◆ Special · Listening guide · Dominica's Bouyon
Article written by TIITII NBA, artist of the New Bouyon Wave collective.
Sources: every key fact points to a verifiable source (Dominica Festivals, Cross D Bridge, PepseeActus — full list at the foot of the article), and each artist's detail lives in their dedicated profile, linked throughout the guide.
You can contribute: leave your corrections and additional info in the comments at the bottom of the article.
Position 0 — Bouyon was born in 1988 in Roseau, Dominica, with the band WCK [S-MASTER-2026]. On the home island, the foundations still hold: WCK and Triple Kay International remain active. The crowned figures are Asa Banton, Carlyn XP, Skinny Banton and Mr Ridge, the only Bouyon artist doubly crowned at the Caribbean Music Awards. And the current generation moves on two fronts: bouyon soca (Reo, Trilla-G, Little Boy, Quan) and Nasty Business (Pudaz, Money Shaun, J-Lion, NICE, Sukie). Here is the full map.
Most people meet bouyon through Guadeloupe and the New Bouyon Wave. But the genre has a home island: Dominica. That's where it was born, where its founders still play, and where a whole generation keeps pushing it forward. This guide gives you the landmarks, in order: who created the genre, who wears the crowns, and who is rising now.
The foundations: WCK and Triple Kay
The starting point is beyond debate. WCK, a band from Grand Bay, put bouyon together in 1988 at Roseau's carnival: the island's cadence-lypso, jing ping and lapo kabwit, melted into an electronic layer driven by the TR-505 drum machine [S-MASTER-2026] [S-DF-WCK]. Around Cornell 'Fingers' Phillip and Derek 'Rah' Peters, the band put the word "bouyon" on a record for the first time with Work It Out (1988). Without them, nothing that follows exists.
The island's other great formation is Triple Kay International. The band has held the live stage for decades, ran the Warm Up format in concert as early as 2019, and still releases singles in 2026 with Take The Bus Baby. Around them, the island's band culture stays alive: Signal Band in Roseau, Explosive Band, Effects Band and the other formations that keep the island's carnivals running.
The crowned figures
Asa Banton is one of the first great solo figures of modern bouyon, and a living bridge between the genre's two islands: he also carried the Guadeloupe wave with the Yellow Gaza project. In 2024, he became the first 100% bouyon artist to receive a People's Choice Award. Entry point: Bouyon Boss (2012).
Carlyn XP, from Giraudel, wears the crown: first Bouyon Monarch in 2016, title confirmed in 2017 [S-DF-CXP]. She rules where bouyon is judged live, in front of a crowd. In a very male scene, she opened a space that Ebony Empress (Portsmouth) and Faithii occupy today.
Skinny Banton is the architect of bouyon-muffin from 1995, one of the island's documented sub-genres. And Mr Ridge, from Newtown, is the voice holding the modern scene: his single Nasty Business (August 2022) serves as the landmark for a whole current, and he remains the only Bouyon artist doubly crowned at the Caribbean Music Awards (2024 and 2025) [S-CDB]. His single Do Baby (2025) with 1T1 directly connects the home island to the Guadeloupe scene [S-PEPSEE-DOBABY].
The current generation: bouyon soca and Nasty Business
Today's Dominican scene moves on two fronts. On the bouyon soca side, the island's documented sub-genre: Reo, Colihaut's "Fresh Prince of Bouyon", Trilla-G, Little Boy, Quan from Grand Bay, and DJ Taffy who keeps them spinning. On the Nasty Business side, the dark current: Pudaz, crowned at the 2025 Dominica Music Awards, Money Shaun, J-Lion, NICE and Sukie, gathered around Mr Ridge's Cross D Bridge project [S-CDB].
In searches, two more names keep coming up on the Dominica side: Trev Li and Kenny G from Roseau. And Gwada G, revealed with Wake Me Up and confirmed with the hit Up To, completes the map.
Studio side: the makers
Two names are enough to understand the Dominican workshop. Dada, producer and architect of bouyon soca, whose work carried the genre to the region's biggest carnival stages. And Tha Wizzard, whose WizZarD HouSe Records structure handles mix, mastering and production for the Nasty Business scene.
