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Veteran calypsonian, Dr Hollis “Chalkdust” Liverpool, became the most successful contestant in the history of the Calypso Monarch last night, after he copped his ninth title with his witty, biting social commentary “Learn from Arithmetic.”
The calypso targeted child marriages and, in particular, Maha Sabha general secretary Sat Maharaj’s defence of the practice, with the refrain that: “75 can’t go into 14.” The title carried a TT$700,000 cash prize.
Chalkdust copped the crown for his record ninth title.
(Courtesy Wired868)
Chalkdust, who is 75 years old, now has one more calypso title than the legendary Slinger “The Mighty Sparrow” Francisco.
Sparrow won his first seven titles during a 18-year span between 1956 and 1974 before he emerged from retirement to reclaim the crown in 1992—at the age of 57—with “Both of Them” and “Survival.”
In contrast, Chalkdust won his first calypso crown at 35 with “No Smut For Me” and “Ah Put On Meh Guns Again” in 1976 and has been a regular in the “Big Yard” ever since. His nine titles span a 40 year period.
Chalkdust was followed by three ladies last night as Karene Asche, Heather MacIntosh and Terri Lyons placed second, third and fourth respectively.
Asche sang “Caught in the Whirlwind”—a commentary on the country’s unsuccessful ‘war on crime’—and took home TT$400,000 while MacIntosh’s “Games” reminded the nation of the Trinidad and Tobago Gymnastic Federation’s controversial decision to take Marisa Dick to the 2016 Rio Olympics over Thema Williams. Third place was worth TT$200,000.
Lyons banked TT$75,000 with “The Phrase” which discussed the damage done by the words: “black and ugly.”
All the other contenders received TT$25,000 appearance fees. Defending monarch, Devon Seales, was sixth with “I Carmona.”
The full results are:
1st. Dr Hollis “Chalkdust” Liverpool: Learn from Arithmetic
2nd. Karene Asche: Caught in the Whirlwind
3rd. Heather Mac Intosh: Games
4th. Terri Lyons: The Phrase
5th. Rondell Donawa: Lip Service
6th. Devon Seales: I Carmona
7th. Roderick “Chucky” Gordon: Wha Yuh Doing
8th. Victoria “Queen Victoria” Cooper: The Call to Prayer
Asche placed second from the 17 contestants.
(Courtesy Wired868)
9th. Lynette “Lady Gypsy” Steele: Plight of my People
10th. Anthony “All Rounder” Hendrickson: To Be an Icon
11th. Weston “Cro Cro” Rawlins: Final Send-Off
12th. Winston “Gypsy Peters: Angry Land
13th. Kurt Allen: My Corn Tree
14th. Sasha-Ann Moses: Main Witness
15th. Lornette “Fya Empress” Nedd-Reid: Guilty
16th. Miguella Simon: Still Colonial
17th. Marsha “Lady Adanna” Clifton: Social Media
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“Chalkdust said Maharaj had missed the whole point of the calypso. He told the T&T Guardian “it was never meant to be an attack on any one person or anyone’s religion. I was simply singing about an issue, I will never attack anybody’s religion.”
Liverpool said he referred to “Sat in the calypso because when Al-Rawi spoke in Parliament he (Sat) is the one who attacked him.”
He said Maharaj and others who feel that he was out of line are “missing the message of the calypso, it was meant as a warning to young girls to be wary of older men who like to fool them. The calypso is more than Sat Maharaj, it is a warning to young people not to be fooled, people feel teenage pregnancies involve two teenagers, but in most instances young teenaged girls getting pregnant because they are fooled by older men who prey on them.”
Liverpool said he spoke to two “13-year-old girls and I asked them about the issue and they agreed that I was right to sing about it. It is an issue. The calypso is really in defence of young women, so that school children will understand they have to be wary of older men who only want to fool them,” he said.”
http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2017-02-27/kaiso-bard-got-it-wrong—sat
To win a calypso monarch one must sing the praises of PNM or anti- UNC and about east indians.
You sound like a fool…Clearly this was your first calypso monarch…Since the inception the monarchs of calypso have been singing about pnm or anti unc?…That comment was pure bullshit
Would you marry your underage child to a man twice her age,pregnant or not?, if your answer is no then stay quiet
You sound more like uneducated fools. Who in this day marry a child in Trinidad? All you forget about the hundreds of girls that become pregnant. So both of you would perform abortion on your child, bcz most men especially mature men runs away from taking care of a child.
By the way Ketch Up you agreed with my first statement.
No originality in calypsoes nowadays. Calypso Rose, Sparrow better train the current ones and JUDGES.
Where are the calypso tents? Are they thriving nowadays? Keep bashing East Indians. I hope the Syrians and chinese fill the tents.
The calypso came across as if Sat Maharaj promotes child marriages. How ridiculous is that?
I have freedom of expression rights just like yourselves and calypsonians.
Child marriages is not the problem as they are very infrequent and parental consent is required. The problem is :
TEENAGE PREGNANCY.
The law is clear about statutory rape but the justice system does not want to do their duties.
Teenage pregnancy is a socio/ economic problem where we are reaping its ugliness with respect to gang crimes and murder rates. A survey needs to be done on gang members and those under 35 that are involved in crime or murder victims to find a correlation with teen pregnancy.
Why they comparing he to sparrow who didn’t sing racial song to win any of his crown, chalkdust and friends no creativity
Dan the song is not a racial song, stop trynna switch up what he’s saying…
Or Sat?
Look at comments all damn racist making….. Watch all d names,…. 75-14…..one song hotting allauy head….. Alluy like Ramsingh Dharma….D village ram.
Sad dat an educated teacher can portray such negative sentiments to the young listeners…only promotin race!!
