Soca Chronicles

2025 - Grenada's Year

• Sharnz and Arkayo

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A festive year-end wraps the biggest wins in Soca, from Grenada’s amazing year to V'ghn’s touring blueprint. We crown Muddy’s “Payroll” as Song of the Year and spotlight early 2026 anthems. We also unpack King Bubba’s rhythm reboot and share the best places to discover new tracks.

• Personal highlights from bookings, parties and the Nadia Batson interview
• Grenada’s surge with Muddy, Lil Kerry and Vaughn
• Rolling Stone list placement for “Payroll” at number 85
• Vaughn’s tour strategy and DJ AG’s street sessions
• Machel Montano’s Tiny Desk milestone
• Song of the Year selection for “Payroll”
• 2026 season picks: “Can You Bend” and “Rum and Coca-Cola”
• where to find new Soca mixes: Dei Musicale, DJ Jel and Close Connections
• Song of the Month: “Pull The Pin” on Monkey Business riddim and its backstory

Link to Dei Musicale's Soundcloud: click here

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@thearkayo
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www.socachronicles.com

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SPEAKER_03:

Welcome to the Soka Chronicles.

SPEAKER_07:

Soca Chronicles with Sharns and Arke Yo. Welcome to this very Christmassy episode 52 of Soka Chronicles, the podcast that brings you everything Soka. I'm Arkayo and I'm DCD sitting next to the one and only Sharns.

SPEAKER_01:

Yo Yo Yo Really Sharns?

SPEAKER_07:

You're gonna go with your plain old yo yo yo on the last day of this year, last episode of this year?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I couldn't think of another one.

SPEAKER_07:

Call that yeah. I do expect more creativity next year, man. Come on.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh 100%. I'm gonna have all my yo-yo yo's pre-planned.

SPEAKER_07:

I wanna see that fucking notebook, but yeah. But yeah, as I said, it is now what we call in the Netherlands second Christmas Day, or Boxing Day, as they call it in the UK. What what other what do other parts of the world call it? I don't know. It is a day after Christmas.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, but I think it's Boxing Day in a few other places around the world as well, to be honest. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah, and it is the last episode of 2025. So it is time to look back on some music on our highlight of 2025, isn't it, Sharms?

SPEAKER_01:

Mm-hmm. That is correct, Arkyo.

SPEAKER_07:

Well, I'm just gonna start right away. So, what is your highlight of this year?

SPEAKER_01:

My highlight of the year, I have a couple. Because 2025 has been good to me.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

For the most for the most part. For the most part. Um so one of my highlights for sure is the Antilianza Faester. As that was my debut in Belgium and my first ever fully all expenses paid booking. And also we got to meet and interview Nadia Batson. So overall, it was a fantastic experience for me. And uh, I hope it's not the last.

SPEAKER_07:

No, exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

So Taylor, if you're listening, I hope it's not the last.

SPEAKER_07:

See what I did there? It wasn't uh it wasn't able to be missed.

SPEAKER_01:

Um so that was one of my highlights. The second highlight is something that I hold very close to my chest. Well, I hold it close to my chest, but I let other people experience it as well. Yeah, it does, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_07:

It does.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyway, brawlin. Um 2025 was the inception of Brawlin.

SPEAKER_07:

True.

SPEAKER_01:

And the last one that we had, as I told you in the last episode, completely sold out. So yeah, I mean it's going from strength to strength, and I'm hoping for even bigger and better things for 2026. Hopefully, I can bring over an artist, you know. But yeah, watch this space, man.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah, for sure. That was amazing. And the one I visited was was amazing, so watch this space indeed.

SPEAKER_01:

There we go, you were at the inception.

SPEAKER_07:

Yep, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Trans setting.

SPEAKER_01:

So tell me, RKO, what was your highlight for 2025?

