Mr Killa runs away with soca monarch crown

IF the Latin phrase Vox populi, vox dei, is to be believed, then God himself wanted Hollice Mapp – Mr Killa ­– to win the International Power Soca Monarch crown.

Mapp – Grenadian by birth and soca lover by choice – beat out what seemed to be his only rival, Neil "Iwer" George, to win $1 million, and made history as the first non-national to win the power soca prize with his massive hit, Run Wid It. He is the second non-national to win a soca monarch competition, after Barbadian Biggie Irie (Carlton Cordle), who was born in the UK, won the groovy soca monarch title in 2007 with Nah Going Home.

Although George blessed the crowd, anointing them with water, his song, Blessings, fell short of the judges' score sheet.

Long after Mapp had completed his performance, the crowd – who had carried him on stage in a ship prop – kept chanting, "Mr Killa, Mr Killa". Also on the winners podium was fellow Grenadian Hector "Mr Legz" Thomas who placed third with his Wining Challenge for which he brought on Denise "Saucy Wow" Belfon – the "wining queen" of soca.

A tearful Mapp thanked local DJs who played his song and allowed it to gain popularity. "I want to thank Grenada for growing me into the man that I am today. My mother my friends my family. All the Grenadian artistes that performed, we made history. I want to tell TT that I will represent soca all over the planet," he said. There were six artistes from Grenada in the soca monarch finals – the duo of Lil Natty and Thunda in power soca, as well as V'ghn and Mandella competing in the groovy soca category.

Swappi (Marvin Davis) kept the TT flag flying high winning the Groovy Soca Monarch title with Party Start.

Asked if he was concerned about reactions to him being a foreigner, Mapp dismissed this saying he was not a foreigner and his Grenadian birth paper could never undermine his Trini roots. He said his great-grandfather came to Trinidad and had several children and he has been visiting the country since he was a boy.

"I am not a foreigner, someone born in the US, or some far away place, his great grandfather came to Trinidad and had lots of children here. If you inhale properly, on a cool day, you will smell spice, that is the Grenada right next door. I was coming here since I was a young boy, this is home for me (and I) will represent TT and Grenada," he said.

Mapp transformed the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain into a dust bowl, as patrons covering their faces with rags, picked up anything and anyone and ran through the crowd. The other prop Mapp used was a coffin to remind others that their chances of winning were dead.

Below are videos from the show (recorded by Jensen La Vende).