Freedom, Rapper and Producer
Soulful and gospel-tinged, each track is more spectacular than the other.
There's some excessive flag waving, but there's depth, and plenty of allusions to Haiti's history that you may have read on Haiti-related Wikipedia entries, or perhaps came across in the Latin American Studies section of your school's library.
There's this song "Manman" (Ma) that's squeezed among the track listings.
It's like a pomegranate in a barrel full of mangoes-totally unexpected, but welcomed.
From the spoken intro, backed by light guitar, and the singer-rapper's fluttering voice.
When I was scouring YouTube for mother-themed songs in Creole when I first started this website, it had to have its place on the Haitian mom musical tribute countdown.
Truly, that song is everything and then some more.
The profound lyrics and the hard-hitting melodies on Liberation 1804 are what makes the record.
Then there's the voice of this Freedom person.
There's something to be noted about it.
I don't know.
The voice sounds pained, like he's vocally unearthing a couple of decades of pain, but is trying to remain calm about it.
One of the best showcases for it is "Sove Peyi Mwen", where one is treated to nearly four minutes of Solomon Burke-like vocal acrobatics.
Next up, is "Ayibobo", a drum-and-clap-driven track that cries for a miracle and unity.
The song conveys the rapper's exasperation with how things are--Olye ou priye pou mwen/Ou ta renmen'm detwi-You ought to be prayin' for me/Instead you're clammoring for my demise.
"Twou Bwa Kayiman" has an almost this techno rock sound to it, with Haitian roots music doing some meddling.
The title, is of course, a reference to the meeting place where the 1791 slave uprising was planned out.
I thought to myself that if this Freedom dude can do this with these songs, I wonder what he's capable of he were to sing some love songs, as those tracks were truly amazing.
Actually...
mouth-droppingly amazing.
This Liberation 1804 is practically Haiti's answer to Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814-methinks.
The musical critic and writer David Ritz and others have written about how-in the 1990s-Rhythm Nation brought music and social consciousness to young urbanites.
I can't help but think that Liberation 1804 has done the same for Haitian folks discovering it.
Kreyolicious: Your real name is Christopher Laroche.
Are you, like, related to Joseph Laroche the Haitian dude on the Titanic? Yes.
I am related to him.
Kreyolicious: At which point were you told that you were related to him? When the Titanic article came out is when I found out about it, and I was surprised and also felt like that was very cool.
The story...
not the fact that he pretty much ended like [Leonardo] Dicaprio in the movie-but that many people say the story from that movie is directly based on the accounts of his wife.
Kreyolicious: How'd you feel about it? Guess he went out like a real honorable person.
Kreyolicious: You were born in Haiti.
What memories do you have of it? Everything I remember from growing up is in Haiti.
I grew up in Cap Haitien and Port Au Prince and have never stopped going back.
So, my most profound memories will always be based in Haiti.
Kreyolicious: How'd you get the name Freedom? I got the name Freedom from the fact that Haiti is the first country to get out of slavery.
I got the name from the fact that I like to make one type of song today, and another the next day.
And I have a big vocal range and work driven by vibes and energy.
I try to make all types of different songs because experimenting always helps me create an original sound for every track.
In other words, it all comes from my heart and soul-and that means freedom to me.
Kreyolicious: What was the first song that you heard that had a profound influence on you? I would say as far as Kreyol songs, it was "Lèm Pa Wè Soley La".
As far as English songs, it was tracks like "Redemption Song" and "Ain't No Sunshine".
Kreyolicious: And your first performance ever? It was in Cap Haitien and I was about thirteen-years-old with my brother Fos.
Back then, I was a radio DJ, so we set up a show at a local venue.
We sold out the show and had over a thousand people attend-making it a huge success back then.
There's some excessive flag waving, but there's depth, and plenty of allusions to Haiti's history that you may have read on Haiti-related Wikipedia entries, or perhaps came across in the Latin American Studies section of your school's library.
There's this song "Manman" (Ma) that's squeezed among the track listings.
It's like a pomegranate in a barrel full of mangoes-totally unexpected, but welcomed.
From the spoken intro, backed by light guitar, and the singer-rapper's fluttering voice.
When I was scouring YouTube for mother-themed songs in Creole when I first started this website, it had to have its place on the Haitian mom musical tribute countdown.
Truly, that song is everything and then some more.
The profound lyrics and the hard-hitting melodies on Liberation 1804 are what makes the record.
Then there's the voice of this Freedom person.
There's something to be noted about it.
I don't know.
The voice sounds pained, like he's vocally unearthing a couple of decades of pain, but is trying to remain calm about it.
One of the best showcases for it is "Sove Peyi Mwen", where one is treated to nearly four minutes of Solomon Burke-like vocal acrobatics.
Next up, is "Ayibobo", a drum-and-clap-driven track that cries for a miracle and unity.
The song conveys the rapper's exasperation with how things are--Olye ou priye pou mwen/Ou ta renmen'm detwi-You ought to be prayin' for me/Instead you're clammoring for my demise.
"Twou Bwa Kayiman" has an almost this techno rock sound to it, with Haitian roots music doing some meddling.
The title, is of course, a reference to the meeting place where the 1791 slave uprising was planned out.
I thought to myself that if this Freedom dude can do this with these songs, I wonder what he's capable of he were to sing some love songs, as those tracks were truly amazing.
Actually...
mouth-droppingly amazing.
This Liberation 1804 is practically Haiti's answer to Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814-methinks.
The musical critic and writer David Ritz and others have written about how-in the 1990s-Rhythm Nation brought music and social consciousness to young urbanites.
I can't help but think that Liberation 1804 has done the same for Haitian folks discovering it.
Kreyolicious: Your real name is Christopher Laroche.
Are you, like, related to Joseph Laroche the Haitian dude on the Titanic? Yes.
I am related to him.
Kreyolicious: At which point were you told that you were related to him? When the Titanic article came out is when I found out about it, and I was surprised and also felt like that was very cool.
The story...
not the fact that he pretty much ended like [Leonardo] Dicaprio in the movie-but that many people say the story from that movie is directly based on the accounts of his wife.
Kreyolicious: How'd you feel about it? Guess he went out like a real honorable person.
Kreyolicious: You were born in Haiti.
What memories do you have of it? Everything I remember from growing up is in Haiti.
I grew up in Cap Haitien and Port Au Prince and have never stopped going back.
So, my most profound memories will always be based in Haiti.
Kreyolicious: How'd you get the name Freedom? I got the name Freedom from the fact that Haiti is the first country to get out of slavery.
I got the name from the fact that I like to make one type of song today, and another the next day.
And I have a big vocal range and work driven by vibes and energy.
I try to make all types of different songs because experimenting always helps me create an original sound for every track.
In other words, it all comes from my heart and soul-and that means freedom to me.
Kreyolicious: What was the first song that you heard that had a profound influence on you? I would say as far as Kreyol songs, it was "Lèm Pa Wè Soley La".
As far as English songs, it was tracks like "Redemption Song" and "Ain't No Sunshine".
Kreyolicious: And your first performance ever? It was in Cap Haitien and I was about thirteen-years-old with my brother Fos.
Back then, I was a radio DJ, so we set up a show at a local venue.
We sold out the show and had over a thousand people attend-making it a huge success back then.
