Ras Cas

Featuring as songwriter, vocalist and instrumentalist with the guitar and Steelpan (the national musician instrument of Trinidad & Tobago and quintessential sound of the Caribbean Islands) Ras Cas is truly a uniquely talented artiste. Starting off on steelpan at the tender age of 4 yrs old, he grew up performing pan as well as singing Calypso and Extempo (a lyrically freestyle but still melodic form of Calypso) and Parang (Venezuelan-influenced folk music of Trinidad often sung in Spanish). While at university in Trinidad he offered musical accompaniment, composition and arrangement to spoken word/ rapso group Word Sound and Power, whose Muhammad Muwakil went on to found Freetown Collective. Ras Cas was also part of the Trinidadian “World Acoustic Fusion” band Terrenaissance, featuring in their debut EP, “Earthology” (2020) which landed a distribution deal with Audiomaze Records out of The Netherlands. Performing extensively in Trinidad with various Parang bands & Steel orchestras for over a decade, Ras Cas has also served as a cultural ambassador, with performances, demonstrations and lectures in Kenya (2006, 2007), Curacao (2009), Guadeloupe, France (2011, 2012), Brazil (2011), California (Success Steel) (2014-2020) and Hawaii (2021-22), even hosting a radio show on Mana’o Radio 91.7 FM, Maui Hawaii (2022 - 2023). In 2021 - 2022 he accompanied Jamaican Reggae artiste Syd Perry on his Hawai’ian islands tour and also featured as lead singer for Calypso band Mas’ (Feb - Oct 2022). As a singer-songwriter Ras Cas has been performing for the past 15+ years at various shows and venues around Trinidad & Tobago, Los Angeles (since 2016) and Maui, Hawaii (since 2021). In 2018 he released his first single “Barrel Baby” locally in Trinidad, receiving positive attention and airplay as well as a radio interview. In 2022 he released his first global single “The War is Not Over”, again receiving radio interviews and airplay in the Caribbean as well as the US, and streaming on all major platforms. His most recent release "Never Burn (Kū Paʻa) is an anthem of empowerment and resilience inspired by the devastating 2023 Maui wildfires and Hawaiiansʻ ongoing fight for justice and sovereignty. His eclectic and versatile style reflects his influences, Reggae, Soca and Calypso but also Spoken-word, Afrobeat and Jazz. With a wide lyrical range, Ras Cas is a poet, profoundly inspired by nature, who constantly seeks to connect to and share Truth, Justice and Love.