Two titans of soca come together for one massive and motivational track.

by Jordan Darville -- FADER

Machel Montano and Bunji Garlin are two of soca's biggest stars and former rivals, so "Buss Head," their new collaborative single, is a tectonic event for the genre. The song hints at what may have brought them together: a love for the heritage of Trinidad & Tobago, specifically Kalinda, a centuries old martial art native to the country.


The video, premiering today on The FADER, is a fast-paced montage directed by Jerome Guiot. We follow a troubled youth who starts fights with his neighbours and acts out, before Montano and Garlin train him to channel the anger into Kalinda. "The 'Buss Head' video pays tribute to this rich history, while acknowledging the current state of violence facing our nation," Montano told The FADER over email. "Practicing a martial art, like Kalinda, allows one to channel and transform their energy and aggression into something positive, which promotes discipline, spirituality, and self-actualization."


Kalinda isn't just for sparring, though. It's been used to fend off colonialism once before, as Garlin told us: "The stick fighters ended up with the most important role, as in 1884 a British contingent tried to abolish Carnival in Trinidad, but they were defeated by the stick fighters. It translates into my story and your story and everyone's story, because we all have that battle to face to save something."

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  • Andre-Roger Dellevi, both these performers won Soul Train Awards, one would have taught they would have targeted the Global market where they could maximize sales. 

  • With all due respect to Machel and Bunji, I was hoping this collaboration target the global market with their music but with the lyric of this song one can see they went for the Local market, I wonder why?

    • Catering first for their "home base" supporters, maybe???

  • Bois!!! 

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