Author: Opastaff
Manno Charlemagne has been the vocal conscience of Haiti. As a singer, songwriter, political activist, and one-time mayor of Port-au-Prince, he has constantly challenged the status quo and stood up for the millions of poor Haitians who otherwise would have had no voice. A soulful yet brazen balladeer, Manno for decades used his acoustic guitar and tender baritone voice as weapons against the brutal Duvalier regime and civilized indifference of Haiti’s insulated upper class. A skinny, poor rebel from the slums, he was the little black fly in a cold glass of milk. Born in 1948, he slipped out of…
What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, Gasman Pierre more commonly known as “Gazzman Couleur” was the charismatic Lead Singer of the popular Miami based band Nu Look. Now, Gazzman, is the leader of his own band, DiSip and has just released a new CD, Mission. The band released their first single entitled “Pa Kondanenm” in March 2010, a song addressing his departure from Nu Look. The song received lukewarm reviews but that did not deter the devoted fans of Gazzman Couleur to proclaim him the new King of the Court. Undoubtedly, the band created a…
Campaigning for Haiti’s presidential runoff election kicked off Friday, though it appears there is only one candidate who will actively participate. Government-backed contender Jovenel Moise, a little-known agricultural entrepreneur who led a crowded field of 54 candidates with nearly 33 percent of the vote in the Oct. 25 first round, attracted roughly 1,500 people to his first rally Friday evening. Big speakers pumped out bass-heavy songs featuring his campaign moniker, “Neg Bannann” — Banana Man in Haitian Creole — and a group of women wore yellow banana costumes. But the campaign team of the second-place finisher, Jude Celestin, was quiet…
Haiti (pictured) trains at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City, Panama, on January 7, 2016, in advance of its Copa America Centenario play-in match against Trinidad & Tobago. (Photo: Mexsport) PANAMA CITY, Panama – After opening the fourth round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup with two straight 1-0 losses, Haiti and head coach Marc Collat parted ways. With only a short time to prepare for its Copa America Centenario play-in match, Patrice Neveu – a former national team manager of DR Congo, Niger and Mauritania — was named as the replacement. The 61-year-old Frenchman has proven to be…
The emergence of Duckens Nazon (blue jersey) was key to Haiti’s success in 2015. (Photo: Mexsport) PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Haiti’s chances of earning a place in the 2016 Copa America Centenario were dented Tuesday, when the Fédération Haïtienne de Football announced that star forward Duckens Nazon will miss Friday’s play-in match against Trinidad & Tobago in Panama City, Panama. Since the encounter does not fall on an official FIFA date, the 21-year-old has not been released by his French club Stade Lavallois (Laval), which has a Ligue 2 game at Nancy, also on Friday. In a statement, Nazon said: “My…
Jimmy Jean-Louis (born August 8, 1968) is a Haitian actor and model best known for his role as The Haitian on the NBC television series Heroes. Born in Pétionville, he moved to Paris at a young age to pursue a modeling career. His early roles were in French musical theatre and television commercials. Eventually settling in Los Angeles in the late 1990s, he had small roles in The Bourne Identity and Arliss before breaking into larger roles in American television and film. Trina McGee Born in the Bronx, New York, Trina McGee is the eldest child to her classical…
Album of the Year (established band) Djakout #1 – Lod Nan Dod Album of the Year (new band) Fresh Up – New Tatik Song of the Year (Compas) Libre D’aimer by Djakout #1 Female Artists of the Year Rutshelle Artists of the Year Steeve Khé Rap Kreyol Artists of the Year Baky Song of the Year (Rap Kreyol)/Chanson de l’année ( Rap Kreyol ) Fantom – Kitel fe Travay li Band/Artist Manager/Band Manager / de l’artiste Rene Devis – Karizma Music Producer of the Year/Producteur de musique de l’année Kenny Desmangles Band of the Year (Compas)/ Groupe de L’année(Compas) Klass…
Album of the Year (established band) Djakout #1 – Lod Nan Dod Album of the Year (new band) Fresh Up – New Tatik Song of the Year (Compas) Libre D’aimer by Djakout #1 Female Artists of the Year Rutshelle Artists of the Year Steeve Khé Rap Kreyol Artists of the Year Baky Song of the Year (Rap Kreyol)/Chanson de l’année ( Rap Kreyol ) Fantom – Kitel fe Travay li Band/Artist Manager/Band Manager / de l’artiste Rene Devis – Karizma Music Producer of the Year/Producteur de musique de l’année Kenny Desmangles Band of the Year (Compas)/ Groupe de L’année(Compas) Klass…
Now that the Christmas trees are down, the ball have finally dropped, and we hope the soup joumou was epic; it’s time to take a trip down memory lane and revisit 2015 one last time in our traditional Year in Review. Anyone who’s familiar with this industry knows very well there’s never a dull moment in it and whenever it gets quiet that’s only because there’s a storm coming. 2015 started a little slow but really picked up momentum towards the end of the year where some of the biggest headlines were delivered. Here’s a timeline of the most…
July Top Headlines 509 announced their grand premiere making their comeback official. On July 17, 18 and 19th Montreal held a three day festival featuring some of the industry’s most prominent bands. Venus International Production announced the cancellation of its annual Labor Day Parade. The organizers stated the reason behind the cancellation was to regroup. Compas Direct celebrated its 60th year anniversary. No major event was planned to commemorate the occasion. August Top Headlines Bands Haiti tour starts to pick up momentum. CaRiMi however didn’t partake in the traditional Summer Haiti tour causing a lot of assumptions…