Governor General Sir Elliott Belgrave yesterday reminded the students of the St Bernard’s Primary that their beginning did not have to determine their end. Making the latest stop in his primary school tour, the Governor General told the students that he too came from humble beginnings, but said he was determined to make something of himself. […]
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GG touched
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Double Drive
Popular producers Red Boyz celebrated their tenth anniversary in fine style last Saturday night with their Soca Ignition concert, featuring several popular Barbadian and Trinidadian soca artistes who have worked with the musical duo of Scott Galt and Mike Hulsmeier to produce many a hit song over the past decade. Well past the scheduled 9 […]
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Khalil gets his 11-plus exam wish
Khalil Vanderpool-Nurse could not contain his excitement upon hearing the news that he would be attending his school of choice, Queen’s College, this September. In fact, there were not enough adjectives to describe his feeling about receiving a perfect score in Mathematics. Smiling from ear to ear, as he celebrated with his parents Tricia Vanderpool […]
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Jayden has football plans
Jayden Greenidge is small in stature, but has the heart of a lion. The nine-year-old of St Cyprians Boy’s was one of the youngest students to sit this year’s Common Entrance Examination, commonly known as the 11-plus. However, Greenidge, who turns ten on September 5, wrote the exam two years in advance and has realized […]
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From Hypasounds fans with love
Last year, he knew exactly how the ladies liked it, and left them with a Sugar Rush. This year, “The Kid” is Bam Bam Back! Staying true to form, Hypasounds officially began his season with an interview with Bajan Vibes, bringing everyone up to speed on his plans for the season. However, first he reflected […]
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What violence?
The Ministry of Education’s position on student-on-teacher violence became murkier today with Minister of Education Ronald Jones stating he was unaware of the latest reports of violence. Jones told reporters covering the Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) lunchtime lecture he would not comment on the issue because he had received no official reports of attacks by […]
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Impressive juniors
The Junior Monarch semifinalists thoroughly impressed last night during the first staging of their tent held at the Lester Vaughn Secondary School. Singers in both the 8-12 and 13-18 categories pulled out all the stops giving patrons more than they paid for. The crowd loved it so much they kept calling for encores but were […]
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‘Our greatest’
The late Dr Oscar Wendell Jordan was today compared to former boxing great Muhammad Ali, who died just hours before the noted Barbadian physician on June 4. Tears flowed freely as members of the medical fraternity, family friends and loved ones gathered at the Coral Ridge Memorial Gardens to bid farewell to one of Barbados’ […]
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Experience knocks soca song ‘slackness´
Members of The Experience Calypso Tent are concerned about the level of slackness being promoted across the country via some of the bashment soca songs in their content and videos. Speaking yesterday during the launch of their tent at Ball Park in Christ Church, some of the artistes in the lone gospel calypso tent expressed […]
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2016 Sweet Soca and Party Monarch finalists
The semifinalists in the Sweet Soca and Party Monarch competitions have been announced. At a press conference at the West Terrace office of the National Cultural Foundation, corporate communications specialist Simone Codrington announced those calypsonians who will compete for a spot in the finals at Bushy Park. The semifinalists in the Sweet Soca competition are […]
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Tears of joy
Barbados’ newest centenarian Inez Verona Miller was overwhelmed with gratitude today as she celebrated her 100th birthday. As acting Governor General Sir Philip Greaves paid a visit in recognition of the milestone, the former Pipers Avenue, Bayville, St Michael resident bowed her head and shed tears of joy and gratitude. Miller told Sir Philip: “God […]
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Dad and daughter duo on semis list
A newcomer and a father-daughter duo are among the list of those headed to the Sweet Soca and Party Monarch semi-finals at Kensington Oval come July 1. Those performers who would who be competing for a spot in the final were announced last night at the National Cultural Foundation in West Terrace, St James. Adrian […]
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Excellent opening night Experience!
