Calypso is a music genre that arose on the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean, absorbing the African rhythmic traditions brought by enslaved people and European influences. It is closely tied to the vivid Trinidad carnival.
The most characteristic feature of calypso is its lyrics: witty, ironic, often sharply social and satirical. The performers (calypsonians) commented in song on political events, everyday stories, and gossip, so calypso was a kind of “people's newspaper” and the voice of the ordinary folk. Rhythmically the genre rests on syncopated African patterns, and the accompaniment traditionally includes guitar and percussion. Calypso became the foundation from which soca and other Caribbean styles later grew, and it also became the core repertoire of Trinidad's steel-drum orchestras.
