Black Stalin, who has died aged 81, was a modern calypsonian of the old school, dedicated to keeping political and social commentary at the heart of his music when other exponents of the art were becoming purveyors of frivolous party music. His determination to stick to what he saw as the righteous course allowed Stalin to become calypso monarch in his native Trinidad and Tobago – the highest achievement any calypsonian can aspire to – on five occasions. It also brought him a global audience of fans who were appreciative of his acerbic, Rasta-influenced take on political and racial affairs.
In the 1990s in particular Stalin was a force on the world music scene, and some of his many albums sold in significant quantities abroad. He was fiery by nature as well as in his lyrics, and among his best known songs were the classic Burn Dem (1987) – in which he begged Saint Peter to allow him to personally throw various world leaders, including Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, into the fires of hell – and More Come (1994), in which he celebrated an endless stream of black “warriors” ready to die in the battle against oppression.
