the bouyon
TIITII NBA

The bouyon articles

From its 1988 origins in Dominica to the global stages of 2026. 13 chapters in order, 32 specials à la carte.

45 articles · 5 h 16 of reading

Chapter I · Dominica · 8 min

Before bouyon

It all starts before the first sound.

Before the drum machine, before the electric carnival, before Roseau. How Dominica cultivates in silence the soil where Bouyon will germinate.

Start with chapter I

The chapters 13

  1. Chapter II · DominicaHow WCK built bouyonA kitchen, not a band: this is where the Bouyon recipe gets written.10 min
  2. Chapter III · DominicaThe battle of the bandsCarnival isn't a party. It's a ring.10 min
  3. Chapter IV · GuadeloupeBouyon reaches GuadeloupeBouyon doesn't cross the sea on its own. Someone carries it.10 min
  4. Chapter V · GuadeloupeGuadeloupe bouyon restartsWho reconnects the cables when the scene goes dark?11 min
  5. Chapter VI · Saint MartinSandy Ground, 2015First, the island listens. Then it decides to answer.10 min
  6. Chapter VII · GuadeloupeThe New Bouyon WaveThe wave exists before it has a name. Then someone dares to say it.11 min
  7. Chapter VIII · GuadeloupeWarm Up: bouyon slows downIt slows down on purpose. And that's where everything plays out.10 min
  8. Chapter IX · TrinidadBouyon goes globalThe world discovers Bouyon. But who credits Dominica?10 min
  9. Chapter X · GuadeloupeWomen of bouyonHistory barely told their story. Global export hears them.10 min
  10. Chapter XI · GuadeloupeBouyon producersYou know the voices. Meet the people who carry them abroad.10 min
  11. Chapter XII · TrinidadRecognised, but told wrongThe awards arrive. The real question starts there.10 min
  12. XIIIChapter XIII · GuadeloupeBeyond the New Bouyon WaveNot all of Bouyon Gwada comes through the same door.9 min

Understand 8

  1. UnderstandUnderstandJoli BB: a Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe bridgeA singer from Fort-de-France, an artist from Dominica, a beat from Guadeloupe: three islands on one bouyon single.5 min
  2. UnderstandUnderstandBouyon Talks: the interviews, guest by guestSeventeen guests in full interviews, from WCK to Dominica's new generation. Who speaks, about what, and where to start.6 min
  3. UnderstandUnderstandThe instruments of bouyon: from goat-skin drum to drum machineThe bouyon sound rests on a precise mix: traditional percussion from Dominica, an accordion, a drum machine, and today full live bands with drums, guitar and keyboards. Here is what makes up the genre.6 min
  4. UnderstandUnderstandWhat is warm up? The slower side of bouyonWarm up is bouyon at a lower tempo: around 120-134 BPM instead of 152. Here is what it does in a party, how to recognise it, and where to start.5 min
  5. UnderstandUnderstandFrench Caribbean music that movesThree bouyon tracks to play: Oulala, SA KA BAY and LIKE YOU by TIITII NBA, then a playlist to keep listening.3 min
  6. UnderstandUnderstandHow to produce bouyonA 152 BPM tempo, a machine that never drifts, gaps built for the dance and a riddim that voices share. Here's how a bouyon is built, step by step.7 min
  7. UnderstandUnderstandWhat is bouyon? Origin, BPM and history of the genreBouyon runs at 152 BPM, 160 in hardcore. Born in 1988 in Roseau, Dominica, it reached Guadeloupe in the 2000s. Origin, tempo and history, explained simply.5 min
  8. UnderstandHow to Dance BouyonBouyon is danced to a fast tempo, in the energy of Dominica's carnival. No fixed choreography: the movement starts from the hips. Basic steps, a video demonstration and cues to get started.7 min

