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Kreyol Hip Hop

Johny Jacques:
In-Depth at the Kreyol Hip Hop Movement

I wrote a column on Kreyol Hip Hop for the Haitian Times Newspaper less than a year ago today, but now that I read it back I realize how premature that piece was. In the past 6 months, I've gotten in to the point of no return with the Kreyol Hip Hop circle and have become an unofficial spokesperson for the movement. Had I known then what I know today, I would have shone the light deeper into the movement than I did in the column. Since my writing, I was contacted by several key players in the core of the Kreyol Hip Hop Movement and they've extended their open arms and welcomed me into the underground world of real Haitian Kreyol speaking Hip Hop.

Contrary to most beliefs, Kreyol Hip Hop is nothing new. I remember Haiti coming to life both on the radio and TV back in the mid 80s when Master Dji's music videos and songs would come on. Master Dji to many, including myself was one of the pioneers of the movement. Even still you can find traces of Haitians rapping prior Master Dji's explosion on the scene. Take the song "Juicy Lucy" by Tabou Combo in 1984. Though it wasn't done in Kreyol, it was some seriously entertaining Hip Hop. So please, before continuing on just keep in mind, this movement has been around longer than some of us. I truly believe Kreyol Hip Hop in Haiti would have been only second to American Hip Hop today in popularity had it not been for our political turmoil in the 80s which saw the disappearance of Haiti's middle class as well as chased away a lot of the art and culture in our society.

It has been a struggle for me trying to explain to my friends and sometimes family what Kreyol Hip Hop is all about. To simply put it as Hip Hop music in Kreyol is not telling the whole story. In my heart from what I've seen and heard and what I experience with this crowd everyday, this music, if supported by the Haitian communities can blossom and really help Haiti come out of the crippled state that it is in now. Hip Hop is very powerful when used properly. It is like nuclear power; it can build or destroy depending on its implementation. These Haitian youths have revived the original grassroots Hip Hop that brought pride to Black America in the 80s and early 90s. It is truly a movement at this stage more then it is a music genre.

Just as interesting as the music itself, are the characters that form the core or the leaders of this movement. You have artists like Seca Konsa whom in my eyes is the most lyrically gifted. It is not an exaggeration to call this man the Haitian Tupac Shakur for the depth and versatility of his delivery and messages. You can see in him a youth that struggles with many emotions including the love he has for Haiti, the guilt for leaving and the denial that he's here in America to stay. If Seca didn't have Hip Hop to express his soul he'd probably be a menace to society as too many emotions inside one person can never be healthy and you can see him using Hip Hop as a way to let it all out or vent. I truly connect with this artist as most people who hear him do. What he feels is felt by many of us who live day to day feeling out of place and hold onto our Haitian roots and identity.

Continue with Johny's in-depth article...