It's his season. No matter where he goes, he knows that this is where it all begins. With four releases already pounding the streets from CD vendor to corner store, there's no denying that Bunji has his eyes set on the season of which he plays an integral role. Chooses to conduct our interview alone, he immediately makes it clear that–as it relates to his wife Fay-Ann and himself–it's not a two for one special. There's no arrogance, no anger, no bitterness in his voice, he's simply plain talk with no trimming.
For years, he's been perceived as that dark spirit among the bright and shining stars. His ragga-Soca style has made him a favourite with the youth of the lower socio-economic stratum, but according to Bunji himself, he's been dogged time and time again by critics who disagree with his musical approach. "You can do so many other things with soca besides jump, wave and wine," he says. His track, Mad Carnival, has been receiving loads of airplay in recent weeks. Riding the Gutter Riddum, the track, as he explains, gives a mouthful of lyrics at a pace that seems a mile a minute. "I ready for de people who'll knock me for it. People not open minded enough–they don't accept soca for what it could be.
"They did it to Ras Shorty I, so who am I?" Another track, Who You Rather, which speaks of the "Gaza and Gully" issue (the trend among youths toward a warring mentality), is also quite a mouthful. Calling on people to actually listen to the lyrics before judging its message, the former Soca Monarch King says the song isn't proliferating the current gang-feuding jargon, but it highlights the fact that this is T&T and our people will love each other, regardless. He says the topic is current and it is affecting the youth. " Whether we talk about it in song or not, it exists. I refuse to duck from it." Other songs already out for C2K10, include the Madmen produced, No Borrow on the picture frame riddum and the old school vibe of Call Me, a collaborative hit sung by Bunji and Fay-Ann.
I Am...
With six tracks yet to be released for the upcoming season, a ten-track album called I Am, will follow. "I am what I am; I am who I am and I cannot change that," he asserts. In 2009, Bunji says he got some pressure from promoters who called on him to change his style so he could be accepted in other markets. "I seriously asked them if they had ever asked certain other artistes to change their styles to suit the markets they were talking about, and they told me no." He explained, a dark character is a mystical part of Trini carnival, much like the midnight robber, the jab-jab and even calypsonian Shadow.
"People get carried away with on-stage portrayals." "They think if I portray a dark character on stage, I'll be walking around with a knife in my pocket–but it's not so." "Person to person, I am very cool. I like to laugh and joke a lot but not everybody is to smile with." Bunji says that like his wife, he is very quick to answer back, especially to people who step out of line with their remarks. Referring to Fay-Ann's statements in a recent interview, "Even Christ, who died for our sins, was hated and ridiculed, so who am I?" He says despite frowns of disapproval, he will persevere and he will do so by being himself.
Controversy sparks change
Bunji says a misunderstanding between his camp and well-known producer, Darryl Braxton, following Carnival 2009, has had him a bit perturbed in recent weeks. He says his name has been called with relation to a negative situation–one that he does not like. Despite this though, Bunji, who assures his camp did nothing to prompt the situation and in fact acted professionally from the beginning, says he has a bigger mission. "I will be remembered for fixing the destruction or corruption or pollution within this soca industry–that is what my aim is right now." With a lot of special changes planned for the Asylum band, which Bunji says will add shock value to the season, he's ready. More than that, Bunji Garlin is eager to be–just Bunji!
