Coolest Caribbean People of 2011 - Part 2

Previously, I started honouring the most fascinating and/or successful West Indians of 2011. So far, women have been dominating the list but a few more good men got some recognition this time. Here is the second half of the coolest Caribbean people of 2011 in random order.

Rihanna

I think many of us already know this superstar’s backstory. Grammy-nominated duo Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers discovered Robyn Rihanna Fenty while on vacation in Barbados. They brought the 16-year-old Bajan beauty to Jay-Z and L.A. Reid of Def Jam Records and she was signed within a few hours. Since then, the pop idol has been dropping hit after hit and breaking world records. As of the end of 2011, Rihanna sold the most digital tracks (47 million) ever, bettering her contemporaries Lady Gaga and Beyonce. Fans have also been clamouring to see her perform live; Rihanna made US$90 million from her LOUD world tour in 2011, ranking seventh among the top artistes who tour worldwide. The Bajan sensation has beaten Madonna's record for a solo artist achieving 20 top 10 singles in the shortest amount of time. On top of that, her monster hit ‘We Found Love’ was the longest-leading No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2011. Rihanna even made the Guiness Book of World Records for being the first female artist to have No. 1 singles in the United Kingdom for 5 consecutive years. There’s no stopping this girl!

Rihanna performing live in Paris (Photo by oouinouin)

Shala Monroque

Art consultant, creative director, style icon and muse Shala Monroque of St. Lucia is not exactly a household name but her relationship with art dealer Larry Gagosian propelled her into the highest circles of fashion, art and society. Miuccia Prada loves Shala and she has been the muse for many high fashion designers. She has appeared in Harper’s Bazaar and Essence, and was the cover girl for New York Magazine and Town & Country. Shala is also a Vogue darling; she makes regular appearances on the publication’s online best dressed list, Vogue Australia hails her as a style hero and she was featured in a Caribbean-themed photo shoot in Vogue Japan. Shala is not just a fashionable socialite though; she’s the creative director of the new art-meets-fashion magazine Garage. The fashion muse attributes her fearlessness as well as her bold, colourful tastes to her Caribbean heritage.

Shala Monroque (Photo by Poise & Vogue)

Marihenny Rivera Pasible

Marihenny River Pasible is one of the hot new faces in the fashion world. The teenager from the Dominican Republic got discovered and signed by New York Model Management. Marihenny has demonstrated that she has strong runway presence and knows how to take gorgeous pictures; her full, pouty lips are bound to become her trademark. This fresh face has walked for Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Topshop, Giles and Prada, and has modelled for different fashion publications such as Teen Vogue, Vanity Fair, Nylon, Style.com and V Magazine. She was even featured in Vogue Italia’s New Faces. And, of course, one of her favourite designers is fellow countryman Oscar de la Renta.

Marihenny Rivera Pasible

Nexcyx

Pop band Nexcyx has a strong following in Barbados and has been making their mark internationally. In less than a decade, Nexcyx has landed numerous gigs in North America and the Caribbean. Mahalia, Andre, Russell, Kris and Chad’s hard work over the past few years has been paying off. They started 2011 by being voted Artist of the Week on MTV Iggy and they were the March Artist of the Month on Rockwired. They performed at the South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival in Texas for the second year in a row and also won the Barbados Music Award for Band of the Year. With the release of their debut EP ‘Queen’, Nexcyx is set to take on the music industry with their eclectic and versatile sound.

Nexcyx (Photo Source)

Usain Bolt

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt stole West Indian hearts when he became the Olympic champion for the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4x100 metres relay in 2008. He hasn’t slowed down since. Despite disappointing many sports fans by getting eliminated from the 2011 World Championships’ 100 metres final for a false start, he still prevailed. Bolt won the gold medal for the 200 metres race as well as the 4x100 metres relay with the Jamaican team, setting a world record time of 37.04 seconds. The 2012 Summer Olympics in London will surely be exciting with “Lightning” Bolt’s on and off track antics. Look out for his autobiography scheduled for release this year.

Patrice Grell Yursik

Patrice Grell Yursik is a pretty big deal in the blogosphere. The Trinidadian-born blogger was highlighted in Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 for its December/January issue. Patrice, who is based in Chicago, created Afrobella, a popular beauty, fashion and culture blog in 2006. In her interview with Islandista, Patrice said she loves being a blogger because “I inspire others to celebrate their own beauty and very often I hear from women who tell me they were inspired to love their hair, their features, their skin colour, and their bodies because of me. That’s more than I ever could have dreamed of…” And did we mention she has her own lipstick with Mac?!

Patrice Grell Yursik of Afrobella (Photo Source)

Ebonnie Rowe

Ebonnie Rowe has been an integral part of the Canadian music industry. In her capacity as CEO of PhemPhat Entertainment Group, a non-profit company that supports and promotes female artistes, Ebonnie produces Honey Jam, an all-female talent showcase that marked its 16th year last summer in Toronto. Honey Jam features female entertainers of a wide variety of genres and the show’s most famous discovery was songstress Nelly Furtado. In 2011, Ebonnie hosted two Honey Jam events in her parents’ homeland Barbados. ‘Taste of Honey Jam’, held last February to a packed audience, gave Barbadians a sample of what locals had to offer and may have encouraged support for the official ‘Honey Jam Barbados’ event produced in November. Ebonnie struggled to get sufficient financial sponsorship but still persevered with a showcase that was a smash hit, giving talented Bajan women exposure to international music business moguls in the process.

Ebonnie Rowe at 'A Taste of Honey Jam' (Photo by Michael Rapley)

Darren Bravo

Last month, Darren Bravo, batsman for the West Indies cricket team, was honoured with the title Trinidad & Tobago Sportsman of the Year. The 22-year-old made 949 runs at an average of 49.94 in 20 innings from 10 matches, scoring 3 hundreds and 3 half-centuries. His maiden Test hundred was his 195 against Bangladesh. He then scored two hundreds against India in successive Tests. He also performed wonderfully in One-day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals. Cricket must be in his blood because Dwayne Bravo is his brother and the legendary Brian Lara is his cousin.

Darren Bravo (Photo by westindiescricket)

Pitbull

Some people might be surprised to see Pitbull on this list but the rapper, singer/songwriter and producer is Cuban-American. Although Pitbull faced resistance in the rap game because of his ethnic background, he was able to release his debut album ‘M.I.A.M.I.’ in 2004. Since then Pitbull has worked with the likes of Lil Jon, Jennifer Lopez and T-Pain. His 2011 dance anthem ‘Give Me Everything’ became Pitbull’s first song to top the Billboard Hot 100. The hit single, which features Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer, has also been named the Latino Song of the Year. On top of that, Pitbull hosts his own Spanish-language program ‘La Esquina’. Check out his hot collaboration with Latin pop sensation Marc Anthony below.

If you missed it, check out the Coolest Caribbean People of 2011 – Part 1.