SPEAKER_07:

Well, I'm gonna be a bit boring and say Antoine's face as well. And for me, not so much that I make my debut as an international DJ, because I didn't, but I did really enjoy the interview with Nadia Batson. It was one of those moments that I didn't know it it could happen, but it happened quite organically as well. Yeah, but uh so yeah, that was definitely um one of my well, my highlight of 2025 for sure. And there is one thing I have to mention in that is a bit of an indirect link to Antianza Feesta. Because last episode I mentioned that Tano is Marshall Montano's brother. That is not correct. I was duped by the the the new demigods of ChatTPT and other AI things. I didn't do my research correctly.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep, fake news. You are here, spread in fake news.

SPEAKER_07:

But I have to say, the person that that that messaged me was Pella, organizer on the answer Facether. So appreciate that Pella, thank you very much, and keep yours sharp because uh we need to be.

SPEAKER_01:

There we go. So big up yourself one time, two time, three time, four time, five times!

SPEAKER_07:

For sure, for sure. But yeah, it wasn't just a good year for us, it was also a very good year for Soca. And I want to say one country and a couple of artists of the country in particular. Because boy, Grenada is the new top destination, I think, when it comes to Ahsoka.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, Grenada just absolutely demolished 2025 for sure.

SPEAKER_07:

And there's even like another big milestone for Grenada and one of the artists of Grenada. Because the Rolling Stones ranked the best 100 songs of on Earth for 2025. And there was a Ahsoka song in there.

SPEAKER_01:

Mm-hmm. The only one as well.

SPEAKER_07:

Mm-hmm. Indeed, yeah, yeah, yeah. Number 85.

SPEAKER_01:

Mm-hmm. RKO, do us the honors, put us out of our misery. The suspense is killing bang.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah, for sure. I'm gonna be calling this this song and this artist out a couple of times this artist because in was it June, July our episode? I already said this is my song of the month because this is gonna bang. I'm happy to say that I was indeed correct.

SPEAKER_01:

Mystic Meg.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah. Muddy with payroll. What? A big tune.

SPEAKER_01:

Big tune, big tune, brrrrrrr. I feel like we need like a jingle. That's like big tune, br, big tune, brrrr, big tune.

SPEAKER_07:

Say less. Say less. 2026 we have this thing. I I wanna replace it with actually the song of the month. We're not gonna have song of the month, we're gonna have big tune br.

SPEAKER_01:

No, I really like the song of the month. This is the song of the month!

SPEAKER_07:

Okay, we'll just, you know, once then the song is played, I'm just gonna put in the new jingle then. Yeah, big tune. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

That can that can work, yeah.

SPEAKER_07:

That can work, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So yeah, Marty did a great job uh on payroll, but he was not the only Grenada uh Grenadian artist that like blew up the roof of the Soka Worlds this year because we had uh Bariol, Lil Carrie, huge, and we had jab decisions. Huge.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, yes, Vaughn absolutely smashed it this year, and he's also doing a jab decisions tour. Well, he's already started it. He did I think he's done he's done New New York already. He did that in collaboration with Kevin Crown, I believe.

SPEAKER_07:

Oh no.

SPEAKER_01:

Um he's done I think Toronto he's done already. I think maybe, or it's sold out or something. Because he's he's um he's added another show in Toronto I think on today, actually. Yeah, Boxing Day, yeah, yeah, I think, if I'm not mistaken. But yeah, so his tour is gonna reach the UK, um, and then obviously it's going to end in Grenada, of course. But I mean exactly, but what artists, what soaker artists should I say, do you know that actually go on tour?

SPEAKER_07:

This is what I mean. Yeah, I mean, besides the Marcio Montanos and uh you know, yeah, and even Marshall Montano. I mean he he visitors places, he he performs in in other countries, but a tour.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so a big uh Vaughn, because obviously this is doing a lot to raise his profile, and then of course, um uh DJ AG from London. So if you don't know who DJ AG is, he goes around the streets of London and he invites the artists down or you know, people who just want to perform or whatever. Um, and a lot of uh very famous artists have been on there. So Vaughan has actually been on there twice, um, and then he will take like a snippet of the performance, he'll put it on his um IG, he'll also tag the artist as well, so that can help to build the artist's profile. So Vaughan is doing a lot, and he will continue to go places if he keeps this up. And I feel like a lot of Soka artists need to take a note. You know what I mean? So yeah.

