Full Blown strikes gold with Big Links Riddim

LOCAL songwriting/production duo Full Blown Entertainment (Kevon and Kory Hart) have struck gold once again – this time with their Big Links Riddim.

Featuring songs from themselves, Machel Montano, Kes and Yung Bredda, it is safe to say they are in good spirits as it continues to dominate Trinidad and Tobago’s airwaves.

Their catalogue includes a long list of hits.

For Montano alone, they wrote The Fog, Like Ah Boss, Junction, Vibes Cyah Done, Epic, Bottle of Rum, Mr Fete, Take It Slow, among others.

They’ve also collaborated with artistes such as Kes (People, Fallin’, Dutty Flex, Mental Day), Kerwin Du Bois (Too Real), Nessa Preppy (Tingo), and Voice (Cheers to Life).

In addition to their extensive song-writing portfolio, Full Blown boasts five Soca Monarch titles and one Road March victory.

They have also worked with international acts like the legendary group Boyz II Men and Nigerian singer 2Face Idibia (now 2Baba).

In recent years, they have branched out as artistes as well.

They told Sunday Newsday the idea for this riddim was “very fresh” and stemmed from creating a tune for themselves.

It is their second riddim, with the first being the Palmwine Riddim in 2022 which featured them, Kerwin Du Bois, GBM Nutron and Teddyson John.

Zess meets groovy

The Big Links Riddim features guitars from Kyle Peters, bass by Josh Richardson, and was mixed and mastered by Nikholai Greene (NMG Music).

“We usually like to do a song for ourselves every Carnival but because of how much work we had going on with other artistes, we didn't really get time to sit and focus on something for ourselves. But then one day, randomly in the studio, we started to compose this piece of music,” Kory said.

He explained that he mainly handles production elements of their music and Kevon is the main writer.

“So he (Kevon) took it home and he wrote our song on the riddim, which is Good Spirits.”

Starting off with the popular “zess” beat on the tabla, the riddim then smoothly unfolds into a groovy soca.

Asked if the plan was always to incorporate zess with soca, Kory said originally, it was “purely soca.

“And it was nice, it was sounding cool and the melodies were sweet…But then Kevon was like: ‘What about this zess sample?’

“I don’t know how he heard that, I don’t know how he thought that. But without it, the riddim is very ordinary to me. So the sample gave it an edge and to me, that’s the defining moment in the production.”

Their song is called Good Spirits, Montano’s is The Truth, Kes’s is No Sweetness and Yung Bredda’s is The Greatest Bend Over.

Kevon said, “Writing (songs) for ourselves (as artistes), we know what we want to say, we have topics that just we like to talk about like love and loyalty and integrity and values that mean a lot to us. And everything we sing, we try to make it applicable (for any time) and not make it seasonal. We don’t sing seasonal songs.”

It speaks about someone they trusted who turned out to be a “snake in the grass.”

They sing, “G'waan with yuh fakeness, send yuh right back.

“Lucky for you, my friend, I in a good, good spirit.

Ah drinkin’ a good good spirits.

The vibes right up to the limit, so doh hold meh down, doh fight me down.”

They then say they “only want love” in their circle.

Kevon said he believes many can relate to the lyrics as it relays a common experience.

“At the end of the day, the song comes from a place of personal experience. And I think the message that we really want to convey is that you could choose how you want to respond to things. And we choose to be in a good spirit despite things that may have happened in the past.

“The story is about Full Blown, the story is about the kind of humans we strive to be. What we want to portray is what we truly are. It's not pretense…We try not to let things get us down regardless of how hard it may hit us.”

“So that's what the song really is about. I don't want people to lose focus and take things on surface level.”

They said Kes hopped on the riddim after hearing its instrumental during a studio session for another project.

Kory recalled, “We were working on another song and we played the riddim and he liked it. Then he said something like, ‘Dis riddim so sweet but the way you have to sing on it is no sweetness.’”

It was then, the light bulb went off in Kevon’s head and the song was named on the spot.

Kes sings, “No sweetness, dai she weakness…waistline flow like a melody…dai wa she like, she wa some action in she life.”

When it comes to Montano’s song, they believe they have a fair idea of what he would like.

“He likes things that are clever lyrically and I think The Truth is one of those songs that has a subtle hint at different meanings.”

Montano sings, “I believe in d truth and I just want to live good. I doh wa no dirty secrets fighting me and you…I could only drive one car at a time, but ah still want two.”

On the riddim’s name, Kevon felt it would symbolise Full Blown as having “big links” in the soca industry. But it also speaks to the big “links” or gold chains commonly worn by zess artistes.

