Overview:
Haitian slam continues to outlive and adapt, like many different inventive tendencies, in a Haiti ravaged by gang violence for a number of years, because of slam poets who proceed to put in writing, compose, and produce studio recordings.
From Jouinie Angélica Michel, referred to as Angelle l’Authentique, who shattered boundaries as the primary feminine Nationwide Slam Champion, to Jean Joseph Makanaki Audain, whose multilingual artistry bridges cultures from his base in Chile, these voices carry Haitian slam poetry’s mission as a type of protest and self-expression. Ketchna Septama, or “Kech,” channels private experiences with violence into evocative items that resonate deeply with Haiti’s most weak. As profiled intimately right here, these slam poets exemplify the artwork kind’s enduring energy to encourage, heal, and demand justice.
Listed here are 5 extra Haitian slammers who proceed to push boundaries, crafting poignant odes to themes of affection, societal morals, and the lived experiences of Haitians each in Haiti and throughout the diaspora.
Négresse Colas lives within the USA, however her roots are in Haitian slam
“Négresse Colas,” born Manicheca Colas, is a slam artist and author who joined the sport already having a group of poetry. Earlier than discovering slam, she honed her expertise performing in church buildings in Port-au-Prince. An entrepreneur and feminist, she is obsessed with music and poetry.
“Slam is essentially the most sensible method to convey poetry into folks’s every day lives. It’s a world created for me,” she says.
In Jan. 2019, she started her slam profession with a collaboration with Nervno Fils de Plume. Her piece towards violence in direction of ladies established her as a defender of ladies’s rights. She launched “Espérance de verre” in 2020 and “Litani” in 2021, accessible on her YouTube channel. Now based mostly in the USA, she is engaged on new initiatives.
Chouno Lamarre, referred to as “Slamarre”
Chouno “Slamarre” Lamarre graduated in Dramatic Arts from ENARTS in 2016. Born in Torbeck, Haiti, he’s an actor, net designer, dancer, and artwork professor on the Institut Monetane Saint Luc (APJ). Slamarre began slam poetry in 2010, after the earthquake, and rapidly grew to become a nationwide champion. He embraced poetry as a way to lift consciousness, inform, and educate folks.
In 2024, he based the Krèm-Lank Cultural Association, which organizes Haiti’s largest slam pageant, the place he serves as Inventive Director. Over time, he has develop into one of the fashionable slammers within the nation, acting at main occasions just like the Slam Haiti Pageant, CARIFESTA, and the Nationwide Carnival.
Although he hasn’t launched an album but, Slamarre has recorded several slam tracks, together with “Ret Zanj,” “Takte Lanm,” “Trafiquant,” and “Ti Piano Made in USA.” He continues to be a key promoter of slam in Haiti.
Darby Syntya Eutaly Belizaire, a slammer by evening
Darby Syntya Eutaly Belizaire is the voice that marks Haitian slam along with her phrases and galvanizing lyrics. Born in Port-au-Prince, knowledgeable medical biologist and a passionate slammer, she has been writing and reciting texts since her seventh 12 months of college, between 2008 and 2009. As she grew, she transitioned from declamation to slam, which grew to become a “lifeline and a instrument for sharing.”
In 2012, she joined the slam group Z’eau collectif, based by rapper Wedly Mozeau. She went on to construct a solo profession lending her voice and lyrics to a number of initiatives, together with the EP of slammer Condamné LSP and the album of Dydy Skyman, earlier than releasing her first single “M pa féminis” in 2020.
In April 2021, she launched her first slam compilation titled “Condamnée,” a demo of 4 tracks exploring themes of ardour, sensuality, longing, and frustration.
Yves Fredly Merizier, a fan of his slam works
Yves Fredly Merizier began his slam profession underneath the title “Ren-Artwork.” An solely little one, he was born in Mirebalais and later grew up in Carrefour, the place he found poetry in elementary college. Along with his love for writing, he’s a producer and entrepreneur, serving as CEO of the rum model RA CACAO.
Nonetheless, it was in 2019 that Ren-Artwork made a major entry into the Haitian slam scene together with his first studio challenge, Ayiti San koulè, after inserting among the many winners of the primary version of Krèm-Lank slam contest. From 2019 to 2021, Ren-Art recorded several tracks, together with “Kòkòt ak Figaro,” “Valè Manman,” and “Ayiti Mal,” earlier than releasing his first music video for the monitor Bèl Kreyati that includes Djay Brown. To solidify his presence within the slam neighborhood, he launched his first slam compilation in February 2023, a six monitor composition.
Kerven Dessources, slammer referred to as “Vens le penseur”
Vens le Penseur, initially drawn to singing as a composer and maestro, started writing in 2010 whereas dwelling together with his grandmother. After finishing highschool, he studied authorized sciences on the State College of Haiti. His ardour for reciting texts led him to Haitian slam when he moved in together with his mom, a proficient storyteller.
In 2014, he carried out at faculties and church buildings, however absolutely embraced slam together with his first live performance in 2017. His work addresses social points, significantly the Haitian expertise, as seen in songs like “Vwazen,” “Foulosophe,” “Fils du système,” and “Non!”
In 2019, he was named Slammer of the Yr and received the “Choc des Titans” competitors. After changing into the 2018 champion of “Slam o Rap” and successful a contest in Mirebalais in 2017, he launched his debut album, Foulosophe, in 2022, impressed by Haiti’s socio-political struggles.