SPEAKER_07:

Absolutely. But yeah, that was just Grenada. We didn't even discuss, you know, all the other things that were going on this year. Uh it's not been a bad year for Ahsoka. Uh I say it every year probably. But one of the other things that stood out was I think Tiny Desk, Marshall Montano. That was a milestone as well.

SPEAKER_01:

For sure. For sure. The first ever Soka artist to be featured on Tiny Desk.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. And it was a vibe as well.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, 100%. I thoroughly enjoyed that. Thoroughly enjoyed it. So yeah, it's been a big year for Soka, man.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah, 100%. But then when it comes to our song of the year, pick. Now I'm not sure if I need a drum roll here, but I definitely need a payroll.

SPEAKER_01:

No, that was terrible. That was terrible. It's the best I can do.

SPEAKER_07:

It's the best I can do.

SPEAKER_01:

Nah, that was so bad. Oh my god. No, no, you need to do better in 2026. Honestly, oh gosh. I'll find help. It's just gonna get worse in 2026, I think.

SPEAKER_07:

I don't know if it's gonna get better. Because uh there's gonna be more dead jokes, I'm afraid, in 2026. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

Double trouble, mate. Double trouble.

SPEAKER_07:

Indeed. But yeah, coming back to Song of the Year, we have to give this to Muddy with payroll. Of course.

SPEAKER_01:

Of course.

SPEAKER_07:

Who else at this point?

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly.

SPEAKER_07:

And we should definitely listen to it one more time if you knew. I mean, obviously, people heard of it. But we're just gonna play it one more time for the sake of playing the song of the year for Soka Chronicles.

SPEAKER_01:

Let's go, please. Let's go.

SPEAKER_07:

Because as some people know, 2026 in Soka World starts at around what October? September sometimes?

SPEAKER_01:

September ish, yeah.

SPEAKER_07:

So don't ask me why, but I guess it has to do with carnival seasons and I mean Miami clearly doesn't count, that in that matter. But uh yeah, so 2026 season has started already, is in a full effect at the moment, and there is mad tunes coming out. So we're gonna talk 2026 okay.

SPEAKER_01:

I think so.

SPEAKER_07:

You guys start a chance, because I know you have a favorite.

SPEAKER_01:

Of course I have a favorite RKO. Come on. It's like saying chance. Are you a girl? Duh! I am what the hell?

SPEAKER_07:

Your favorite song. Let's go.

SPEAKER_01:

My favorite song for 2026 so far. It's a song that absolutely got rinsed out in um Miami Carnival, and for a good reason, because it's an absolute bung. And if you've listened to previous episodes, you'll probably have an idea of what song I'm talking about. So, the song, my favorite 2026 song so far. Obviously, there are a lot to choose from, but this one, you know, I I really felt it. So, my favourite 2026 song so far is Can You Bend by Skinny Fabulous, Travis World, and Surah.

SPEAKER_07:

Big tune. This is where the jingle needs to go, right there.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, there we go.

SPEAKER_07:

Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that's where it needs to go. Yep. Can we give it a listen?

SPEAKER_07:

Yes, please. Let's go.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, let's go. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

And you fell in money.

SPEAKER_01:

And that was Can You Bend? Now I just remembered it. Was actually our song of the month a couple of months ago. It was. How could I even forget? So if you are an avid, loyal listener, you would know that song already. So big up you. Big up you for listening to us and you know rocking with us for 2025. Anyway, enough about me and enough of hearing my voice. RKO, what is your favourite 2026 song so far? Tell me.

