Whether it’s Christmas time or any other time, Vincentian soca artiste Fimba Jardine, simply called Fimba, is all over the place — in the Caribbean or in North America, among others — minding his catchy “Funky Business.”
Ever since he snatched the Ragga Soca Monarch — with “Funky Business,” on July 7, at Victoria Park in Kingstown, the Vincentian capital, in Vincy Mas 2018 – Fimba’s captivating, ever-popular hit could be heard in diverse places in the world, catching on like wildfire.
Whether at a party or ceremony in Montreal and Toronto in Canada; Brooklyn, New York, and Miami, Florida; Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; Georgetown, Guyana; or Bridgetown, Barbados, the song appeals to audiences — old, middle-age or young.
Even kids could be heard singing and / or reciting the fascinating lyrics.
And some drivers in Brooklyn often turn up the volume on their vehicle speakers, so the lyrics could reverberate for all — whether or not they like it — to hear: “Mind yuh funky business/Jus leave me alone.”
On Dec. 3, at the 9th Annual Gala Luncheon of the Brooklyn-based Vincentian group, VincyCares, Inc., at Grand Prospect Hall in Brooklyn, Fimba, who is also the 2018 Vincy Mas Road March Monarch, broke the house down with “Funky Business.”
“That went down real good,” the group’s public relations officer, Franklyn “Supadex” Richards, told Caribbean Life on Christmas Eve. “He and Luther (McIntosh, another Vincentian soca artiste) rocked the place.
“The song, ‘Funky Business,’ is the true essence of calypso,” added Richards a popular graphic artist and calypsonian himself. “It’s satire, wit and humor rolled up in one.
“All over the Caribbean and North America, he’s performing,” continued Richards, noting that “Funky Business” was a hit when Fimba performed at the massive Vincy Unity Picnic in the 1,000 Is. area in Western Ontario, Canada in July; at the Vincy Unity Picnic in East Islip, Long Is., New York, in August; and with the Vincentian band Blacksand in Montreal in July.
“It was a tremendous performance,” said Richards about the Montreal party. “He has improved significantly as a performer.
“He has a stage presence now, and he has learned to command the stage in terms of crowd control and participation,” he added. “But most significantly, what people love most about him is his level of humility.
“He has the no. 1 soca (song) in the world right now, and he’s the most humble person you can meet,” Richards indicated. “Once he continues, he’ll be on his way to superstardom.”
Richards said Fimba is not new to the soca business, stating that, in previous years, he captured the Soca Monarch tile in Vincy Mas, with “Steel Bottom,” a common term used by Vincentians when they mix beer and the local Sunset rum.
Richards also said that soca music is literally in Fimba’s blood, disclosing that his father, “Honeyboy Bells” Jackson, was a frequent contender in the Dynamite Calypso Tent in Brooklyn, the sole Vincentian calypso tent in the United States.
On Aug. 25, LoopnewsBarbados reported that Fimba performed, to high acclaim, in Barbados, during the Crop Over Season, at popular events such as Caesar’s Army/Aura Sunblock; Candy Coated the Cruise — Summer of Love; and Gimme Soca.
He also band-hopped on the road for Kadooment Day, Barbados’ big carnival street jump-up, according to Loopnews.
Fimba told Loop that he didn’t expect his song to get so much love, especially after only receiving four likes on Youtube for the first two weeks after being uploaded.
“The first time the track was released, four people liked it on Youtube and with like 84 views for at least two weeks, and then it just took off,” Timba said. “I didn’t really expect it.
“I just do music for the fun of it,” he added. “I don’t do a song and say, ‘I’m going to be Michael Jackson tomorrow.’ It just was natural.”
“Funky Business,” which was released in March, now has thousands of likes on Youtube, “and has propelled the artist to perform at events all across the Caribbean, with bookings in Grenada, St. Marteen and neighboring islands until the end of the year,” Loopnews said.
“I would say that ‘Funky Business’ is the song that really took off my career, because more people know who Fimba is now, and are booking me for shows and stuff like that,” Fimba told the online edition. “Before, I wasn’t getting that.”
Partial lyrics to “Funky Business” are: “Dem jus ah study people business / Study people busines s/ Study people business / So, well I don’t care what people wanna say / Dem will talk you any time uh day / Ey, yuh do good, dem talking yuh / Yuh do bad, dem talking yuh / Dem never have nothing good to say / Dem ask de most questions / Weh yuh from? Weh yuh goin? Weh yuh mudda? Wen last yuh been home / Mind yuh funky business / Mind yuh funky business / Leave me alone / Wen yuh see me, leave me alone / Ey, mind yuh funky business / Mind yuh funky business / Jus leave me alone / Wen yuh see me, leave me alone, Ey.”
