Shaft: Writing Soca Hits and Surviving the Industry | Down by Deli

Deli — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 15:00:00 -0400

Before "Lucy," "Backyard Jam," "Inch by Inch," and "Mash Up," Shaft's story started in Rapso. On Down by Deli, he sits down with Deli to talk about the surprise person who opened the doors to Soca for him, how the industry is changing, and why every creative needs to secure their royalties and build generational wealth.

In this episode:
0:00 Opening

0:49 Welcome and meet our guest

2:04 Early beginnings in Rapso

10:50 The surprise person who opened the doors to Soca

21:31 Changes to Soca and the stakeholders in the industry

25:09 How to secure your future and build generational wealth

26:48 AI: harmful or helpful?

46:56 Most underrated artiste

53:10 Biggest fear

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CREDITS
Executive Producer: Deli
Producer & Project Manager: Shamelia Thomas
Editor: Renaldo de Bourg
Theme Music: Jason 'Shaft' Bishop

Welcome to Down by Deli

Deli — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:45:52 -0400

Pull up, you're early. 🎙️

Down by Deli is a lime, not a press interview: real, unhurried conversations with people from across the Caribbean, diaspora and beyond.

Season 1 premieres Tuesday, October 20, with new episodes every Tuesday.

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