SPEAKER_07:

But it's a difficult choice, I'm not gonna lie, because these mixes. So, first of all, I'm just gonna give a little bit of background of myself. I hardly listen these days to Spotify anymore. I don't listen to loose songs, I only listen to mixtaves because that's my go-to way to absorb all this new soca. I follow a couple of uh artists on uh SoundCloud. Whenever they drop a new mix, I'm talking DJ Gel, I'm talking uh Close Connections, there's a bunch of them. As soon as they drop something, I listen to it. Maybe once, maybe twice, if it's good a couple of times. But this is how I learn all this new music. So obviously there's many favorites at the moment, but if I have to give my current favorite of 2026, it's you know, I'm still in groovy because preseason is always a bit more groovy than it is uh can you bend energy? For me, it's gonna go to Cass with ROM and Coca-Cola.

SPEAKER_01:

Nice.

SPEAKER_07:

I like I like Cass and you know don't change the winning team. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, fair enough.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah, should we have a listen to that one as well?

SPEAKER_01:

I think we should.

SPEAKER_07:

So let's go.

SPEAKER_02:

It's a colour in this place. She's saying we take a look at the colour. Just one more before I go. It was rum and coca-cola.

SPEAKER_07:

That was cast with rum and coca-cola as groovy as it can be.

SPEAKER_01:

There we go. But just to follow on from you mentioning a couple of mixes that you listen to to, you know, keep up to date with the 2026 soca. I have to give an honorary mention to Jay Lava from Dei Musicale. Because he literally drops a mix every single month with the new soca. So he calls it sweet and duty. I think it's sweet and duty so car.

SPEAKER_07:

I think it's every Monday, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, it's once a month.

SPEAKER_07:

Are you sure?

SPEAKER_01:

Maybe what the Monday? Yeah, because he's got sweet and dirty soaker um December. I've listened to the December one, I've listened to November one. He actually puts the month in the title as well. So it'll be I think I've listened from September to be honest. So September, October, November, December. So from what I've seen anyway.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah, but he used to do it on a mixtape Monday type of thing. Ah, sweet and dirty Ah, August 2025, mixed date Monday, for example.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. But obviously, with this 2026 soaker, which kind of started from around September time. Yeah. So he's been doing it monthly for that. Just for the 2026 soaker though.

SPEAKER_06:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, and that has actually helped me to learn some of the new soca. And he also has a uh track list in the description, which is fantastic. So check that out. Dei Musicale on SoundCloud if you want to be up to date with the new soaker. Obviously, the power stuff isn't there, but it's I believe it's just Groovy he's been doing, if I'm not mistaken.

SPEAKER_07:

He's doing okay. I'm gonna I'm gonna blow your mind here. Because I'm checking it live as well. But he is doing a weekly mixtape uh of all kinds of genres. So he did uh he does Sweet and Duty as a regular, but he does Soka Densel. He does um he actually did Pering as well a couple of uh weeks ago. So yeah, he's doing a weekly mixtape already for 335 weeks, apparently.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, nice. So he's doing that on top of the the monthly 2026 circa one. Jesus, he's busy.

SPEAKER_07:

Yep, so uh we're gonna link his uh Di Musicale link to the episode details.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I think that would help for sure.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah, for sure. No, it was a good good shout out for sure.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, definitely, definitely. You know, we have to give flowers where flowers are due and help the listeners to, you know, appear on soaker. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_07:

Exactly, but the this time it's difficult to get around it because it's everywhere, so luckily it Oh yeah, the show is very far.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, no, for sure. For sure. But should we move on to our song of the month RGA?

SPEAKER_07:

That is the last thing to discuss. This one. This one will be a short one as well. We are talking about music only. 2026 will be again full of interviews. But yeah, I think we should talk about Song of the Month.

SPEAKER_03:

This is the Song of the Month.

SPEAKER_01:

This month's Song of the Month, we have chosen a song called Pull the Pin by Mashell Montano, Skinny Fabulous, Lil Natty, and Thunder.

SPEAKER_07:

Big names.

SPEAKER_01:

And this is on, yeah, man, big names. This is on a rhythm called Monkey Business Rhythm. So before we discuss that rhythm, because there are some things that I need to mention, I think we should have a listen.