Compare 9

  1. CompareCompareBouyon vs coupé-décalé: two continents, two dancesCoupé-décalé comes from Côte d'Ivoire, bouyon from Dominica. Two percussive party sounds people wrongly lump together. Origin, tempo, dance: here is how to tell them apart.6 min
  2. CompareCompareBouyon vs Dennery Segment: two neighbor islands, two genresBouyon comes from Dominica, Dennery Segment from Saint Lucia. Two neighbor islands, two fast carnival sounds that share the same parties. Here is how to tell them apart.6 min
  3. CompareCompareBouyon vs soca: two carnivals, two genresBouyon comes from Dominica, soca from Trinidad and Tobago. They cross paths at the same carnivals, and some even file bouyon 'under soca'. Here is why they are two distinct genres.7 min
  4. CompareCompareBouyon vs kompa: two islands, two speedsHaiti's kompa and Dominica's bouyon cross paths in the same Caribbean parties. Origin, tempo, dance: here's how to tell them apart without hesitating.7 min
  5. CompareCompareBouyon vs Afrobeats: two global waves, two historiesTikTok can place them in the same feeds, but bouyon and Afrobeats share neither a birthplace nor one rhythmic grammar.7 min
  6. CompareCompareBouyon vs zouk: how to tell them apartTwo neighboring Creole musics, but two histories and two rhythmic engines. Origin, tempo, instruments and dance: bouyon versus zouk.7 min
  7. CompareCompareBouyon vs shatta: never mix them up againTwo Caribbean genres lumped together since TikTok, but they don't come from the same island or the same tempo. Origin, BPM, sound: here's how to tell them apart.7 min
  8. CompareCompareBouyon vs dancehall: everything that sets them apartTwo Caribbean genres a DJ runs back to back in the same party, yet they don't come from the same island or the same tempo. Origin, BPM, dance: here's how to tell them apart.7 min
  9. CompareCompareBouyon, Soca, Kompa, Dancehall: How to Tell Them ApartFour Caribbean genres people often mix up at a party. Each comes from a different island and a different era · and each keeps its own identity. Here's how to tell them apart by ear.8 min

Listen 8

  1. ListenListenBouyon RadarFive releases. Listen, pick, share.3 min
  2. ListenListenDominica bouyon top 20: the most streamed this monthThe ranking of Dominica's most listened-to bouyon artists on Spotify, rebuilt every month. The island where the genre was born, artist by artist.4 min
  3. ListenListenTop 10 beatmakers of Guadeloupe bouyonThe ranking of Guadeloupe's most streamed bouyon beatmakers on Spotify, rebuilt every month. The ones who make the beats, not the ones singing over them.4 min
  4. ListenListenTop 10 women of Guadeloupe bouyonThe ranking of Guadeloupe's most listened-to women bouyon artists on Spotify, rebuilt every month. Ten names, from the first wave to today.4 min
  5. ListenListenTop 20 men of Guadeloupe bouyonThe ranking of Guadeloupe's most listened-to male bouyon artists on Spotify, rebuilt every month. Twenty places, and the race carries on below.4 min
  6. ListenListenMonthly bouyon top 20: the most streamed artists in GuadeloupeThe ranking of Guadeloupe's most listened-to bouyon artists on Spotify, rebuilt every month. Monthly listeners, rank, and a full profile behind every name.4 min
  7. ListenListenBouyon playlist 2026: the new releases and hits to playThe playlist that gathers the latest bouyon releases and hits, updated regularly. Press play, no digging.4 min
  8. ListenListenThe best bouyon artists to listen to in 2026From Dominica to the diaspora, bouyon has never been bigger. Here are the artists to put in your ears this year, and the single to start each one with.6 min

The scenes 5

  1. The scenesThe scenesThe women of Dominica bouyonFour measurable female voices on the island where bouyon was born, ranked by Spotify monthly listeners and rebuilt every month.4 min
  2. The scenesThe scenesBouyon in France: Theodora, Teyma and the crossover waveBouyon was born in Dominica, not in mainland France. But in 2025 a wave of French artists crossed into it. This is the 'bouyon in France', a pop and rap crossover, distinct from the original genre.6 min
  3. The scenesThe scenesDominica Bouyon: the artists from the genre's home islandBouyon was born in Dominica in 1988. From founders WCK to the Nasty Business generation, here are the home island's artists to know.8 min
  4. The scenesThe scenesBouyon Guadeloupe: the gwada artists to knowBouyon was born in Dominica, but Guadeloupe is the place making it explode today. Here are the gwada artists to follow, from the pioneers to the New Bouyon Wave.7 min
  5. The scenesThe scenesWhy bouyon is blowing up in 2026TikTok, the New Bouyon Wave, global breakthroughs: here's why the genre born in Dominica is now exploding from Guadeloupe all the way to the Flammes Awards.6 min

Portraits 2

  1. PortraitsKa Marron: 1T1 Launches His Label KMR HéritageFrom behind-the-scenes producer to label owner: the story of KMR Héritage, the house 1T1 founded to hold on to his freedom.7 min
  2. PortraitsNew Bouyon Wave & 1T1An open registry of riddims, songs and collaborations where Guadeloupe's new generation crosses paths around 1T1, before and after public recognition.10 min