The artwork for the riddim features a big gold chain, while the lyric videos on YouTube for each song shows the respective artistes with a gold chain photo-shopped on to them.

Kory did the artwork for the riddim as well.

Laughing, Kevon explained that his brother’s nickname is Slash because he is “producer/writer/graphic designer/stylist/manager.”

Asked about now also being artistes, Kevon said there is still some anxiety when it comes to performing on stage.

“Because (it’s) not necessarily something that might come naturally. I love writing more than anything else.”

But despite this, he said, “I’m enjoying it and I'm learning as we go along.

“Sometimes, it can be really difficult since it’s just two of us, but we are enjoying the evolution so far.”

Kory said being an artiste “adds an extra layer to things.

“You now have more to consider. But at the same time, we try not to let being artiste change our approach to music because we approach it as fans of music.

“We just love music. (Even when) we go out, we really listen to the music (being played) and build a vibe off of that. So I think the only change now is that we are in control of what we say….It creates a space for us where we have more freedom to express our thoughts and what inspires us.”

He concluded, “We definitely enjoy that process because there's no pressure for you to deliver. Once we like it, then we're cool.”

“Most people would have experienced, in one way or another, a relationship that really didn't go the way they wanted to, a person (who) might not have been who you thought they were...But you have to push through and you could choose to be in a good spirit despite things that may happen to you in a negative way.”

Other songs they have include Wassy, Heaven, Zoom Zoom and Full of Love.

Yung Bredda ‘grateful’ as song dominates airwaves

They both said one of the first artistes they had in mind to put on the riddim was Yung Bredda.

“But we didn't (write) a song for him and thought he would write it (when we send the riddim to his team). But then they requested that we present them with something.”

Describing the artiste as unique, they said it was their first time working with him.

Yung Bredda has dabbled in dancehall, zess, soca, soca parang, chutney soca and other genres.

His song is the most popular on the riddim even currently holding the number-one spot on Apple Music’s top 100 most-listened to songs in TT.

In his infectious hook, he sings, “She say, ‘Take it easy, I go do d work. You doh have to.’”

And “Now she bubble and wine, gimme d greatest bend over.”

He then shifts to his usual zess/dancehall style while still including smooth vocals in between.

For some listeners, it was their first time hearing him sing in this way. Many thought it featured another artiste to sing the chorus, but upon realisation, some posted comments online like
: This is Bredda? This man journey so amazing, eh. Reach for the stars!

Yung Bredda (Akhenaton Lewis), told Sunday Newsday that both people in his circle and members of the public have been saying they are proud of him.

“But my circle, since these are people who are around me day to day, they already knew I could sing. And I got the opportunity to (also) show the mass listeners that, okay, Yung Bredda is really multi-talented and versatile.”

He added, “(A lot of people) are still surprised that I can sing. So sometimes I just have to remind them,” he said.

His 2022 track Heaven On Earth is another example of that, he said.

But he recalled he was not initially “feeling” the track.

“But I executed it to my best and now it is where it is today.

“I actually love it now and I can now hear (what the others) were hearing before.”

He has already performed this song live and said the crowd response has been "amazing."

“The young, the old, everyone in between is coming together and singing, ‘You don’t have to.’”

Further commenting on his versatility as an artiste, he said, “I am a dancehall artist but soca is culture, soca is a part of me. It's something that I was born into.

“And not just soca, Afro music, reggae, I do all genres of music. When I go in a studio, I don't say, ‘All right, I want to hear a dancehall riddim,’ Whatever I hear and I see that I could be able to put myself in that zone, I do music like that.”

He said he is “forever grateful” for the support he has received from the public.

However, he also urged listeners to “not just run with the hype of one song” from artistes and to support them generally.

“I really appreciate everything everybody is contributing and doing to make me who I am, because without the people and listening ears, I would just be going to the studio recording music that nobody would listen to.”

He added that he hopes for TT, 2025 is filled with unity.

“Let we put down the guns and come together as one.”

He also said his supporters can look forward to hearing him sing even more.

The duo is also proud of Yung Bredda’s success – generally and on the riddim.

“Seeing the execution and seeing the results, I think that it's just amazing,” Kory said.

“We really wanted him to show his versatility, and I think that based on those requirements, we delivered 100 per cent.”

Kevon added, “I’m really happy for Yung Bredda because a lot of people did not know he could do so many different (genres). Sometimes, we (society) put people in a box as an artiste…So I am really happy to see his success.

The Big Links riddim is available on music-streaming platforms and YouTube.