Music - Haiti Popular songs

July, 2016 - The superstar of Raboday, Fresh La who is the lead vocal of the musical group Vwadezil has been named Director of Cultural Affairs in the city of Delmas by the new Mayor Wilson Jeudy.

Donald Joseph, alias, Fresh La, the Haitian pop singer and band leader of 'Vwadèzil' is synonymous with the 'voice of the island.' In Haiti he is known as the reigning "King of Raboday." "Rabòday" is the new wave of electronic dance music which has invaded the sound systems of Haiti. It dominates street parties, taxi stands and even the rowdy basketball tournaments. The most carnival songs of 'Vwadèzil' are known as "meringues;" they add a political dimension, lampooning mostly politicians to the three-day carnival celebrations. In his music, Fresh La loves to speak out against political corruption and society's ills. In 2007, when MINUSTAH made Haiti a comfortable venue where MINUSTAH member countries could practice warfare, the group Vwadezil composed the song, "MINUSTAH, you're really just a tourista. You're holding back my country,"..... You're just lounging around so why don't you get ... out." As per recent news dated July 12, 2016, Fresh La has been nominated and installed as the new director of cultural affairs in the commune of Delmas, Port-au-Prince Haiti.

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Here is a picture of the Haitian artist Richard Auguste Morse. Born in the Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico, Richard Auguste Morse of the famous Haitian rasin band RAM is the son of the famous Haitian singer Emerante de Pradine. and Richard M. Morse.

Richard Morse moved to Haiti in 1985, the country of his mother and started the musical band RAM. he is also the owner of the
famous Hotel Oloffson, a 19th century Gothic gingerbread house

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Here is how President Michel Martelly has decided to end his presidency. Kanaval 2016 Sweet Miky, TI LILI (Liliane Pierre Paul)

As per Haitian proverb, if you add "Ti" before someone's name, you infer that, the person is a thief. When President Michel Martelly visited Radio Television Caraibes on May 16, 2013 for a program, he commented if Lilianne Pierre Paul terms 'Michel Martelly' as 'Sweet Micky', there would be nothing wrong for him to call her as "Ti lili." Liliane opened her criticism with a French proverb which means, 'comparison is not right, it proves nothing'. She said, Sweet Micky is the name that gave Martelly his musical career and his position as the Head of the State, whereas 'Lily' is a name that was affectionately given by her brother. Liliane Pierre-Paul is a pride of the Haitian society; she is the President of the Association of Haitian Media and also a star reporter and a regular host of Radio Kiskeya. She has remained vocal against all irregularities and election frauds, especially targeting Martelly's PHTK platform. Recently, the President Martelly has released his carnival meringue for 2016 targeting journalist Liliane Pierre-Paul. It is a shame for a man like his stature to display own displeasure and disrespect in such a vulgar manner. However, if he has chosen to mark the end of his government in this manner, not in a cohesive tone, it would a typically of his character.

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Fresh La Shakes Up the Establishment

Haitian singer, Fresh La, is a leading expositor of Raboday. Raboday appeared on the music scene following 2010's earthquake.

The new music deviates from classic Hip-Hop, which sings of life's materialistic pursuits. Instead Raboday tackles social issues holding Haiti back: government corruption, poverty, and education among them.

Although Fresh La is criticized by those whom he exposes, it doesn't prevent him from singing about reforms, which Haiti needs to move the country forward.

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The Haitian rara music has become truely international. Due to its popularity, efforts have been made to make it even more popular by teaching the young Haitian the Rara music.

'Rara music' is one form of traditional Haitian festival music that takes place throughout the Easter Week and is performed mainly in street processions. Its songs are sung in Kreyòl that speaks about the African ancestry of the Afro-Haïtian masses and it blends the Voodoo and Christian influences with rhythms. To preserve this form of traditional culture, Little Haiti Cultural Center in Miami has created 'Rara Institute' where the teens can learn to make and play traditional Rara instruments in a formal classroom setting. Rara musical instruments generally consist of a set of cylindrical bamboo trumpets called vaksen (sometimes made of metal pipes), güiros or güiras (a percussion instrument), maracas, drums, and metal bells. Their summer workshop that culminated with the Haitian Heritage Festival in May 2015 is the start of a long-term program to incorporate Rara and other traditional Haitian music.

