Soca Rumble: Adrian 'AC' Clarke Aims for Major Prize in 2025 Competition

Calypso Monarch Adrian “AC” Clarke is determined to stage the Soca Rumble competition, which he said would feature “the biggest prize”.

After officially receiving his prize for winning this year’s Courtesy Garage Pic O De Crop, a 2024 Nissan X-trial e-Power, at Courtesy Garage, Wildey, St Michael, Clarke said he was going to do all he could to ensure the Soca Rumble was coming for 2025.

“In my book, it’s going to be happening. So, we’re going to be going back to what was getting started in 2023 [with the Soca Rumble] and we can definitely make it happen for

Crop Over 2025. It will have one of the biggest prizes ever for whoever wins that competition,” he said.

The Soca Rumble was going to replace the Soca Monarch competition, last held in 2022. In 2023, the show was cancelled with chief executive officer of the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) Carol Roberts saying “A thriving industry cannot be realised by seasonal offerings and songs written for competition.”

She said the NCF and the relevant stakeholders agreed the competition no longer benefited soca artistes pursuing a sustainable livelihood.

Clarke then sought to organise the inaugural Soca Rumble, but those plans fell through when the Prime Minister announced Barbados would be celebrating CARICOM Day with a free concert at the same time the rumble was scheduled. It was supposed to be rescheduled for this year but again, scheduling conflicts as well as a lack of funding prevented it.

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Clarke said he was going to fight to make the rumble a reality next year.

“We’re going to make sure we definitely make it happen for 2025. So, I’ll be out there making myself a pest to corporate Barbados because if you really want to see this show happen, you’ve got to get some [financial] support . . . and we can discuss where people can get returns on their investments et cetera. I’m quite sure if I speak to the NCF, they’re going to come on board too, you never know. The thing is, it will be a new situation for everybody,” he said.

The veteran entertainer said he would also love to see the resurrection of Cohobblopot, or something similar.

“It would be good to see the Cohobblopot style event happen again where we had those more hands-on creators, the ones creating the costumes, the bands, The Kings and Queens [of the bands], et cetera. We used to have that at Cohobblopot so, it would be good to see that come back again.

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“People in my age group and the ones a little older, we definitely know what that’s about and would look forward to seeing that sort of thing because it always culminated with bands and artistes performing, which is mainly what we are looking forward to,” he said.

As for the Crop Over festival this year, the calypso monarch said “nothing is perfect” and “you can’t please everyone” but gave it a thumbs up overall.

“You don’t really worry when you hear people criticise because the shoe is not on their foot. They’re just there watching on. To put on a festival is a huge thing and when you look at the personnel that you have to work with, it is a small group but they do a wonderful job. Nothing is perfect, I don’t expect anything to be perfect but as far as I’m concerned, you take the critiques and you work with them,” he said.

Clarke said Soca 5.0 was a huge success, the best event for Crop Over this year. He said, despite the invited artistes, which included Machel Montano, people still came to see the local talent and were proud to see them perform, adding the stage was set for big things in 2025.

(CA)