SPEAKER_07:

Let's go. And for the hardcore Soka fans in our crowd, in our group of listeners, you might have already noticed us this rhythm sounds a bit familiar.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, it sure does. And I'm going to explain why.

SPEAKER_07:

Why, Sharms?

SPEAKER_01:

Right, so this rhythm is by King Bubba and Dangerous. Okay, so two very prominent producers in Barbados.

SPEAKER_07:

Barbados.

unknown:

Sorry.

SPEAKER_07:

Excuse me. Sorry. I shouldn't have done that. My apologies.

SPEAKER_01:

Honestly, Arkyo, when you do that accident, it kills you every time. And I don't know why. I should be used to it by now. It doesn't just kill you every time.

SPEAKER_07:

But yeah, moving on.

SPEAKER_01:

Anyway, moving on swiftly. King Bubba released this rhythm. He released the monkey shoulder rhythm last year. Okay. Um, which is basically this rhythm, but kind of a little bit different.

SPEAKER_07:

Oh really?

SPEAKER_01:

But the rhythm yeah, yeah, but the rhythm didn't really go anywhere. You know? So then he remade it and released it again this year. But again, the rhythm didn't go anywhere.

SPEAKER_06:

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01:

So now I'm seeing that he's now made the monkey business rhythm, which is just the rhythm remade again, but it still sounds the same, but just slightly different. But then the song that he had on the monkey shoulder rhythm, which was released in 2024, he's actually just put that that song on this new monkey business rhythm. So the song's called Unruly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So um I think his logic behind it is maybe it's a rhythm that he truly believes can go far.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And obviously it didn't go anywhere. So he re-released it again, didn't go anywhere. So now he's kind of gone back to draw and board and thought, hmm, how can I make this rhythm big?

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah, by Russia Modana, Skinny Fabulous, and Lil Natty and Thunder. Yeah, fair.

SPEAKER_01:

There we go. So you find the the goat of Soakar, put him on there, Skinny Fabulous, a massive name from Vinci, throw him on there. Lil Natty and Funda, who are you know Grenaders finists, throw them on there. So um yeah, and he's just re-released it in time for Trinidad Carnival. So let's see where this goes.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah, makes sense. Let's see. Because it does. I I don't know what to think of it. It kind of feels a bit easy, like simple to do it. But I do understand if he believes that also his song, but also the rhythm, like it it needs something, but it needs a bit more tweaking. I mean, yeah, fair play, try it, see what happens. Um it's not a bad song, pull the pin, it's song of the month. So you know it's uh it it worked one way or another.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, there we go.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah, interesting. So we're interested in your thoughts as well, guys. So if you have an opinion about uh monkey shoulder rhythm, monkey brain rhythm, or the latest monkey business rhythm, yeah, let us know. It is time to move on to the last couple of minutes of this episode and the last episode of 2025. It is time to say bye-bye. Is there anything else that we should have mentioned?

SPEAKER_01:

Um, just the fact that I hope you all had a great Christmas and I'm wishing you all an amazing new year. So all the best for 2026. And we will be back in January.

SPEAKER_07:

100%. And before we go, we'll listen one last time to our dear friend Super Nitro.

SPEAKER_00:

Make sure you check out Silicon Chronicles, tag a friend, tell a friend, share the podcast, let people know that this exists because it's good for the culture, it's good for the vibe, it's good for the energy, it's educational, it's fun, it's funny, it's plantiful, and it's good for you to just know a little bit about the people that's making your music and the people that you're involved with listening to.

SPEAKER_07:

And with that out of the way, have a great second day of Christmas or Boxing Day. Be careful with new year and all the fireworks, and we will see you end of January again.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, please. So take care of yourselves and each other, and we will be back next month. Bye!

SPEAKER_03:

Bye bye. You've been listening to the Soka Chronicles Chronicles.

Contributor

Arkayo

Host
Contributor

Sharnz

Host