New York-based Trinidadian soca artiste Yankey Boy has gone on a hunger strike as he hit out against having Jamaican dancehall superstar Vybz Kartel performing at a concert at Trinidad Carnival next year.
Yankey Boy says carnival should be a time for only Soca music and local culture. In photos shared on his Instagram, the artiste, whose real name is Kevon Heath, is seen with a placard covering his body.
It reads, “Since Vybz Kartel is set to perform Carnival Friday Feb 28, Yankey Boy Hunger Strike Day 1.”
The placard also says the strike will last until Kartel changes the date of his performance, suggesting Ash Wednesday on March 5, 2025. Yankey Boy also wore a blue beanie, and his mouth duct taped.
In another post he wrote, “There are 52 Fridays in a Year, pick another Date!! You people are killing SOCA and continuously making excuses.”
“CARNIVAL SUPPOSED TO BE ONLY SOCA, CALYPSO, CHUTNEY, STEEL PAN & TASSA,” he continued.
This is not the first time the Soca entertainer has voiced is disdain for dancehall being in Soca spaces. On September 2, he shared on his social media pages a video expressing his frustrations over masqueraders playing mas to dancehall and hip-hop music.
And on October 2, he released a song titled ‘Only Soca’ saying only genres native to Trinidad and Tobago should be played at carnivals in the diaspora. This sparked a debate among many stakeholders in the industry.
