Makin’ a statement has always been the musical mission for rapso collective 3canal. Since their debut in 1997 with the classic song Blue, 3canal’s musical statements have been flavoured with commentary—social and political. From Salt to Talk Yuh Talk to Ben Lion, 3canal’s music has been known for picong and satire peppered with plenty fire and righteous ire.
In 2025, it’s no different. However, now shorn of the responsibilities of bringing out a J’Ouvert band, Wendell Manwarren, Roger Roberts and Stanton Kewley are now most keenly focused on the music.
This year, 3canal has released Rapso To Kaiso, an EP featuring four songs—Where We Going?, Answer The Call, Fightin’ and Sedition. These songs, along with others from their deep and extensive catalogue will be presented at the 21st edition of their annual show. The 3canal Kaiso Show takes place from February 22 to 25 from 7 pm nightly at the Winifred Atwell Auditorium, Queen’s Hall.
3canal lead vocalist Wendell Manwarren said situating the concert within the context of kaiso is an intentional choice by 3canal as they are keen to illustrate rapso’s connection to the ‘mother music’ of Trinidad and Tobago.
“Calypso is at the root, from the griot to the chantuelle to the calypsonian, to the rapso man and the singers of soca in it’s many iterations, from Trinibad to zess, the tradition lives on, from generation to generation, constantly embracing innovation.
“It’s very deliberate, the idea of using kaiso as opposed to calypso. We’re not calypsonians, we’re not getting into all the politics of genre-fication and what genre you represent. I say, as Trinidadians, we are born kaisonians and it just so happens that we come up through rapso. We use the power of the word and rhythm of the word, perpetrating the oral tradition.”
Manwarren pointed to a strong old time kaiso influence on their spicy release Sedition, a song inspired by an article written by Independent senator Sunity Maharaj titled, A Law In Search of a Crime, which she wrote in 2024 after the arrest of Canadian social media influencer Chris Must List on sedition charges.
Sedition references the melody of and makes a play on lyrics from King Radio’s 1930s classic Warning To Rich and Poor also known as Sedition Law.
The 3canal Carnival show has been usually defined by a large cast of dancers and performers with what Manwarren refers to as a “big, driving machine sound”, however this year, the group will be paring down and taking the machine out of the music in order to achieve the texture of a kaiso orchestra like those that played in the best tents back in the day.
As a result this production will feature a new incarnation of the their traditional backing unit The Cut + Clear Crew, now rechristened The Cut + Clear Kaiso Crew. The band is led by musical director and keyboardist Simon Mendoza with guitarists Dean Williams and Kiwan Landreth-Smith, bassist Joanna Husein, drummer Nick Thomas, percussionist Tamba Gwindi and a brass section that consists of Barry Homer on trumpet, Kensa Paul on trombone and Tony Paul on sax.
They will also be supported this year by their newly expanded group of back up singers called The Pooyahs featuring Diedre Ryan, David Williams, Mandisa Granderson, Dominique Doyle Samlalsingh and Abeo Jackson along with Kimmy Stoute-Robinson as MC.
In preparation for The 3canal Kaiso Show, the group has been hosting the popular Backyard Jam every Friday at their headquarters, The Big Black on Murray Street, Woodbrook. The final one takes place today.
Join 3canal as they pay tribute to the many pioneers and creators and innovators of this most unique and enduring and ever evolving art-form. As rapso pioneer Brother Resistance once said, “From rapso to kaiso, swing the thing!”
Tickets for The 3canal Kaiso Show which runs from February 22 to 25 are on sale on Island Etickets and at the Queen’s Hall Box Office.