Mizik rasin
Encyclopedia
Rasin is a musical movement that began in Haïti
in 1987
when musicians began combining elements of traditional Haïtian vodou ceremonical and folkloric music with rock and roll
. This style of modern music reaching back to the roots of vodou tradition came to be called mizik rasin ("roots music") in Kreyòl
or musique racine in French
. In context, the movement is often referred to simply as rasin or racine.
. The Haïtian vodou musical tradition includes "cool" rada
rhythms often associated with Africa
and the "hot" petwo
rhythms that speak of a New World
, and rasin bands incorporate both styles in their music, although rarely in the same song. On top of the basic horn and drum rhythms, melodies are layered that include structure from rock and roll, punk music, and American pop music
. Typical rasin instrumentation can include a variety of drums (including distinct rada and petwo styles), rara
horns, electronic keyboards
, electronic drum
s, electric guitar
s, an electric bass, and one or more vocalists.
Most rasin song lyrics are written in Kréyòl and often incorporate traditional vodou ceremonial lyrics or poetry. Song can speak to traditional vodou themes such as spying and betraying, feeling lost or estranged, the need for judgement and justice, or the urge to reconnect with an ancestral homeland. Some rasin songs are based on prayers directed to particular lwa, or Gods, while others may be ballads relating vodou mythology
. Many songs contain multiple layers of meaning, and can be interepreted as social or political commentary. Songs often emphasize spiritual messages of tolerance, faith, justice, and universal love. The music is upbeat and rhythmic and, like vodou ceremonial music, intended for dancing.
in 1987. Under the regimes of Jean-Claude and his father, François Duvalier
, the government appropriated for itself the authority of the vodou religious traditions and made extensive use of religious leaders and traditions to assert its brutal authority and impose order. When Jean-Claude Duvalier fled the country, a widespread dechoukaj
uprooted the most oppressive elements of the former regime and liberated the vodou religion from its entanglements with the government. Unable to do so under the Duvaliers, musicians were eager to adopt traditional vodou folk music rhythms, lyrics, and instrumentation into a new sound that incorporated elements of rock and roll, punk music, and American pop music. The movement also attracted Haïtian-American artists and members of the Haïtian diaspora
who returned to the country following the downfall of the Duvaliers.
Rasin bands often write and perform songs that contained political messages. "Ke'm Pa Sote" by Boukman Eksperyans
, whose song title translates to "I Am Not Afraid" in English, was the most popular song at the 1990
Carnival
in Port-au-Prince
and was widely understood to be a criticism of the corrupt military government of General Prosper Avril
. First performed during the 1992
Carnival in Port-au-Prince, just months after the presidency of Jean-Bertrand Aristide
was overthrown by a military coup d'etat
, RAM
began regularly playing a song entitled "Fèy
", the Kreyòl word for "leaf". The song lyrics were of folkloric vodou origins. Despite no overt references to the political situation, it was widely played on the radio and immediately taken up throughout the country as an unofficial anthem of support for Aristide. By the summer of 1992, playing or singing the song was banned under military authority, and Morse was subjected to death threats from the regime.
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
in 1987
1987 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987.See also:Record labels established in 1987-January-February:*January 3 – Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
when musicians began combining elements of traditional Haïtian vodou ceremonical and folkloric music with rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. This style of modern music reaching back to the roots of vodou tradition came to be called mizik rasin ("roots music") in Kreyòl
Haitian Creole language
Haitian Creole language , often called simply Creole or Kreyòl, is a language spoken in Haiti by about twelve million people, which includes all Haitians in Haiti and via emigration, by about two to three million speakers residing in the Bahamas, Cuba, Canada, France, Cayman Islands, French...
or musique racine in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. In context, the movement is often referred to simply as rasin or racine.
