Out Of The Caribbean: Machel Montano’s ‘Like Ah Boss: Journey of a Soca King’ Jamaica Screening

April 17th, Kingston Jamaica …

I was excited to be in the building when Trinidad’s forever Soca Monarch and music legend Machel Montano premiered his bio-documentary at a screening for invited guests at the Carib 5 Cinema, Kingston Jamaica, my first international press event was a big one!

Like Ah Boss: Journey of a Soca King, takes audiences on a wild ride through the unexpected highs and lows of one of Soca’s most influential stars. If you are not already aware of the gravity and greatness of Machel Montano, this film is the perfect introduction. The opening scenes feature testimonials from household names who have either worked with Montano or admired his relentless work ethic and impact. Will Smith, Pitbull, Tyla, Rihanna, Drake and Wizkid are just some of the names featured within the first five minutes.

From Child Star to Soca Monarch

The film is directed by Bart Phillips, who has also helmed in-depth documentaries on Hip Hop and Stevie Wonder, and co-directed by Che Kothari, Montano’s longtime manager. The story centres primarily around 2015, a pivotal year in which Montano vowed to exit the International Soca Monarch competition by going out “like ah boss.” He won the title, of course, before launching into a gruelling run of high-energy international performances.

The best parts of the film focus on Montano’s’ humble beginnings. His parents noticed his vocal talent at a very young age and set him up for stardom when they entered him into a Junior Monarch competition at age nine, which he won. From that moment he vowed to be the biggest Soca star in the world. The documentary traces his journey through negative press as a child star, Career lows as a teenager when the music was not hitting the charts, and even his appearance on the American talent show Star Search, which he lost. It also explores house-inspired Soca track that reignited his career, and the rest, his career history to date, is shown with great care and emotion throughout the film.

Following the screening, a Q&A hosted by former Miss Jamaica and TV presenter Yendi Phillips gave audiences deeper insight into the making of the documentary. Montano talked about the challenge he faced putting the documentary together, choosing what parts of his life to document and what to leave out, and the total of eleven years in development to get to this point, and the best parts not even being included.

“This was quite a challenge for us. It took us eleven years to do this and it’s just part of the story. This isn’t even the whole story. This is just what we could’ve done.” He stated, also teasing a follow-up project in the future.

The documentary’s emotional core lies in watching Montano and his team navigate sixteen shows in seven days, revealing the discipline and extraordinary work ethic that have kept him at the top for decades. While I have long been a fan of his music, I was unfamiliar with many of the more personal and controversial moments explored in the film: the lawsuits, the fast-paced lifestyle, and the tragic collapse of a VIP stand during his 2000 ‘Real Unity’ concert at Chaguaramas Heliport in Trinidad, which injured several patrons and resulted in years of legal battles.

It is those harrowing moments which have seen Montano change his life, with the help of Yoga, wellness and meditation, he left the playboy/rockstar image. One of the standout moments documenting this evolution is footage from his 2020 Valentine’s Day wedding to longtime partner Renée Butcher, which was later recreated onstage during the final edition of his annual Machel Monday concert series at Trinidad’s Hasely Crawford Stadium, where the entire audience and wedding party wore white.

Montano told the star-studded audience that Jamaica is close to his heart because it shaped his formative years. He attended primary school at Mona Basic School, Kingston, as a child and was part of the early days of Jamaica Carnival alongside calypso legend Byron Lee, who led the first Jamaica Carnival road march.

Montano is currently on a global tour following his record-breaking 12th Road March title. He performed at Jamaica Carnival on April 17th, with the next major stop in West Africa at Karnival Kingdom in Ghana, 23th–28th April, this stop being a part of his push to expand Soca’s footprint in the African diaspora and beyond.

Like Ah Boss… is scheduled for a Digital release on May 29th across all platforms