The Caribbean is more than just endless miles of velvet sands against the soothing roll of turquoise wave breaks. It tethers a line of ancestry of creatives that have dominated the music industry for decades. Let’s trace the gene pool of these seven famous artists back to the captivating coasts of the Caribbean.
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Future
Haitian/American
Born 1983, Nayvadius Wilburn is a consistent, Billboard top 100 rapper and singer known by the alias Future. The idea behind his music is more than just stories of struggle. A snappy, bass-heavy production joined by vocals saturated with autotune and explicit content, all representing the overstimulation of our society today, from technology to substance abuse. However, what most people don’t know about Future is that he has Caribbean roots branching out from his Haitian parents, making him a descendant of the tropics.
Nicki Minaj
Trinidadian/American
The multi-platinum Barbie gets her stunning characteristics from her Trinidadian DNA. Onika Maraj, born December 1982, is the queen of pop with a vibrant persona and unmatched confidence. She has become an icon for women all over the world and continues to break glass ceilings within the industry as her success reaches new heights.
PartyNextDoor
Trinidadian/Jamaican
Jahron Brathwaite, a.k.a. PartyNextDoor, is a young and talented artist who flawlessly fuses soul-melting R&B vocals to his own abstract and dynamic music production. Some would argue he’s created a new genre of R&B. Party also writes and produces for other major artists, including Rihanna’s “Work” and DJ Khaled’s “Wild Thoughts”. Although he was born in Canada, Party’s parents are Trinidadian and Jamaican, making him a Canadian-Trinidadian-Jamaican living in America—take a second to process that one.
Rihanna
Barbadian
Robyn Rihanna Fenty has seen amazing success in her career as a recording artist and entrepreneur. She rose to fame around the age of 18 and continues reaching the top spot on iTunes and the Billboard top 100. She has a shoe line with Puma, her own fragrance and founded the Clara Lionel Foundation to help and support impoverished communities. What many don’t know is that her career began on the lush coast of Barbados where she was born, naturally making her a product of paradise.
Tyga
Jamaican/Vietnamese
Micheal Ray Stevenson is an American rapper and entrepreneur more commonly known as, Tyga, an acronym for “Thank you God Always”. T-Raww rose to fame by creating club bangers everyone can dance to. He is also remembered for his relationship with billionaire ex-girlfriend, Kylie Jenner. Tyga’s Caribbean roots stem from his Jamaican father—a cool combination of nationalities, don’t you think?
Jason Derulo
Haitian
This platinum-selling pop artist achieved success at a young age after finishing performing arts school. Early in his career, Jason Desrouleaux landed jobs writing for other famous artists like Diddy, Lil’ Wayne and the group Danity Kane. However, anyone that has seen him perform knows he has an innate ability for commanding a crowd himself, which remains uncommon in entertainment today. There are only a handful of artists who perform at this level from production to perfection on stage, and that’s why Jason has been so successful. Maybe all of this uncontrollable, raw talent is rooted in Derulo’s Haitian ancestry.
Beyoncé
Bahamian
With over 100 million records sold, 22 Grammys and 24 MTV Video Music Awards, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter is the most nominated woman in awards history. ‘Yoncé is an icon, role model and active leader for women of all ages; she’s constantly helping the world through activism and charities. Even with our current ability to trace DNA back to its origin, it’s unclear when exactly the Knowles family immigrated to America, however, it is confirmed they descended from the Bahamas.
