Port of Spain, 22 February 2017, In spite of amassing over 60,000 views on Facebook alone and attracting positive interest from the Ministry of Works and Transport, the comical and informative song by entertainer, Rodell “Ro’dey” Cumberbatch entitled ‘Hole In D Road’ has been denied airplay by some local radio stations.

“I can’t understand why any station would ban a song like this,” remarked Ro’dey’s manager Sharon Cumberbatch.

She described ‘Hole In D Road’ as “an upbeat, social commentary song, mixed with comedy and humor and designed to make people dance”.

“It’s not obscene at all and double entendre has been a main feature of Carnival and of our culture and society for such a long time. When you think of songs like Sparrow’s “Saltfish” and Crazy’s “Paul Yuh Muddah Come” and recognize that these songs were big hits that were played and sung across the board, you have to wonder what the problem really is with saying ‘it’s the Asphalt’ in 2017...”



As a part of his Carnival music releases for 2017, Cumberbatch decided to shed some light on the state of T&T's roads after damaging his car by hitting four pot holes around the Queen's Park Savannah. The social media sensation, theatrical comedian and radio-show host then released an anthem for the road entitled "Hole In D Road" under the alias of his comical character, “Wettty”.

Cumberbatch’s manager went on to say that the campaign came about because of the positive response to the song by the masses “who clearly see this as a major issue in our society and now have an easy means of highlighting it.”.

Wettty - Hole in D Road


Like most of Ro’dey’s videos, ‘Likes’, ‘Shares’ and Comments began pouring in mere hours after the song’s initial release on Monday 20th February 2017 on social media. Days later, the song has taken on a life of its own amassing over 11,000 views on YouTube and positive comments.

Cumberbatch then launched a campaign asking his fans, concerned citizens and all fans of the song to post pictures of pot-holes around the country that should be repaired and to tag their locations with the hashtag #HoleInDRoad. Since then, thousands have responded by doing exactly that.

Former Director of Highways, Ministry of Works and Transport and Consulting Engineer, Roger Ganesh is collaborating with Cumberbatch and his Management Team on the project and he says the song and the movement it has inspired are both important to our society and can even help to save lives.

“I’ve been an engineer for more than 36 years – traffic engineer, transportation engineer, highways engineer,” said Ganesh.


“This song and project has my full endorsement because the bottom line is that it’s highlighting an urgent need and can save lives. The Ministry can only respond to this positively as it helps them to know and see exactly where these dangerous holes are – and then, they can act to repair them.”

See the following lyrics for "Hole In D Road" and let us know your thoughts by sharing and commenting on the song and video:

Song Lyrics – Hole In D Road                      
Rodell Ro’dey Cumberbatch                         
                                                               
Intro

Hole Hole...Hole in the Road (x2)
Watch out for that Hole!
You see that big pothole?
Holey Moley...my suspensions are gone!

1st Verse

In my island...this day and age...i don't understand
I just buy four damn new tires...
When I touch the road meh shocks gone
It's so happen it's the month end
My girl want change in she hand
I don't have money to give she nah
My money gone to fix van

Pre-Chorus

And who fault it is?
It's the asphalt
I say
who fault it is?
It's the asphalt (aye watch yuh pitch)
who fault it is...who fault it is?
It's the asphalt (the asphalt)
who fault it is...who fault it is?
It's the asphalt

Chorus

Aye

Let me see you wine in a hole

No choice but to grind in a hole
Take meh time and wine in a hole
Is one set ah hole in the savannah
Morning till ah night in a hole
Doing what i like in a hole
Ah feeling ah vibes in a hole

Aye

Post-Chorus

Look a hole dere! (shift)
On d left dere! (shift)
On d right dere! (shift)
Behind and in front yuh! (shift)
One up d road! (shift)
Two down d road! (shift)

Protect yourself out of road...before you slip in a hole!
2nd Verse
Now allyuh
Remember what we just talk bout
Well let we put that topic on ice
Carnival Monday and Tuesday
The most hole ah see in meh life!
Its small hole its big hole
Hole in every size
Allyuh feel I joking
Facebook...lewee put it live!
 
Bridge (x2)
 
Just throw all the asphalt inside there...
Just all....just all Throw all...just all...
smoothen it out...smoothen it out
smoothen it...smoothen it...smoothen it out

ABOUT RO’DEY
Described as "the one-man theater company", Rodell Richard Isaiah Cumberbatch is a multitalented entertainer and artist from Trinidad and Tobago. To the rest of the world he is popularly known as the lovable laughable and larger-than-life radio and event host, "Ro'dey".

Ro'dey made a big splash on the local comedy scene with a series of hilarious sketches posted on social media via Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Capitalizing on his rise to fame, he joined the 96.1 WEFM Team and is a co-host on the very popular morning show "The Breakfast Party". Ro'dey is the creator and performer of his daily monologues with the popular catchphrase "Why doin it?" and main characters: “Fleeky”, “Wettty” and “Cassandra aka Pinky”, “Ahritedey”, “Ms Janice” and “James”. He has amassed over two hundred thousand fans – both foreign and local with his witty use of light-hearted satire to touch on relationships and other everyday social issues.