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Music genre

Rapso

Rapso is a music genre. It is usually classed as a form of soca music. Explore key artists and related styles.

About Rapso

Rapso is a music genre. It is usually classed as a form of soca music.

From Wikipedia

Rapso is a form of Trinidadian music that grew out of the social unrest of the 1970s. Black Power and unions grew in the 1970s, and rapso grew along with them. The first recording was "Blow 'Way" by Lancelot Layne in 1970. Six years later, Cheryl Byron (founder of the New York City based Something Positive Dance Company) was scorned when she sang rapso at a calypso tent. She is now called the "Mother of Rapso".

It has been described as "de power of de word in the riddim of de word". Though often described as a fusion of native soca and calypso with American hip hop, rapso is uniquely Trinidadian.

Genre family tree

Parent genres (↑) and subgenres (↓) of Rapso.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Rapso?

Rapso is a music genre. It is usually classed as a form of soca music.

Sources & credits