Fresh From Trinidad Carnival: Kerwin Du Bois & Farmer Nappy at First Degree NY 2014

First Degree brought a strong lineup of Trinidad and Tobago Soca talent to Pulse48 in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday, April 12, 2014, with Farmer Nappy and Kerwin Du Bois among the featured performers. Taking place only weeks after Trinidad Carnival, the event gave New York's Caribbean audience an opportunity to experience some of the songs and artists that had just helped define the 2014 Carnival season.

The timing made First Degree particularly notable. Trinidad Carnival 2014 had produced one of the year's biggest Groovy Soca battles, with Kerwin Du Bois winning the International Groovy Soca Monarch title with “Too Real” and Farmer Nappy finishing third with “Big People Party.” By the time the two artists appeared at Pulse48 in April, both songs were firmly established as major records from the season.

Julianspromos was inside Pulse48 documenting the event. Chandelle “Chandy” De Riggs hosted the coverage, while Julian Hackett filmed the event, capturing performances and scenes from another night in Brooklyn's active Soca and Caribbean entertainment circuit during 2014.

First Degree and the 2014 Soca Season

First Degree arrived in New York at a point when the energy surrounding Trinidad Carnival 2014 was still fresh.

Rather than waiting for New York's Labor Day Carnival season, events such as First Degree helped keep current Trinidad Soca circulating through Brooklyn during the spring. Artists who had spent the early months of the year performing throughout Trinidad's Carnival fete circuit could bring their newest records directly to Caribbean audiences abroad.

The 2014 Soca season included records from Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin, Destra Garcia, Skinny Fabulous, Farmer Nappy, Kerwin Du Bois and many others. Contemporary Soca mixes from the period repeatedly featured “Too Real” and “Big People Party” among the defining music of the season.

That made the First Degree lineup especially timely. New York patrons were not simply seeing established Soca artists perform older catalogues. They were seeing two performers closely associated with some of the biggest songs coming directly out of Carnival 2014.

Kerwin Du Bois: The 2014 Groovy Soca Monarch

Kerwin Du Bois arrived in Brooklyn having just achieved one of the biggest milestones of his career.

During the International Soca Monarch finals in Trinidad, Du Bois captured the 2014 Groovy Soca Monarch title with “Too Real,” defeating a field that included Machel Montano, Farmer Nappy and other leading Soca performers.

His victory was significant in a particularly competitive year. Machel Montano finished second with “Happiest Man Alive,” while Farmer Nappy took third with “Big People Party.” Trinidad and Tobago Newsday's coverage of the competition described Du Bois as outperforming Montano on the night.

“Too Real” became one of the signature Groovy Soca records of 2014 and remains closely associated with that period of Du Bois' career.

His appearance at First Degree therefore gave the New York crowd a chance to see the reigning Groovy Soca Monarch barely six weeks after his victory in Trinidad.

Farmer Nappy and “Big People Party”

Farmer Nappy was enjoying an equally important Carnival season.

His 2014 hit “Big People Party” became one of the year's standout Groovy Soca songs and carried him to third place in the International Groovy Soca Monarch competition.

His Soca Monarch presentation leaned into the song's old-school party theme, incorporating ballroom dancers, a choir performing Nappy Mayers' “Ole Time Days” and a video appearance from legendary calypsonian The Mighty Sparrow before Farmer Nappy took the stage.

Contemporary Soca playlists from 2014 regularly placed “Big People Party” alongside records such as Kerwin Du Bois' “Too Real,” Bunji Garlin's “Carnival Tabanca,” Machel Montano's “Happiest Man Alive” and other major songs of the season.

First Degree brought that Carnival momentum directly into Brooklyn.

Farmer Nappy and Kerwin Du Bois: A Musical Connection

Farmer Nappy and Kerwin Du Bois also shared musical history before appearing together at First Degree.

The two artists had collaborated on “Pavement” for Trinidad Carnival 2010. The song became a popular Carnival release and took the pair into the International Groovy Soca Monarch competition together that year.

Du Bois was also involved creatively in Farmer Nappy's music, including writing and producing Farmer Nappy's 2010 release “I Pay For This.”

That connection gives the 2014 First Degree footage additional context. The event brought together two artists who were simultaneously enjoying major individual success while already sharing a history of collaboration within Soca.

Pulse48 and Caribbean Entertainment in Brooklyn

First Degree was staged at Pulse48, 1020 East 48th Street in Brooklyn, a venue that became an important stop for Caribbean concerts, fetes and nightlife during the early 2010s.

The venue, formerly known as C-PAC Night Club, regularly advertised Soca, Reggae, Dancehall, Kompa, Hip-Hop and R&B events. Caribbean Life listings from the period document Pulse48 hosting Caribbean artists and recurring Soca and Reggae programming.

Its importance stretched beyond any single genre. Pulse48 hosted established Caribbean performers, emerging acts and major concert events. In 2012, the venue's outdoor complex hosted the Brooklyn Music Festival, with a lineup that included Mavado, Lady Saw, Denise Belfon and Blaxx.

By 2013 and 2014, Pulse48 was continuing to attract major international artists. Chronixx made his Brooklyn debut there in 2013, while the venue remained active with Caribbean and international shows throughout 2014.

First Degree therefore took place at a venue already firmly connected to Brooklyn's Caribbean entertainment scene.

Julianspromos Coverage

Julianspromos attended First Degree as part of its expanding event and artist coverage in New York.

For this event, Chandelle “Chandy” De Riggs served as host, representing Julianspromos on camera and helping guide the coverage from inside Pulse48.

Julian Hackett shot the video footage, documenting Farmer Nappy, Kerwin Du Bois and the atmosphere surrounding the event.

The coverage came during an active year for Julianspromos. Throughout 2014, the platform was documenting artists, fetes, mas-band activity and Carnival-related events in New York and beyond, continuing the transition from its early online Soca-promotion roots into a broader Caribbean media operation.

First Degree also forms part of Chandelle “Chandy” De Riggs' documented 2014 history with Julianspromos. Surviving Julianspromos records list First Degree Fete NY among the events she covered that year, alongside other New York and international Carnival assignments.

Looking Back

More than a decade later, First Degree NY 2014 captures a very specific moment in Soca history.

Kerwin Du Bois had just become the 2014 Groovy Soca Monarch. Farmer Nappy was riding the success of “Big People Party.” Both artists had already worked together earlier in their careers, and both arrived in Brooklyn with songs that were helping shape the sound of that year's Carnival.

Pulse48 provided the New York setting, connecting the event to a venue that played a visible role in Caribbean nightlife and live entertainment in Brooklyn during the period.

For Julianspromos, the footage preserves another part of the platform's growth in 2014. With Chandelle “Chandy” De Riggs hosting and Julian Hackett behind the camera, the highlights document not only the performers on stage, but another chapter in the development of Julianspromos' Caribbean media archive.

Today, the First Degree footage offers a window back into Brooklyn's Soca scene in spring 2014, when the newest music from Trinidad Carnival could quickly travel from Port of Spain to New York and continue its life in front of Caribbean audiences abroad.