Punta rock or Belizean punta is a form of the traditional punta

Punta

Punta is a Garifuna music and dance style performed at celebrations and festive occasions. Contemporary punta, including Belizean punta rock, arose in the last thirty years of the twentieth century in Belize, Honduras and Guatemala. It also has a following in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Southern Mexico...

 rhythm

Rhythm

Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...

 of the Garifuna people of Honduras

Honduras

Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...

, Belize

Belize

Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...

 and Guatemala

Guatemala

Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...

.

Punta rock is distinctive from traditional punta in that the language and concepts are more adapted to the general Belizean identity. Although most artist and bands are exclusively Garifuna

Garifuna music

Garifuna music is quite different from the music of the rest of Central America. The most famous form is punta. Its associated musical style, which has the dancers move their hips from right to left in a circular motion...

, songs are usually in Kriol

Belizean Kriol language

Belizean Creole English, known as Kriol by its speakers, is an English-based creole language most closely related to Miskito Coastal Creole, Limón Coastal Creole, Colón Creole, San Andrés and Providencia Creole, Guyanese Creole, Jamaican Patois and English creoles of the Caribbean show similarity...

 or Garifuna

Garifuna language

Garifuna is an Arawakan language spoken in Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize by the Garifuna people. The language is also spoken to a lesser extent in Nicaragua's Mosquito Coast. Historically it was referred to as Carib or Black Carib and Igñeri by Europeans. Garifuna has a vocabulary split between...

 and rarely in Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

, or English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

. While this style is unique, calypso

Calypso music

Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...

 and soca

Soca music

Soca is a style of music from Trinidad and Tobago. Soca is a musical development of traditional Trinidadian calypso, through loans from the 1960s onwards from predominantly black popular music....

 have had slight influences on it. Like calypso, and soca, Belizean punta was used for both social commentary and risqué humor, though the initial wave of punta acts eschewed the former. Lord Rhaburn and the Cross Culture Band were integral in the acceptance of punta by Belizeans (namely Kriol

Belizean Kriol people

The Belizean Creoles, locally known as Kriols, are Creole descendants of English and Scottish log cutters, as well as Black African slaves brought to Belize. Other small minorities include Creoles and the Miskito from Nicaragua, Jamaicans, and other West Indians who assisted in the logging...

s) by actually doing calypso

Calypso music

Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...

 songs about punta such as "Gumagrugu Watah" and "Punta Rock Eena Babylon".

Notable Artists and Bands

- Belizean - Aziatic Mohobub Flores Titiman Flores Andy Palacio Andy Palacio Andy Vivian Palacio was a Belizean Punta musician and government official. He was also a leading activist for the Garínagu and their culture.-Biography:... Pen Cayetano Pen Cayetano Delvin "Pen" Cayetano is a Belizean artist and musician living in Germany 1990-2009. He and his German wife Ingrid returned to Dangriga in July 2009 and they openend the Pen Cayetano Studio Gallery 1... Paul Nabor Paul Nabor Paul Nabor is a paranda musician from Punta Gorda, southern Belize. His music is included on the showcase album Paranda on Stonetree Records. On a 2004 visit to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, he was declared a distinguished guest of the city.... Sound City Band Caribbean Dynamics Cross Culture Band Chico Ramos Nuru Lova Boy Punta Rebels Griga Boyz Lloyd Reckless Super G Aziatic Remnance Band Ugurau Mime Garif Rhodee Adrian "Doc" Martinez Guwie Possie New Rebels - Guatemalan - Black Fever La Buga Boys Paula Castillo Garifuna Stars Band Ervin Arzu GNG Band Ideal Castillo

- Honduran - Alagany Banda Blanca Banda Blanca Banda Blanca is a Honduran musical ensemble formed in January 17, 1971. They began as a rock band, but eventually integrated elements of merengue and punta to their music. The name of the band came after Antonio Lungas wanted a band to perform on the night club named "Garzas Blancas", and... Kazzabe Figaga Grupo Sambat La Fuerza Brava Los Professionales Los Roland's Los Satellites Los Sea Boys Los Silverstar Los Gatos Bravos Aurelio Martinez Chicas Roland's Estrellas Ubou Fernandez Band Kaligar Band Jimmy Suazo Y La Nychada Banda Show La Runy Hati Band Grupo H Gobana Guiriga Impacto La Gran Banda Lil June Big Junior Young Gari Juventud Garifuna Garifuna Outlawz Emilio Nunez Hengu Garingu Libana Maraza - Multiple Nationalities - Punta Cartel Garifuna Kids Garifuna Legacy Legacy Gifted Xcstacy Gx Team Cultural Legends

Hit songs

Some punta songs that have become worldwide hits:

• "One, Two, Three" - Guiriga Impacto
• "Mi Tradicion" - Kazzabe
• "Sopa De Caracol" - Banda Blanca (3 million records sold. Originally recorded by Chico Ramos as 'Conch Soup'.)
• "Punta Legacy" - Garifuna Legacy
• "4 Men" - Super G
• "Prym Tyme 69X" - Aziatic
• "Flirting Vibe" - Aziatic jk
• "Chatty Chatty" - Aziatic
• "Go!" - Aziatic
• "Punta Fever" - GX Team
• "Suavecito" - Garifuna Legacy
• "Bounile" - Punta Cartel
• "Hoo La Hoo" - Juventud Garifuna
• "Leh tu To" - Garif
• "Ti Boom Boom" - Reckless
• "Flour Lob" - Mime
• "On Fire" - Punta Rebels
• "Dance With Me" - Punta Rebels
• "Party" - Punta Rebels
• "Wala Wine" - Super G
• "Rapist" - Super G
• "Nanigi" - Super G
• "Ital Food" - Mohobub Flores
• "Laluda Beyu" - Chicas Roland's
• "Va Canon" - Los Silverstar
• "Paty" - Marcony Star
• "Duby" - Xcstacy
• "Noche De Sexo" - Eddy GNG
• "Sara Sara" - Garifuna Kids
• "Garinagu Waguya"- Los Seaboys
• "Watina" - Eduardo Ballesteros
• "Suba" -La Runy Hati Band
• "Chulugua" - Fernandez Band
• "Asa Tura" - Fernandez Band
• "Cabanichiga Bu" - Eduardo Ballestero
• "Manadi" - Estrellas Ubou
• "Envidia" - Jimmy Suazo