You miss the point like s blind man pelting mango
This is so sad, chalkdust is making it seem that its old Indian men in Trinidad that’s marrying these young girls and is insinuating that that’s what Mr. Marahaj is about. All I will say is keep on looking after the SDMS schools, they called these schools “cow sheds” now these schools are producing scholars.
U could a sing bout Rowley outside children or Farris own…alyuh just cyah leave Indian outta alyuh ting eh.. Next yr I coming with a chutney fuh u cro cro and aloes and the entire PNM cabal… I hope alyuh say is culture too when the style drop
U izza real bitch ass!!!
U know that right???
Its really good on ur behalf that u don’t have up a pic of urself
?
Or what yuh go rob and kill meh? Is a good ting u have up urs… Gone placard fuh blm or sumn nah… Wdmc
Realist? Name should be racist… Further more is that a threat for me stating my opinion ?? Little boy take yuh time…doh let yuh ego and yuh mouth put yuh in situations that will make your mother cry fuh she “good boy”…
Calm down everyone…
He also slammed Hindus.
He did not slam hindus,he did bring to the fore that the policy makers within the faith are actually supportive of child marriage,
Please bring yr evidence. B4 u talk. The law can’t be so cut and dry. There are situations where young ppl make mistakes. Where the law has to make provisions. Eg. If two 16yr olds have sex and the girl gets preg. Wat do u do charge the young man for rape. Now if it’s an adult who takes advantage of a young girl. By all means nail him to the cross. But everyone feels it’s such a simple issue. Especially wen events like carnival promotes promiscuity and young ppl get influence into wrong doing. Wat if a 20 yr old female gets preg for a 16 yr old male. That child must grow knowing the mother in jail for sex with a minor. Doh get me wrong I agree that no one under 18yrs old should engage in sex. But the law had to make provisions for situations like these. Having said that. Chalkie making ppl feel is only the hindu community to blame. Many other religious ethnicities are practicing child marriages. Why focus on Hindus. I know the answer but I’ll leave it here
Praky, the law says you will be charged for rape only if more than two years older than the minor. So your example of two 16 year olds really shows that you should brush up what you are debating.
Lasana Liburd if you think I’m anti Hindu guess again,
The hindus may appear targeted cause the other main group the Muslims were smart not to make waves, and let hindus take all the jamming
Trini Max, I don’t follow. I was responding to Praky for a flawed analogy. Don’t know what gave you the impression that I was calling you anti-Hindu. I wasn’t.
Lasana Liburd thanks for the correction. But I think u should understand what I was trying to put across. It’s not a simple cut and dry solution to this problem.
Ok then 16 and 18 yr old. Then.
People if you listen to that song carefully it’s a message he sending to rowley
To Rowley? And what, pray, is the message? Rowley is several years away from 75 and the girl whom he wined on – or who wined on him may be more accurate – was rather more than 14.
Maybe you’re suggesting that he would still have indulged himself if she were 14? And maybe Chalkdust agrees. But on what evidence, Sid? You know something we don’t know? Want to share with Wired868 readers?
Better? Sparrow?
He cud win 100
Cant better sparrow mathematicaly or otherwise
How many did sparrow pen himself? A great performer doesn’t necessarily mean a great calypsonian
Agreed
Sweet music
Good song charlkie
Congratulations
One of the few remaining real calypsonian
He is kaiso not calypso
http://wired868.com/2017/02/27/dimanche-not-so-gras-best-casts-critical-eye-says-why-he-preferred-karene-to-chalkie/
Cro CRO and Aloes sang over the same melody until ppl get fed up…When will the judges get fed up of chalkie. Seem like the only well composed international song by Lyons went unnoticed.
You didn’t think Sasha Ann Moses’ “The Main Witness” was well composed too? Or Heather MacIntosh’s “Games”?
Yes but Terri sings.
Hey Sasha does too eh. But point noted. Lol
My point is Lasana. Songs composed based on local happenings seem easier for the judges to adjudicate on. The international songs sometimes loses out.
Ok. Which song was international Timothy?
Well I thought Terri’s was, compared to everything else that pertained to Dick, SAT, Witness, etc
Okay. I didn’t feel so myself.
Sparrow
Did he slam child marriages or Sat Maharaj?
With all due respect, I don’t think the composition was worthy of capturing the monarch title.
Can anyone point me to any previous monarch who sang a poorly composed song as Chalkie’s 2017 offering?
Btw I respectfully submit that anyone from amongst Karene Asche, Heather McIntosh, Terri Lyons or Rondel Donawa – who were runner-up to 5th respectively, would have been a far more worthy winner.
Won’t you agree?
Interestingly, I will soon put up a commentary from Earl Best that agrees with you Siewdath.
poorly composed you must be talking about the chutney soca monarch or power soca but not this .. u cant be serious.. It was the song of the night because underage marriage is rape .. if that offends you .. you are part of the problem
I remember when they said Sparrow won enough n he should retire. Wonder if this same sentiment will be applied to Chalkie. Chalkie has more wins now but who has the better average?
I don’t know if it is accurate to say that Chalkdust’s calypso is a condemnation of child marriages. What it indisputably is is a condemnation of the Maha Sabha’s position on child marriages.
As commentary here on Wired868 has made very clear, the issue is very complex and its treatment in the Parliament and elsewhere in the public domain has not really plumbed it s depths.
Of course, I also have a problem with it being described as “witty” but that opens up a whole new can of worms which cannot satisfactorily be dealt with here.
There certainly is a dearth of calypso classics coming from recent finals. Although I didn’t find his song to be as witty as some claimed, Chalkdust still was head and shoulders above the rest last night. That in itself speaks more to the lacklustre field of contestants than it does to Chalkie’s songwriting prowess.
Hahaha. Touche Earl. I tend to agree with Scotty though. Not sure that I say that often. Haha. Kidding