Tonight the Starlite Drive In cinema will come alive with the last lap of what has been described as a three-night ‘chutney fire storm’; a series of concerts put together by Taj Entertainment and a number of other promoters.
Popular Trinidadian chutney singer, Lalchan ‘De Hunter’ Babwa has been blazing the way with his popular lyrics from Berbice to the West Coast and tonight promises to be the icing on a very sumptuous cake.
Patrons are paying $800 for a slice of the cake but if they had failed to pick up their tickets before arriving at the venues they were charged $1,000 instead. In addition to ‘De Hunter’, who has been on demand since his last September release of a song glorifying his love for rum, patrons have also been treated to performances from the ‘Candy Girls’. They are known for their enticing clothing and “provocative dance moves” and have performed for audiences in London, US, Brazil, Japan and around the Caribbean. The only unfortunate thing about their appearance in Guyana is the fact that only two of the 11 girls have been retained for the three concerts. The group members hail from Guyana, Brazil and Trinidad.
The Scene caught up with the concerts’ main attraction ‘De Hunter’ and he related quite a few things about himself, not the least of them being that he is a real life game hunter. Yea, believe it or not the singer has been slinging a gun here and there shooting down wild animals in his native land.
He disclosed that his father was into hunting and it was only natural that he followed in his footsteps. However, their hunting is not an income earner, but rather it is a hobby.
What is not a hobby is the man’s singing as he has been blazing a trail for quite a number of years since his first release in 2001. His stage name, according to him, accurately says what he is as it is not just animals that he hunts… ladies watch out. The Scene was told that the singer not only writes his own lyrics but he also writes for other chutney singers.
Speaking about his current hit, ‘De Hunter’ told The Scene that he was in the studios one day and the lyrics just came to him. It was probably not a difficult thing since he admitted that his love for the rum means that he takes “two drinks every time I go into the studio to clear the throat.” He sings:
You could bring it in a bottle
You could bring it in a flask
You could bring it in a cup
You could send it in a glass
A want me rum in the morning
A want me rum in the evening.
The artiste admitted that he has courted some amount of controversy in his native land because of these lyrics since the use of alcohol has been the root cause of a number of violent crimes. However, he is unapologetic about his lyrics as he quickly pointed out that he does not tell people to go and drink. Rather he is singing about himself and how he wants his rum. So as far as he sees it, he has a clear conscious.
This is his first trip to Guyana but De Hunter said he has performed in many other countries including the US and Canada
Meanwhile, for anyone planning to catch the last of the concerts tonight, showtime is 8.30 pm. The promoters have promised tight security as in addition to the presence of members of the police force they have retained the services of a private security firm.
