Controversial calypsonian Cro Cro (Weston Rawlins) has failed to make into the semi-finals of this year’s Calypso Monarch competition.
The four-time monarch was notably missing from the list of 40-semifinalists released yesterday the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO) who will compete in Calypso Fiesta at Skinner Park, San Fernando, next Saturday.
Rawlins, a co-ordinator with the state-run Community-based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP), was recently suspended from the programme after a short video clip of him using obscene language towards a fellow motorist went was widely circulated on social media.
Several former National Calypso Monarchs have made it to the next round of the competition including: Chalkdust (Hollis Liverpool), Devon Seale, Duane O’Connor, Karene Asche, Kurt Allen, Chucky (Roderick Gordon) and Sugar Aloes (Michael Osouna).
National Carnival Commission (NCC) chairman Gypsy (Winston Peters), who won the title in 1997, is also among the 40 challengers vying for the chance compete against reigning monarch Helon Francis.
This will be the first year that the finals of the annual competition will be held outside of the Dimanche Gras show on Carnival Sunday night. Instead, it will be TUCO’s Kaisorama on Terrific Thursday at the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah.
TUCO also announced the 15 finalists in the National Junior Calypso Monarch finals to be held the Queen’s Park Savannah next Monday. The reigning monarch is O’Connor’s son, Duane Ta’zyar O’Connor.
Calypso Monarch semi-finalists:
- Addelon “Banjela” Braveboy- Bring It Back
- Alana Sinnette-Khan – Pressure Does Buss Pipe
- Alex “Tobago Chalkie” Gift – Travel Advisory
- Alicia Richards – Isreal’s Concern
- Allison “Warrior Empress” Bernard – The You In You
- Anthony “Allrounder” Hendrickson – Where Are The Footprints
- Brian London – Who To Call
- Darwren “Pharoah” Greenidge – Formula
- Devon Seale – Two Face
- Dexter “The Stinger” Parsons – Spanish Food
- Duane O’Connor – Respect
- Erphaan Alves – I Am
- Heather MacIntosh – Take Over
- Hollis “Chalkdust” Liverpool – They Put Meh So
- Jelanie Wells – Ah Tipping
- Jerrisha Duncan-Regis – Big Fat Zero
- Joanne “Tigress” Rowley – Who Feels It Knows It
- Karen Eccles Thomas – She Still Have To Wait
- Karene Asche – Loco and Broco
- Kerine “Tiny” Williams-Figaro – Slipping Away
- Kurt “The Last Bad John of Calypso” Allen – Wha Yuh Say?
- Kyle “KC” Cowie – The Bigger Picture
- Lesley Ann Ellis -Yuh Wanna Fight
- Maria Bhola – False Alarm
- Mark Eastman – Calypso Killers
- Michael “Sugar Aloes’ Osouna – Super G
- Natasha “Sexy Suzie” Nurse – The Wrong Name
- Robert “Mighty Trini” Elias – 101 Percent
- Roderick “Chucky” Gordon – El Muro (The Wall)
- Roger “Bodyguard” Mohammed – Barefoot
- Ronaldo London – Man’s Imagination
- Selvon “Mistah Shak” Noel – J’ouvert Demons
- Sheldon “Sheldon Nugget” Bullen – Celebrate Them
- Sheldon Reid – Wey Meh Trinidad
- Stacey Sobers – Make T&T Great Again
- Tamika Darius – Oil Cyah Spoil
- Tammico “Spicey” Moore – De Crown
- Terri Lyons – Woman
- Victoria “Queen Victoria” Cooper-Rahim -Suspect Band
- Winston “Gypsy” Peters -When Elephants Fight
Reserves
- Shirlane Hendrickson – Post and Position
- Myron “Incredible Myron B” Bruce – The Rasta In Rasta City