Characteristics
Rasin bands combine the vodou ceremonial and folk music traditions with rock and rollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. The Haïtian vodou musical tradition includes "cool" rada
Rada
Rada is the term for "council" or "assembly"borrowed by Polish from the Low Franconian "Rad" and later passed into the Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages....
rhythms often associated with Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and the "hot" petwo
Petwo
The Petwo are a family of loa in Haitian Vodou religion. The story is that they originated in Haiti, under the harsh conditions of slavery. The term petwo can also refer to a drum used in the music of Haiti...
rhythms that speak of a New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
, and rasin bands incorporate both styles in their music, although rarely in the same song. On top of the basic horn and drum rhythms, melodies are layered that include structure from rock and roll, punk music, and American pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. Typical rasin instrumentation can include a variety of drums (including distinct rada and petwo styles), rara
Rara
Originating in Haïti, rara is a form of festival music used for street processions, typically during Easter Week. The music centers on a set of cylindrical bamboo trumpets called vaksen , but also features drums, maracas, güiras or güiros , and metal bells, as well as sometimes also cylindrical...
horns, electronic keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, electronic drum
Electronic drum
An electronic drum is an electronic synthesizer which mimics an acoustic drum kit.The electronic drum usually consists of a set of pads mounted on a stand in a disposition similar to an acoustic drum kit. The pads are discs with a rubber or cloth-like coating. Each pad has a sensor which generates...
s, electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
s, an electric bass, and one or more vocalists.
Most rasin song lyrics are written in Kréyòl and often incorporate traditional vodou ceremonial lyrics or poetry. Song can speak to traditional vodou themes such as spying and betraying, feeling lost or estranged, the need for judgement and justice, or the urge to reconnect with an ancestral homeland. Some rasin songs are based on prayers directed to particular lwa, or Gods, while others may be ballads relating vodou mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
. Many songs contain multiple layers of meaning, and can be interepreted as social or political commentary. Songs often emphasize spiritual messages of tolerance, faith, justice, and universal love. The music is upbeat and rhythmic and, like vodou ceremonial music, intended for dancing.
History
The mizik rasin movement in Haïti began not long after the exile of dictator Jean-Claude DuvalierJean-Claude Duvalier
Jean-Claude Duvalier, nicknamed "Bébé Doc" or "Baby Doc" was the President of Haiti from 1971 until his overthrow by a popular uprising in 1986. He succeeded his father, François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, as the ruler of Haiti upon his father's death in 1971...
in 1987. Under the regimes of Jean-Claude and his father, François Duvalier
François Duvalier
François Duvalier was the President of Haiti from 1957 until his death in 1971. Duvalier first won acclaim in fighting diseases, earning him the nickname "Papa Doc" . He opposed a military coup d'état in 1950, and was elected President in 1957 on a populist and black nationalist platform...
, the government appropriated for itself the authority of the vodou religious traditions and made extensive use of religious leaders and traditions to assert its brutal authority and impose order. When Jean-Claude Duvalier fled the country, a widespread dechoukaj
Dechoukaj
Dechoukaj is a Kréyòl term that literally means "uprooting". It is used primarily to refer to the political upheaval in Haiti following the exile of dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier on February 7, 1986. During the dechoukaj many ordinary Haitian peasants and city dwellers exacted revenge on their...
uprooted the most oppressive elements of the former regime and liberated the vodou religion from its entanglements with the government. Unable to do so under the Duvaliers, musicians were eager to adopt traditional vodou folk music rhythms, lyrics, and instrumentation into a new sound that incorporated elements of rock and roll, punk music, and American pop music. The movement also attracted Haïtian-American artists and members of the Haïtian diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
who returned to the country following the downfall of the Duvaliers.
Rasin bands often write and perform songs that contained political messages. "Ke'm Pa Sote" by Boukman Eksperyans
Boukman Eksperyans
Boukman Eksperyans is a mizik rasin band from the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The band derives its name from Dutty Boukman, a vodou priest who led a religious ceremony in 1791 that is widely considered the start of the Haitian Revolution...
, whose song title translates to "I Am Not Afraid" in English, was the most popular song at the 1990
1990 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1990.-Events:*January 21 – MTV's Unplugged premieres on cable television with British band Squeeze...
Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
in Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
and was widely understood to be a criticism of the corrupt military government of General Prosper Avril
Prosper Avril
Prosper Avril is a Haitian political figure who was President of Haiti from 1988 to 1990. A trusted member of François Duvalier's Presidential Guard and adviser to Jean-Claude Duvalier, Lt. Gen. Avril led the September 1988 Haitian coup d'état against a transition military government installed...
. First performed during the 1992
1992 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1992.-January–February:*January 11**Nirvana's Nevermind album goes to #1 in the US Billboard 200 chart, establishing the widespread popularity of the Grunge movement of the 1990s....
Carnival in Port-au-Prince, just months after the presidency of Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...
was overthrown by a military coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
, RAM
RAM (band)
RAM is a mizik rasin band based in the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The band derives its name from the initials of its founder, songwriter, and lead male vocalist, Richard A. Morse. The band's music has been described by Morse as "Vodou rock 'n' roots", and has been one of the prominent bands...
began regularly playing a song entitled "Fèy
Fèy
"Fèy" is a traditional vodou folk song in Haïti. In Kréyòl, "fèy" means "leaf", and the lyrics of the song describe a leaf falling from a tree. Like many traditional songs in vodou folklore, the lyrics of "Fèy" can hold many meanings, both religious and political. At least two mizik rasin bands...
", the Kreyòl word for "leaf". The song lyrics were of folkloric vodou origins. Despite no overt references to the political situation, it was widely played on the radio and immediately taken up throughout the country as an unofficial anthem of support for Aristide. By the summer of 1992, playing or singing the song was banned under military authority, and Morse was subjected to death threats from the regime.
Prominent mizik rasin bands
- AyiboboAyiboboAyibobo is a mizik rasin band from New York, New York, USA. Ayibobo is one spelling of a Haitian Kreyòl word that means "amen" or "hallelujah". However, the majority, if not all Christian Haitians refrain from using the word Ayibobo as it is most commonly used among voodoo worshipers on the island...
- Azor
- Boukan GinenBoukan GinenBoukan Ginen is a mizik rasin band from the city of Port-au-Prince, Haïti. Boukan is the Haitian Kreyòl word for "bonfire" or "fire pit"...
- Boukman EksperyansBoukman EksperyansBoukman Eksperyans is a mizik rasin band from the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The band derives its name from Dutty Boukman, a vodou priest who led a religious ceremony in 1791 that is widely considered the start of the Haitian Revolution...
- Chandel
- Kalfou Lakay
- KanpechKanpech-Discography:...
- Koudjay
- Racine Figuier
- RAMRAM (band)RAM is a mizik rasin band based in the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The band derives its name from the initials of its founder, songwriter, and lead male vocalist, Richard A. Morse. The band's music has been described by Morse as "Vodou rock 'n' roots", and has been one of the prominent bands...
- Rasin Kanga
- SimbiSimbi (band)Simbi is a mizik rasin band formed in 1987. The name of the band comes from the name for a family of vodou lwa, or gods, called the simbi.-History:...
- Tokay
- Wawa
- Zobop
- A.J. Garski's Backyard Garden & Grill
Audio samples
| Year | Band | Song Title | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 1996 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact... |
RAM RAM (band) RAM is a mizik rasin band based in the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The band derives its name from the initials of its founder, songwriter, and lead male vocalist, Richard A. Morse. The band's music has been described by Morse as "Vodou rock 'n' roots", and has been one of the prominent bands... |
"Fèy" |
Aïbobo | Censored by Haïtian military, 1992–1994 |
| 1997 1997 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy... |
RAM RAM (band) RAM is a mizik rasin band based in the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The band derives its name from the initials of its founder, songwriter, and lead male vocalist, Richard A. Morse. The band's music has been described by Morse as "Vodou rock 'n' roots", and has been one of the prominent bands... |
"Zanj" |
Puritan Vodou | Rara horn and petwo drum instrumentation |