Welcome to another episode of Haitian Music All Up Your Ears, also known as Haitian Music Reviews…For today’s episode, we will review an album by Haiti-based raptress Princess Eud.
Sometimes, I enjoy listening to albums as the tracks are sequenced by the artists, and then there are times when I look at the prearranged playlist and just pick a song based on its title. So I picked “Fanm”. My presumption was that it was going to be a girl empowerment song, and I was rather accurate!
Now, there are songs that you have to allow to grow on you. There are songs that are winners on the spot. “Fanm” is such a song. Featuring another artist named F Mack, “Fanm” is the ultimate feminist track. It speaks on the condition of women, and how females are raised to accept mediocrity from men, to bat their eyes when they’re wronged and abused, and more devastatingly of all, to think of themselves as sub-human.
“Je Rappe Fort” (I Rap Hard) continues the same theme explored in “Fanm”. A woman’s self-respect is of the essence, Princess Eud contends. She talks of women who are posting photos of their mates for the sake of how it will look to the outside. Meanwhile, some of these men, are degrading these same women behind closed doors. The song “Zèb” (Grass) features Zion and another female rapper named Burning Fat Ass. Er interesting name. Going back to the track, the song explores the life of women rappers and the lives of everyday women and their trials.
Princess Eud Eudomination
This song has vibes from 1990s hip-hop. Probably the most hardcore thing on Eudomination.
Produced by Pipo Beat, the song “Yon Lòt” (Another One) is more reggae than traditional hip-hop. It’s about a relationship that’s falling apart. The narrator has already resigned herself to the fact that the man she loved has his eyes fixated elsewhere. He’s acting brand new on her. She’d love to go berserk with her emotions, but would rather not make a scene. The usually-composed rapper seems to be on the verge of a nervous background on the bridge of the song. The pain in her voice doesn’t feel like a vocal performance, but rather something she feels as Princess Eud the person.
“Rablabla” (Gibberish), features Ded Kra-Z. It’s the battle of the sexes set to a hot hip-hop beat. It’s about a couple coming to terms with their relationship going from the love-struck stage to the reality stage. He posts pictures of other women on his social media accounts, all the while not the least preoccupied of how this may make her feel. He fails to pay her compliments the way he did when they first met. Moreover, he doesn’t give her attention nor does he make any moves to spice up the relationship. He has some complaints of his own. She always has her phone set to silent. Smart comments always escaping her lips. She makes no effort to understand him anymore. He can never do anything right in her eyes. Neither of them want to come to a compromise of sort. Well!
Sounding much like a musical banquet, “Caribbean Love” is a collaboration featuring Ded Kra Z and Admiral T, an artist from the French Caribbean island Guadeloupe. Princess Eud has a lot of fun on this one.
“Tonight, I won’t be staying at home,” Princess Eud sings in “Mennenm Danse” (Take Me Dancing). This track has hip-hop layers, but it’s decidedly a dance track. There’s no other song like “Mennenm Danse” on Eudomination that suggests such a carefree attitude to life.
I was immediately taken by “Genlè W Se Madam Mwen (I Must Be Your Wife). The sarcastic title by itself was enough to draw me in. A woman is fed up with carrying the full responsibilities in a relationship. And on top of her assuming all the finances in the relationship, and managing domestic affairs, she’s also paying all the bills. To add insult to injury, she’s being disrespected by her mate. He won’t lift as much as a finger to help her. Oh! She’s got reasons to be outraged by this freeloader.
Those three songs “Fanm”, “Zèb”, “Je Rappe Fort” truly make a statement on the female condition in Haiti, and on the state of women in the rest of the world in general.
Haitian Fresh set things off in “Map Gade’w” (Looking at You). She’s crushing on him. He feels the same way too. But who will make the first move?
Princess Eud Eudomination
For “Voye’m Monte” (Put Me On), the Princess-Raptress turns to the producer Pipo Beat once again. The track is wild, and you can literally picture her jumping up and down in a studio, scratching sound boards, and perhaps even knocking down some instruments. “Hyprocrites be up in church/In your front porch/Pretending to be your bosom buddy,” she warns. The Princess sounds like she’s been gravely disappointed more than once in friendship.
Pipo Beat’s beats come in handy again on Eudomination. The song features the artist Mikaben as Princess Eud’s vocal foil. A title track is supposed to set the tone for an entire album. A title track is supposed to summarize an entire album just by its title. A title track is supposed to represent an entire musical set. Eudomination does all of this and more. Did Princess Eud had her share of some good mayi moulin and pitimi before recording this song because she spits her verses out with a vengeance.
And then there’s “Konsole’m” (Cuddle Me). Princess Eud may be all about domination and uplifting other women. She’s a champion of women, so to speak. But at the end of the day she’s a human too, who needs to feel loved, who needs to be comforted. She’s the strong woman of the block who supports everyone, but who nonetheless needs her share of nurturing.
Eudomination is a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s Princess Eud dominating the rap game; dominating her life, claiming her independence and her individuality as a woman. The album is about Princess Eud coming into her own as a woman, as a female artist, and more specifically as a rapper; a formidable being who demands respect.
