Ross spreads the word in song

Towering above veterans like Hollis Liverpool (Mighty Chalkdust), C2k12 calypso monarch Duane O’Connor has come in for kudos for his feat at a youthful age. Other budding artistes like Klassic Ruso’s Curtis Ross got commendations, too. Although Ross did not make it to the “Big Yard,” he was a semifinalist for the calypso monarch. He made the trek to Skinner Park, San Fernando, with the autobiographical Me. It was written by his friend, fellow calypsonian Brian London. His first stint in calypso was with NJAC Youth Competition. He dabbled in calypso while attending South East Port-of-Spain Secondary School. Interviewed recently, Ross, 22, said: “It means a lot to me...where I came from. The song is inspirational. It is my first time in the semis. I am a newcomer to the tent. I felt great that I was selected.”  Ross, who hails from Gonzales, Laventille, said he felt there was a lot of good that could come from Laventille. “I just wanted to spread the word that people don’t have to allow stigma and discrimination to keep them down.” 

 

Concerned about African youth,  Ross, who has an identical twin brother Kerwin, is burdened about young men dropping like flies from gunshot wounds. He can give an eyewitness account of the “bruised and battered bodies,” since he works at a mortuary. Ross said: “It is not easy seeing black brothers like myself lying there cold on the ice. It hurts me. I see the insides of the bodies. It was not built for bullets. Man was not built for that kind of violence. Man is soft.” Intuitively, Ross added: “I can feel vibes even when they are dead. I can tell whether the corpse is at peace or if they are unhappy. I can pick up whether they lived a good life on earth or not.” He’s keenly aware most people would not want to work in a funeral home. But he said: “Once there is life, there is death. It is inevitable.” He said he had no regrets since he was earning an honest living.  “I was on the breadline before a friend told me about this job.” Before each workday, Ross prays to the Almighty to give him the strength to deal with the sight of “decaying bodies.”  He appealed to children to treat their parents like “kings and queens walking along the Royal Road.”