They promised a night of wholesome calypso and something for the entire family to enjoy. Last Saturday, night The Experience Tent delivered just that when it opened for the season at Ball Park in Christ Church. Most attendees, leaving contented, were overheard saying what an excellent experience it was. Two-time Pic-O-De-Crop semi-finalist Billboard was the […]
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A Junior battle royal come July 2
It will be a battle royal for a spot in the finals of the 13-18 category when the Junior Monarch Semi-Finals come off on July 2. The fun part concluded last night at Combermere School with the second staging of their two tents. The older in the Junior competition presented competition-ready material last night, whetting […]
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Tight Tight Tight
Three first time finalists, Joaquin, Marvay, and Nikita, are among those heading to Bushy Park, St Philip in the hope of dethroning reigning monarch Edwin Yearwood in the Sweet Soca competition come July 24th. Those three gave excellent performances of their popular 2016 tunes, This Place, Know The Face, and Bun It Up, respectively. So it came as no surprise when their names were announced among the finalists early last Saturday morning at Kensington Oval. For the first time in a long time, it’s almost impossible to identify the front-runners in that competition. Joaquin, who is still at a loss for words, told Bajan Vibes he’s still trying to process the information. “It’s a really great feeling. I still can’t explain it. I was shocked when my name was called, but I know I went out there and did my best, so I am glad I made it. Right now I am focused on getting my presentation together so I can put on a great show at Bushy Park,” Joaquin said. Two former Sweet Soca monarchs, Mikey and Biggie Irie, are also in the line up for the battle royale. Mikey, singing CEO, and Biggie Irie singing, Money Well Spent, are both masters of their craft, and will be sure to put down good performances. Mikey, who is also a finalist in the Party Monarch competition, said he’s glad to the heading to Bushy Park again. “I’m feeling very excited. I think both competitions will be tight and it will come down to performance on the day,” he said. Mistah Dale, no stranger to the stage at Soca Royale, will be taking part in both competitions as well. Veteran calypsonian Adrian Clarke proved once again he was good enough to compete against the younger ones, booking himself a spot in the final. He said, “I am going to go and have fun and hopefully make the best of my chances.” Reigning Party Monarch Peter Ram is also among the contenders for the Sweet Soca crown with arguably one of the most popular songs, Crop Over Good Morning. Ram, a seasoned performer, always brings energy and fun to the stage. His performance will be a highly anticipated one at Bushy Park. Overall, the Sweet Soca competition is definitely not to be missed. Not only does it promise to be fierce, but filled with sweet vocals and explosive performances. In the Party Monarch segment of last Friday night’s semis, competition was not as keen. In fact, many seem to be losing interest in the once popular type of music. Therefore, it’s anyone’s guess who will be the eventual winner in this category. Nonetheless, veteran Lil Rick is definitely a strong contender for the crown, bringing back memories of the East Coast days with his song Iza Bajan. Many will be curious to see the presentation for this song at Soca Royale, especially since the Hypa Dawg is always full of surprises. Sweet Soca monarch Edwin Yearwood is also sure to give a quality, high-energy performance whenever he is on stage, so too iWeb singing Wuk Up and Rum. He opted not to participate in the Sweet Soca competition this year, saving his popular tune Big Up for the Pic-O-De-Crop competition. They aren’t any newcomers to the stage, but newcomers to the competition. After performing around the world, Leadpipe and Saddis have booked themselves a spot on the Party Monarch finals stage for the first time and are over the moon about it. “Making it to the finals of the Party Monarch in Barbados 2016 for the first time feels amazing. We are going to make a fete up at Bushy Park, and make the whole place rock. If cars race up there, we are going to race up there too. We will make it happen,” Leadpipe said on the behalf of the dynamic duo. Mr. Blood, a perennial finalist, and former Party Monarch, predicts that it will be an exciting final, contrary to popular belief. “Feels good to be selected. I think it will be an interesting final and much more exciting than people anticipate. A lot of focus has been given to the slower tunes, but we have some good party songs, and I think my chances of winning are great. Expect the best from me on that day,” Mr. Blood said. TC is the lone female in the Party Monarch final. The finalists will draw for their positions on Friday during CBC’s Festival Stage programme. Good luck to all! The full list of the Sweet Soca and Party Monarch finalists are: Sweet Soca: Adrian Clarke, Biggie Irie, Joaquin, Marvay, Mikey, Mr Dale, Nikita and Peter Ram. Yannick Hooper as the reserve. Party Monarch: Edwin Yearwood, iWeb, Leadpipe and Saddis, Lil Rick, Mikey, Mr Dale, Mr Blood and TC. King Bubba as the reserve.
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Going for crown
Will Browne Star the lone male in the eight to 12 category take the crown this year? Will Sanshe take the crown in her first official year in the competition? Or will Raheem, in the 13-18 category, be able to redeem himself after forgetting his lyrics in last year’s final? Will Dynamo and Ranaan cop […]
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Browne Star first out
The 16 finalists in the Junior Monarch competition were today lauded for their hard work and commitment to the Scotiabank-sponsored event. The Bank’s Senior Marketing Manager Lisa Cole congratulated the finalists on a job well done throughout the season. “The standard gets higher every year and you need to be congratulated for making it to […]
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Crop Over comes to Speightstown
Efforts to revitalize Speightstown continued today with the annual Speightstown Market and Pan around de town. A staple on the Crop Over calendar, the event attracted vendors of craft, plants and food among many others. However, during the early parts of the morning into the afternoon, the atmosphere was quite low-key, much more so than […]
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Truly ‘pantastic’
It is one of the most highly anticipated weekends on the Crop Over calendar. And from attendance alone, the cultural happenings of last Friday right through to Sunday were truly ‘pantastic’. Hundreds of pan lovers turned out for a delightful weekend of sweet pan music, which began with Pan Fusion at the Prime Minister’s official […]
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Tears for Rianndo
Rianndo Phillips would have celebrated her 16th birthday Tuesday. However, instead of the big birthday bash she was anxiously anticipating, her family was tonight holding a vigil in her memory after her untimely death last week. The atmosphere was sombre as family members and friends decked in blue shirts – Rianndo’s favourite colour – gathered […]
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