Dominica Bouyon: the artists from the genre's home island

In short. Bouyon was born in 1988 in Roseau, Dominica, with the band WCK. On the home island, the foundations still hold: WCK and Triple Kay International remain active. The crowned figures are Asa Bantan, Carlyn XP, Skinny Banton and Mr Ridge, the only winner of the Caribbean Music Awards' Bouyon Artist of the Year, three times since 2024. 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 Roseau, 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. Around Cornell 'Fingers' Phillip and Derek 'Rah' Peters, the band releases its first album, One More Sway, in 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 Bantan 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. 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 winner of the Caribbean Music Awards' Bouyon Artist of the Year (2024, 2025 and 2026). His single Do Baby (2025) with 1T1 directly connects the home island to the Guadeloupe scene.

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 Roseau, 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.

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. One More Sway by WCK (1988), the first album. Bouyon Boss by Asa Bantan (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.