10. Wyclef, “Election Time” (Haiti/US)
Maybe not so much the song, even, as the actual election-time drama. As mentioned, all the attention on the original ex-colony translated into more tributes (understandably) than actual Haitian music (although there are some notable exceptions–more on that later). If the average Haitian was busy just trying to stay alive, its most famous musical offspring was busy not running for president. For a moment, though, it looked like the world might have to acquaint itself with the phrase rapper-turnt-president. We may or may not be better off that it ultimately produced an EP instead of a government–but the power of that moment should not be overlooked. It’s also a pretty good song.
