Meet Belizean Punta Rap Artist, Derz McVey!

He was born Ivor Ventura, but over the past two years, Belizean punta rap artist Derz McVey has been taking the music scene by storm. Due to the pandemic, however, McVey had to get creative with launching his music so he registered with an international association. He has been collecting royalties on his music, which can be found on iTunes and can be streamed on over fifty platforms. He told News Five today that his music is a fusion that pays homage to his Garifuna cultural heritage.

Derz McVey

Derz McVey, Belizean Punta Rap Artist

“I stand behind this new creation called punta rap, which is a mixture of dancehall and rap music put on an afrobeat or a punta rap fusion and that’s how I settle to be punta rap.  I just want create something that not only fi we native people could relate and listen to but people outside of our culture could listen to as well. So that’s just me behind my music. In today’s time, you can make money from putting your music in the different streaming platforms, but you need to be a registered musician. You need to join an association that can register and monitor your music online. So on each play that I get on YouTube or any of those platforms, I receive a compensation for it. Derz McVey wants to represent his culture on the international platform and not only to wave the flag on the biggest platform, but to show people that we can demand our respect through this music thing.”