Calypso War

Calypso War is a form of calypso music that has existed since at least the turn of the twentieth century. Originally it was sung in patois or French creole. The classic war form is an eight-line stanza, the first four lines in a minor key, then modulating into the major, and returning to the minor with the refrain "santimanite" ("sans humanité" in patois, in English "without humanity").

Calypso War emerged among the black lower-class population in Trinidad after emancipation from slavery. It was a competitive and entertaining form of lyrical improvisation which saw performers attempt to outdo each other in wit and verbal skill, often to defend or boost their reputation.