Where to start listening
Five landmarks to enter Dominican bouyon without getting lost. Work It Out by WCK (1988), the birth certificate. Bouyon Boss by Asa Banton (2012), the solo figure. Nasty Business by Mr Ridge (2022), the landmark of the modern current. Do Baby by Mr Ridge and 1T1 (2025), the bridge between the two islands. And Take The Bus Baby by Triple Kay International (2026), proof that the foundations hold.
TIITII NBA's official Bouyon New Waves playlist follows the current releases, all islands included:
Where to go next
You now have the home island's map. For the Guadeloupe scene that dominates today, see the bouyon gwada artists, and for the full ranking across all islands: the best bouyon artists 2026. And if you want to follow the wave from the inside: TIITII NBA is one of the New Bouyon Wave's eight voices, and his current release is the shortest path between this page and what the scene is playing right now.
FAQ — Dominica's bouyon
Who are the best Bouyon artists from Dominica? WCK, the founding band of 1988, and Triple Kay International hold the foundations [S-MASTER-2026]. Among the leading figures: Asa Banton, Carlyn XP, Skinny Banton and Mr Ridge, the only Bouyon artist doubly crowned at the Caribbean Music Awards. The current generation moves forward with Reo, Trilla-G, Little Boy, Quan and the Nasty Business scene (Pudaz, Money Shaun, J-Lion, NICE, Sukie).
Who created bouyon in Dominica? The band WCK (Windward Caribbean Kulture), in 1988 in Roseau, around Cornell 'Fingers' Phillip, Derek 'Rah' Peters and Janiel 'Hunter' Edwards [S-MASTER-2026]. Their TR-505 drum machine put the word "bouyon" on a record for the first time.
Who is the Bouyon Queen? Carlyn XP, from Giraudel, Dominica. She won the first Bouyon Monarch competition in 2016 and confirmed her crown in 2017 [S-DF-CXP].
What is Nasty Business? The dark current of modern Dominican bouyon. Its landmark: Mr Ridge's single "Nasty Business", posted in August 2022. Around him and the Cross D Bridge project gather Pudaz (crowned at the 2025 Dominica Music Awards), Money Shaun, J-Lion, NICE and Sukie [S-CDB].
Is bouyon still alive in Dominica? Yes. Triple Kay International still releases singles in 2026, Mr Ridge chained two Caribbean Music Awards (2024 and 2025), and a full generation is pushing behind: Reo, Trilla-G, Little Boy, Quan, DJ Taffy and the Nasty Business scene [S-MASTER-2026].
Sources
Web and press sources
[S-DF-WCK] Dominica Festivals (World Creole Music Festival) — WCK — dominicafestivals.com · official profile of the founding band · checked 2026-07-23.
[S-DF-CXP] Dominica Festivals (World Creole Music Festival) — Carlyn XP — dominicafestivals.com · official profile of Carlyn XP · checked 2026-07-23.
[S-CDB] Cross D Bridge — Mr Ridge's project — crossdbridge.com · the project gathering the Nasty Business scene · checked 2026-07-23.
[S-PEPSEE-DOBABY] PepseeActus — Ridge x 1T1, 'Do Baby' — pepseeactus.com · the 2025 release connecting the Dominican and Guadeloupean scenes · checked 2026-07-23.
[S-MASTER-2026] Internal editorial synthesis — TIITII NBA Bouyon blog — tiitii-nba.com/en/bouyon · chronology of Dominican bouyon cross-checked with web sources; each artist's sourced detail lives in their dedicated profile · checked 2026-07-23.
Going further
The Roots — Chapter I — The birth of bouyon in Roseau, told from the 1988 carnival.
Consecration and Limits — Chapter XII — The years when Dominican bouyon won its trophies.
The bouyon gwada artists — The Guadeloupe scene that dominates today.
The best bouyon artists 2026 — The complete bouyon listening guide.
Glossary
Bouyon — Musical genre born in 1988 in Roseau, Dominica, with WCK. Fast tempo (152 BPM classic, 160 BPM hardcore), a fusion of cadence-lypso, jing ping, lapo kabwit and an electronic layer.
Nasty Business — Dark current of modern Dominican bouyon, marked by Mr Ridge's eponymous single (August 2022) and carried by the voices gathered around Cross D Bridge.
Bouyon soca — Fusion of bouyon and soca documented in Dominica, also called jump up soca. A bridge between two neighboring genres, not an internal mutation of bouyon.
