Kurt Allen

The story so far.

Written and edited by Smokiller

Kurt Allen is a singer and songwriter who, according to the Trinidad Guardian, is the only calypsonian to have won the International Soca Monarch, the National Calypso Monarch and the Young King titles. His first Dimanche Gras bid came in 1997 with "Pass The Ball", which urged the elders of the art form to make room for younger voices, and he placed eighth. He then spent time in the soca scene singing with Roy Cape, and in 1999 he won the Soca Monarch with "Dus' Them". In 2010 he returned to commentary and became Calypso Monarch with his own song "Too Bright", a satire on intelligent leaders making poor decisions, beating Chalkdust and taking home $500,000. He credits Cro Cro, Black Stalin and Chalkdust as models for his style. Allen won Tuco's Political Commentary title with "The Last Badjohn", sings in the Kaiso Karavan tent and argues that soca is the child of calypso.