Rodney Le Blanc's spirituality is not to be taken lightly. His every word, movement and vocal outburst is, according to him, the work of God. Ahead of Carnival 2K11, the six feet plus entertainer, known by the sobriquet Benjai, is proving to be a leader, this despite the fact that he refuses to allow competition to govern his music. Two tracks, Wine To De Side and Trini, have rocked the country, exploding onto the scene with a force of mass appeal and triggering talk that Benjai is the artiste of the season. His style has always been different, and while he is one of the artistes of the new age of soca that has fused the ragga flavour to the soca beats, he admitted, "de ragga start to over-ragga de soca."
Bring back vintage
Chatting with the T&T Guardian, the Laventille resident said he thought it was time to bring back the vintage. "I tried to bring back the original thing that I believe was missing," he said of his two current tracks. The songs, which were both penned by Le Blanc, are infectious. The melodies and beats created by Kernel Roberts offer a distinctive sweetness that's reminiscent of the Kaiso era. In spite of the overwhelming love he's been receiving from the fans and radio fraternity, Benjai said he doesn't have a Carnival focus with his music. "The music is what I feel in me, what I hear in my mind. The music is happy music. I'm at a stage in my life where I'm relaxed. I'm loving my friends, my children and the people around me who matter most, and this is coming out in my music," he said.
Benjai highlighted that vintage music should be kept alive, explaining that like other contemporary soca artistes who did it in previous years, he was able to add his "swank" to the vintage this time around. "I have to give big respect to artistes like Bunji Garlin and others who kept the vintage alive in their way. Bunji did it with Fiery," he recalled, adding that it had been two years since he himself had put pen to paper to write a track. "I have broken this thing down to a science," he said, explaining, "I love God first and myself after. God gave me this craft and I have to use it well. If God gave me lemons, I'd make lemonade," said the former HD member.
Love for Montano
As a solo artiste in 2011, it is expected that Benjai will be in high demand. However, he admitted that he was loyal to two bands, Roy Cape and the Kaiso All Stars and Machel Montano HD. "Roy Cape has always been a mentor in my life. Everybody in that band has been there for me," he admitted. Of Machel Montano, Benjai said: "Words can't even begin to explain the love we have for each other." On the personal side of things, Benjai said he was at a crossroads in his life. "I recently came out of a nine-year relationship with my significant other and it really broke me down emotionally," he said. "After the break up, my focus changed and now I go with the flow." He said his every move was guided by God, and when he stepped into the studio what came out of his head was given to him by God. "I am very spiritual. I dwell in the spiritual realm. I am contented with the small things in life and I've never tried to write a song to be the biggest thing in Carnival," he said.
Living for his children
In 2010, Benjai stepped out of the semifinal round of the International Soca Monarch competition. He had indicated that the competition lacked proper organisation and was unfair to the art form and the artistes. He had said he would not return until things had improved. When asked whether he'd be entering in 2011, he simply said: "I have no calling to Soca Monarch, it doesn't govern me. I live for my children. If they say, 'daddy enter Soca Monarch,' I'll enter." Benjai is the father of two-a boy and girl, aged ten and 13 respectively.
More to come
Music will continue to come from the artiste throughout the season, and even his writing will be heard in tracks given to other artistes. "I have a collaboration with Shal Marshal to come. That one is a fast soca, and I wrote a song for Tony Prescott, and one for Blaxx," he said. Additionally, Benjai has a collaboration to come in a song entitled Costume Hot. The artistes on that track are Screws, who performed with Shal Marshal this year on the ditty Police, and a new artiste from Malabar called Big Lexx. With the youths and crime serious topics of concern to the population these days, Benjai had messages for each: "To the criminals, ease we up this Carnival. It's time for the country to be festive-'low we fuh de season.'" He called on the youths to respect everyone but fear no one but God. He told them, "Believe in yourselves." In spite of his humble approach to Carnival 2K11, there is no denying that Rodney Le Blanc will be the talk of the town in the season ahead. Undeniably though, his approach to the sudden fame is that of humility-something that can only be inspired by the man above.