Yankey Boy, Raw Nitro collab on We Outside like Garbage remix

New words and phrases pop into the language on a daily basis, and the words associated with Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival are a prime example of this. Each year, calypsoes and soca aid in generating new phrasing and thoughts that make TT the unique space that it is.

This year, one of the new phrases being used in the "mother of All Carnivals” is Outside Like Garbage from Kevon “Yankey Boy” Heath and Jesus “Raw Nitro” Preudhomme. The original song was by 33-year-old Raw Nitro from central Trinidad.

This year's version has generated its fair share of criticism.

But Raw Nitro was ready for it, because he has been trying to gain the public’s attention with his music for the past seven years.

“He did not mind, because he has been trying for seven years and he was not getting that attention where people were talking about him good or bad,” Yankey Boy said.

He said no matter how people spoke about him, he did not mind, as the conversation was finally about him.

The phrase’s genesis is to be found in street language, they said.

They explained, “Meaning for the whole two years" – of the covid pandemic to date, when there was no Carnival – "we have been inside.

"Now we outside. When we say, 'we outside like garbage,' we are not talking about the smelly part. We outside every day, all day, all night…”

The duo said they were also teaching people to look at garbage in different, more useful ways.

Raw Nitro said the phrase also referred to a lot of people being out in the streets.

“It has been around, and Nitro actually start it, and I came on the project behind. That is how artistes do it, we take thing from the streets,” Yankey Boy said.

Raw Nitro wrote the song for his birthday on July 10 and quickly realised there was something special about it.

“I did a video for the song and put it out there. You know we Trinidadians, they did not understand the term. The ones who did not know it shared it and were saying, ‘What kind of thing is this? This is the soca?’” he said.

To Yankey Boy, the song’s popularity raised the debate about what makes for a good song.

The song went viral because it was unusual and led to Yankey Boy being sent a video of it via Instagram. He listened to it, liked it, read the comments on it and found what “was missing.”

“I realised what he could do to enhance the song and added a storyline to the song about a man cheating on his partner, being put out and now being ‘outside like garbage.’”

So the two discussed collaborating and that gave rise to the remix.

Yankey Boy said they started marketing the song heavily.

“Sometimes you have to go away from the box, not even in the box, or out the box. Just pretend there is no box and just do it. Once you get their attention, now you can come around and show them that you are really serious.”

Raw Nitro began singing in 2018, as Raw Nitro D Raja. His first song was a chutney tune called Head Don Bad.

If it were not for this song, Yankey Boy would not have been in TT, but in the US, as he has been focusing on growing his Uncle Yankey’s Pepper Sauce brand.This does not mean he is finished with soca.

However, his entrepreneurship has opened him up to new adventures which he hopes helps him become even more of a soca ambassador.

While making his music, he also wants to work more with the agricultural sector and farmers.

He added that a lot of things people in TT took for granted were worth a lot elsewhere like bay leaf.

Yankey Boy said there is a lot of money in agriculture and is encouraging TT’s youth to look into it as a strong career choice.

The Soca Monarch stage gave upcoming artistes a springboard from which to grow and develop, Raw Nitro said.

Meanwhile, he has released another single with Trini Baby, Congo Zess.

He added he was open to working with anyone but also wanted the collaboration to be profitable.

The popularity of the "Garbage" tune has landed Raw Nitro and Yankey Boy a booking for 2023 Notting Hill Carnival, from from August 27-28.

This will be the first time Raw Nitro has flown – so his career is literally taking off.