Give ‘zessers’ a chance

Give the young people a chance and stop "fighting down" up-and-coming artists. This was the plea Kern Joseph, also known as Trinidad Killa, on Tuesday. He was discussing the inclusion of a “zesser” segment in this year’s International Soca Monarch competition.

"We need to start to highlight the talent in Trinidad and Tobago...and stop fighting down these upcoming artists. There is plenty talent in TT."

The Gunman in Yuh Hole and Power in Soca (Dyy Zess) singer will be on stage with Jahllano, K-Lion, Rebel Sixx, Plumpy Boss and Prince Swanny to perform in a 12-minute segment called The Zesser Movement on Friday at the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain.

Joseph entered the competition but did not make it past the preliminary round. Although he is disappointed, he appreciates the opportunity to still perform on the Soca Monarch stage. He said, getting a breakthrough in the soca industry is difficult. He started off singing soca, but realised dancehall was a sought-after genre.

Younger people, he said, listen to local dancehall and they are the ones who attend more parties. He said it's not like Soca Monarch organisers are putting artists from other countries in the spotlight.

"If you're doing a show, a concert is about selling a product. If you know that brining this movement to your show will definitely give you an impact, then do it."

The term zesser music, he said, is neither new, nor is zesser music an adequate word to describe local dancehall.

"That's no zesser movement. It's just what people are adapting to. Music is a cycle. Back then it had passa passa and all these things die out after a while. There's nothing like zesser music...These youths who are singing dancehall are from the ghetto, so people are labelling it as zesser music. But it is not zesser music, it's music."

He said the stigma of zesser music coming from the "ghetto" has generated a lot of negativity from the public, but all the local dancehall artistes want is an opportunity to make a successful career like soca stars.

"They are fighting these guys from the ghetto. It has nothing like zesser music. That's where the word originated. The artistes are from the ghetto, so they brand it zessing music because it is a ghetto artist who sang it. It is artistes from right here TT who come from the ghetto who want to live life nice and drive big vehicles, own big house. But if these people in the industry don't give them a chance, how will it happen?"

He said there is a blatant prejudice against people in the ghetto, leading people to judge their music harshly.

"Sometimes I feel to sit down and cry when I look at this system and how it is set up. Black people born to suffer. We don't stand up for the right thing. Music is music and it hurts me to know when we leave TT and go outside to do a show, the kind of treatment (we get). People are glad to see we."

Other Caribbean countries, he said, support music from TT be it soca, dancehall, hip hop or rap. Joseph has been to St Lucia, Barbados, St Vincent, Bahamas and will be going to different cities in Florida after Carnival.

In a Newsday article on January, veteran soca artiste Neil “Iwer” George, a finalist in the competition, said not only has Jamaican dancehall been a part of TT's Carnival for years, but Carnival is a time to celebrate all of TT's culture.

"All is TT brought. This should never even be up for debate.”