By Steve Desrosiers

Last month we explored a few of the reasons why Haiti's popular music soared in the 1970s and much of the 1980s. This month we delve into murkier waters; the state of Haitian music promotion.

The current situation is one where most promoters in the industry are interested in promoting bands that have established audiences. Many are interested in predictable...

By Steve Desrosiers

You’ll probably never forget where you were or what you were doing when you heard the news. I was sneaking a little time on Facebook enjoying a conversation with a fellow musician who was gigging in Switzerland.

We were enjoying a nice chat when she suddenly typed “They’re saying Michael Jackson’s dead?”
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Manno Charlemagne Les Inedits(unedited)
By Steve Desrosiers
His was the voice and conscience of the generation of Haitian men and women who ousted the Duvalier regime in the early 1980s. Manno Charlemagne also helped to usher in Haiti’s first attempt at Democratic government ten years later.

Charlemagne was born in Carrefour, Port-au-Prince...

PIERRE GARDY FONTAINE “Oh Glory”

By Steve Desrosiers
Every once in a while, the Haitian Music Industry receives an unexpected surprise from its adoring supporters! Usually, it’s in the form of music from a local artist whose skills would otherwise have gone unnoticed had they not taken a chance on our humble publication. Such is the case with singer...

Haiti’s Rap-Kreyol community has a lot to celebrate with the release of Barikad Crew’s (BC) “Jisko Bou”. The talented young MCs‘repping Port-au-Prince’s downtrodden working class hoods now boast a mainstream album backed by Wyclef Jean’s Sak-Pase Records.

Like most of Haiti’s Hip-Hop influenced groups, Barikad’s rise was long and difficult. The crew’s...