Men and women from West Africa and other parts of the continent were brought to the island of Trinidad in the 17th century during the beginning era of the transatlantic slave trade. These people were forced into slavery and many of them came from different ethnic groups and were unfamiliar with each others' languages. As they worked in the sugar cane fields, the slaves developed a music of their own called calypso.
Calypso music began as a means to communicate and also as a way to mock slave masters without them knowing. The creativity and ingenuity of calypso can still be heard today. Over time, a melting pot of culture, rhythms and sounds blended to make modern calypso. Trinidad was first owned by the Spanish, then later the French and then the British, which illustrates the diverse languages and cultures that blended with the West African sounds to make calypso music. Modern calypso still pokes fun at current events; this is related to how the slaves used the music to mock their masters. Certain songs are light and jovial, while others are used as a political statement. According to Carib Planet, calypso has traditionally been the voice of the people and their social concerns.
Calypso is a parent to many types of Caribbean music--soca, reggae and rapso all find their roots in calypso. Soca originated in Trinidad by a native Indian/black man who called himself Lord Shorty. In the 1970s, Trinidad's Indian influence was apparent and Lord Shorty became famous in the calypso circuit when he added Indian rhythms and musical sounds to the historically African beats. He called this new sound soca. Additionally, Jamaican reggae was heavily influenced by calypso beats and rapso, a type of spoken-word poetry, was also inspired by calypso.
Several calypso artists gained worldwide notoriety within the Caribbean music scene beginning in the 1960s. Mostly a male-dominated music genre, such legends as Lord Executor, Lord Pretender and The Growling Tiger made best-selling calypso albums. In the '60s, there was one woman who competed equally with her male counterparts: the "Queen of Calypso." Calypso Rose has won numerous awards for her calypso music. According to Carib Planet, Calypso Rose created a song called "Fire In Me Wire" in 1996 that is considered one of the anthems of calypso music.
To experience calypso music in its full flavor, consider visiting Trinidad & Tobago. If taking a journey to the beautiful island is not possible at this time, there are many Caribbean festivals throughout North America that honor calypso music and other types of Caribbean music. Caribana in Toronto, Ontario, is one of the largest Caribbean festivals on the continent. Caribana's website, available in Resources, states the festival usually begins in July or August.