local bands that will performing at the annual event.
This, however, does not mean that the other bands cannot have their music out to the public. History has shown us when Small Axe came out with the song Masquerade, the band was not on the music festival line up but the song dominated the festival as DJ Ronnie Rascal played it repeatedly between breaks of the performing artistes.
Masquerade then became the most popular song that year and won the Road March title.
Would it be a fair statement to say the song that is most popular throughout the year is normally the one that wins the Road March title? In an effort to confirm this statement, SKNVibes PEP contacted Clement O’Garro of the Carnival Committee, who was responsible for coordinating the judging of last year’s Road March Competition. He said, “I wouldn’t say it is a actual fact, but it has happened in recent times.” He also used the ‘Masquerade’ song as an example.
SKNVibes PEP also contacted Ras Kelly to enquire what plans the band has for the chant. Although he was a bit secretive, he did confirm that the band would be making a song out of the chant. So, this is something the fans to look out for.
What do you think? Would Melinda do it this year? Or would Grand Masters come hard in defending their title, or perhaps one of the other bands would steal the shine for 2011?
