How zess saved Boidingo

WITH over ten million views across his YouTube channel and an average of 39,613 monthly listeners on Spotify, Boidingo is one of the most popular artists among young people in the zess diaspora.

Born Brian Luces, the 25-year-old, who lives in Sangre Grande, believes he has always been destined to entertain, and attributes his drive and success to his humble childhood.

"Growing up in the country, we didn’t have much."

While Luces was in his early teenage years, his father was involved in a horrific car accident that left him paralysed. This situation changed the family dynamics and Luces said he watched his mother work even harder than before to keep food on the family table. She would leave early and often return home after dark

He said his goal is for her to never have to work as hard as she used to.

During this time, music became his escape.

"I would always be with sticks or an old can making a riddim and singing, getting buff for making old noise."

At 18, fresh out of school and before becoming the artiste known as Boidingo, Luces began working as a gas-station pump attendant to help his family.

“I would be pumping gas, freestyling and storing the catchiest hooks in a vault in my mind. That job taught me humility and how to deal with people.”

Luces said the name Boidingo was given to him by girls as a pet name, and he ran with it.

His recent song, Is Yuh Hole, marries traditional rhythm-system beats and the zess sound paired with his signature sexual lyrics. He says he is particularly proud of this song as it allows him to sample Trinidad and Tobago (TT) rhythm-section culture.

As for the difference between zess and Trinibad music, Luces said zess has a "raw energy that carries a dance and free-up-yourself vibes,” while Trinibad is for “sitting with friends and holding a vibe.”

“Much like any other art form, it reflects the reality of a group of people. That’s why it is so polarising, because society at this time is polarising.”

Luces said experimenting musically in his early years is what led him to the zess genre and he considers himself a pioneer.

He believes young people gravitate to the sound because it brings hope, as most of the artists in both genres live in areas the country looks down on. He believes their success shows the youth in those communities that there is a way out and their voices can be heard.

“It is us telling our stories and protesting. If those in authority hate the message, then do more to help change our reality.

“I’m almost certain the same criticism we are faced with in this genre, Lord Nelson was faced with at one point. Denise Belfon's dancing was too risqué at one time, but through that, I'm sure she empowered some young women and is responsible for some young women becoming performers.”

Asked about his own sexually explicit lyrics, he describes his music as a matter of supply and demand.

“I’m good at it and people want more. My music empowers women, it gives them autonomy over their bodies. They get to choose how sexy they want to be. It celebrates the female form.”

He believes the criticism of the genres is based on ignorance.

“It’s not my job to force somebody to understand or at the very least educate themselves on something they see as a subculture.”

Despite what others say, he stressed that zess is an art form, requiring creativity and hooks that can not only grab people but create new lingo among young people. He said the genre has many themes and believes people only focus on the negative aspect, saying there are heartbreak, party, chutney and many other types of zess.

He says he is no one-trick pony and intends to show off his musical versatility soon. Luces is proud of his journey, saying he is not the same artist who recorded his first song in his bedroom.

He's committed to improving his craft and cites Jamaican dancehall superstar Vybz Kartel and American rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard as his influences.

“I’ll never forget waking up and seeing my first YouTube channel deleted due to some of the music video content. My first song on that channel had over one million views. I thought my career was over, but that forced me to look at ways I could improve.”

Since relaunching his YouTube channel in 2020, he has over 34,000 subscribers and 55 videos.

He hopes that through his music, people can have fun, but urges his fans to be responsible. He said he enjoys clever wordplay and provocative lyrics, but stressed his lyrics should be taken for what they are: entertainment.

“The same way you would play video games that allow reckless driving and other dangerous things, you wouldn’t go copying them. Treat the music the same way.”

As for his future projects, he said his fans can expect more music and collaborations.

“I might drop a mixtape. I’m excited for the public to see what I’m doing when it’s finally ready.”

His advice for upcoming zess artists is to be authentic and not be deterred by the negative criticism.

“This music is my vice, my addiction. I just want to be one of the best artists, not in the genre but in general.”