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Here is a picture of Haitian artist Jean-Jean Roosevelt.

Jean-Jean Roosevelt, the winner of the 7th edition of the Games of La Francophonie, held in Opéra de Nice, France, has been invited by the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF) to perform in a concert during the official ceremony of the Francophonie to be held in Hanoi, Vietnam on March 20, 2015. A second concert for him would be jointly organized by the Embassy of Haiti in Vietnam and OIF, is scheduled for March 22 in Ho Chi Minh City at the venue of the National Conservatory of Music. Jean-Jean Roosevelt has proved that wholesome entertainments if combined with art, imagination, sensitivity, poetry, song and talent- they are simply Haitians. With this initiative, the Haitian Embassy in Vietnam wishes to promote artistic and cultural exchanges between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of Haiti.

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Here is a picture of the famous Haitian musical band Rara Lakay in little Haiti Miami Florida.

Big Night in Little Haiti is held every third Friday of each month. November's theme was Haitian Roots, part of an eight-day festival, the 31st Miami Book Fair International, hosted by Miami-Dade College's Center for Writing and Literature.

BNLH introduced Lakou Mizik to American audiences. The concert was a pastiche of music styles, influential musicians, and timely social issues, but also traditional music, reinvented for today's audiences. Lakou Mizik has recording spaces in Port-au-Prince and Jacmel.

Rara Music Embodies the Haitian Spirit

Rara, the latest genre of Haitian music, is an electronic dance music format. It is percussion-based using petwo drum rhythms from Africa. Tin horns and cylindrical bamboo trumpets round out the Rara sound.

A popular Rara group called Rara Lakay leads dancers through Little Miami streets during Lent. Other times they hold private events at homes.

The lively Rara sound emerged in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, symbolic of the resiliency of the Haitian spirit.

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Here is a classic case of an individual who would not accept defeat. Many people present at the Digicel Stars 2014 felt that there was something fishy about the result of the competition when it was announced that Rose Dahlia was the winner.

For many people, the think that the organizers of the Digicel Star, Carel Pedre in particular, is not rewarding people in the competition based on their ability.

The majority of the people present think that the winner of the Digicel Stars 2014 is Charlin Bateau.

Kreyol Pale, Kreyol Kompran

♫♪♫ ♪ ♫ Magouy, Magouy, Magouy.......

Mezanmi, moun yo rele Magouy fèt nan Digicel Stars 2014.

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Here is a picture of Deputy Gracia Delva as he is congratulating Michel Martelly as the new President of Haiti with his wife Sophia Martelly on his side. Like Michel Martelly, Gracia Delva ia an accomplished musician. He was the singer and also maestro of the group Mass Kompa. Before he was forced to return to Haiti, Mr. Delva played with the group Zinglen where he became very popular.

Gracia Delva, Michel Martelly, Sophia Martelly

Gracia Delva is a Haitian Singer, Composer turned actor who was born on November 20, 1973 at Marchand Dessalinnes in the Lower Artibonite. Delva formed his own group (Mass Konpa) in July 2003. He made his acting debut with the Haitian movie "Le 11eme Commandemant"(or, the 11 Commandments), released in July 2005 and started his music career with the formation of a young group "GEROSTAR". Although the group made him a star, but it lasted for a very short period. In 1992, he joined Djakout Mizik and made glorious performances on Champ de Mars and Eastern Parkway in New York. He left Haiti for U.S in 1996 and met geniuses Zenglen. They two created wonderful songs together like 'DWET 5'. However, his combination with Zenglen also did not last longer. Because of some U.S. immigration issues, Gracia had to leave America and settled in Haiti in 2002. After the music, he entered politics and was elected as MP for Marchand Dessalines and visited U.S on 22 September 2011 as a Member of Marchand Dessalines and also as the President of the Committee on Culture and Tourism. After nine years of absence, Gracia Delva has made his musical comeback with his band Mass Konpa in U.S.A on 19 May 2012.

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The loss of Jean Michel Daudier, who recorded his songs not only in French and English, but in the native Creole, should be a great one if his contributions to the prevalent cause of the time, the tyrannical reign of Baby Doc, were to be quantified. He found fame that he could not claim when his 1986 recording, 'Lem pa we soley la' became a sort of anthem for three generations, and his other works were recorded in a 1997 book entitled, 'A day for the Hunter, A Day for the Prey'

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