Stiffy proudly poses with his winning trophy after being named winner of the Bashment Soca
competition for the second consecutive year.
Shane “Stiffy” Atkinson successfully defended his Bashment Soca crown on Friday night in a keenly contested competition held at the Kensington Oval.
The five-hour event, dubbed Phenomenal Friday, saw three competitions arguably for the prize of one, starting with the semi-finals of the Party Monarch Competition, followed by the Bashment Soca finals and ending with the Sweet Soca semi-finals. The last performer left the stage at 4:15 am.
Stiffy, who won the inaugural competition with Tek Off Something last year, dismantled his competition with his popular Tip and Ben Over and walked away with the $50 000 grand prize, a fitting birthday gift for the consummate performer. He said it was a team effort as he called out his Star Quality Entertainment family for their support and revealed his winnings will go towards his mortgage.
The competition was fierce, with arguably his closest competitor Scrilla bringing out all the stops to capture the crown. His fans were waving large flags and could be heard chanting “Wood Wood” even throughout Stiffy’s performance. Some of these flags unfortunately became missiles when the results were announced. At least two party-goers could be seen kicking the fence separating the general audience from the VIP/artists section at the front, loudly voicing their disapproval with the night’s outcome.
The night saw artists pulling out all the stops with Lady Essence and the Fluffy Gal Anthem, which showcased the flexibility of her BIG (Beautiful Intelligent and Gorgeous) dancers, some of whom did cartwheels, head-stands and splits to the delight of the audience.
Coopa Dan & Rhea were also well received by the crowd, essentially re-enacting the Suicide Squad’s Harley Quinn’s jail scene, where he noted that she is Bare Trouble.
Stabby brought energy to the stage with Wukkist, pulling a few punches on fellow competitor Lady Essence. Snap Brandy’s popular Ben Ova and Ride, though solid was overshadowed by his outstanding dancers including the lead dancer who brought him on stage on the back of her motorbike.
Hardware also gave a solid performance even adding in a bit of spouge to his Pop Down song, but fell short while attempting to take some jabs at his competitors.
Marzville also came competition-ready with his Gas It Up. Arriving on stage on an ATV in a hail of fireworks, with drummers, male and female dancers. However he seemingly didn’t spend a lot of time on stage actually performing the song,which might have contributed to his downfall.
The finalists for the Sweet Soca Competition coming up against defending monarch Edwin Yearwood at Bushy Park are: Marvay – Antidote, Lil Rick- Blessing, Marzville- Give It To Ya, Nikita – Carry Festival, Red Plastic Bag- Boat Ride, Sanctuary – Pick Me Up, Shaquille- Collateral, TC- Paradise. The reserve is Fadda Fox with Good Ole Days.
The Party Monarch Finalists heading to Soca Royale to face defending monarch Lil Rick are: Faith- Run It, Mikey- Feting & Brass, Mistah Dale- Soca Famaleez, Mr. Blood- Leggo, Peter Ram- Upside Down, Rameses Brown- Fowl Cock, Ras Iley & Grynner- D 2 Ah We and Saffiyah – Tun Up. The reserve is Kirk Brown with Shake. (JH)