Toppa Top 10: Ten Haitian MCs Besides Wyclef

Words by Jesse Serwer—

As many Haitians who’ve grown up in the United States will tell you, there was life BTF and ATF—before the Fugees and after the Fugees. Prior to The Score and Wyclef dropping Kreyol into his rhymes and showing up at award shows draped in the Haitian flag (and way before he was being accused of looting his Haitian relief charity for personal expenses), being Haitian was something rappers rarely advertised. These days, rappers who aren’t Haitian claim to be, others are rumored to be, and ones who clearly are not Haitian claim to have zoes ready to go to war for them. While many of the biggest contributions by Haitians to hip-hop have been behind the scenes (see producer/execs like Hurby “Luvbug” Azor, Sha Money XL and Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis), here’s a few more MCs in the broader rap world (shout out to the Kreyol Rap crew!) whose Haïtien credentials are verified.

1. Trugoy the Dove (De La Soul)

Also known simply as “Dave,” (or “the light-skinned one”) David Jolicoeur is De La Soul’s “Plug Two,” making up one-third of one of the greatest rap groups of all-time, along with Posdnuous and Maseo.

2. Tony Yayo

Best known for 2006’s “So Seductive” and a prison stint that kept him on the sidelines during G-Unit’s peak in the early 2000s (but which inspired the memorable “Free Yayo” t-shirts worn by Eminem and others), Tony Yayo is one of several current or former G-Unit members of Haitian parentage, along with DJ Whoo Kid and Sha Money XL.

3. Pastor Troy

The insanely prolific (he’s released 10 albums in the last three years alone) Augusta, Georgia rapper best known for 2002’s “Are We Cuttin” (with Ms. Jade) is the son of a Haitian-American drill instructor turned pastor, his Wikipedia entry tells us. One of his latest tracks is a collaboration with Lil Zoe and Future called “All My Zoes.”

4. Pras

How could we leave out Pras? The other Haitian dude in the Fugees, Praskazrel Samuel Michel has had a fairly quiet solo career since “Ghetto Superstar” with Mya and ODB became a massive hit in ’99, and come under fire for not being as talented as Wyclef or Lauryn. In fact, the last time we heard from him was his ethering of ‘Clef’s presidential campaign two years ago. But the Fugees wouldn’t have really been the Fugees without the Yale-educated MC’s baritone delivery to offset ‘Clef and Lauryn’s quirks.

5. Black Dada

Black Dada’s “Imma Zoe” didn’t go nationwide but it was a street anthem in Miami, New York and every market with a sizable Haitian population. There’s even a remix featuring Rick Ross and Birdman.

6. MC Tee (Mantronix)

Mantronix, the NYC crew behind such mid ’80’s electro-rap classics as “Needle to the Groove,” “Bassline” and “Ladies,” was the baby of Jamaican-Canadian producer Kurtis Mantronik. But MC Tee, the group’s MC, was Haitian, making Mantronix one of the earliest all-Caribbean rap outfits of note.

7. The Kangol Kid (UTFO)

Former Whodini dancers the Kangol Kid, the Educated Rapper and Doctor Ice are best known for their first single, 1984’s “Roxanne, Roxanne,” the track that started the Roxanne Wars, an onslaught of answer records from female rappers portraying the same character from UTFO’s song. Kangol, the group’s charismatic leader, recently received a proclamation from the City of New York for being among the first Haitians in hip-hop.

8. Lady Tigra

In the late ’80s, Lady Tigra was one half of L’ Trimm, known for their pop spin on Miami Bass, and specifically the Top 40 hit “Cars that Go Boom.” Years later, she showed back up as a LA-based solo artist. Check her out on hipster kid’s show Yo Gabba Gabba! here.

9. John Forté’

John Forté’ doesn’t really rap anymore—last time we saw him he was singing with an acoustic guitar—and he started out as more of a behind-the-scenes guy, co-writing and producing for the Fugees and working A&R at Rawkus Records. But most people still remember him as the guy who said the line about “eating mangoes in Trinidad with attorneys” on Wyclef’s “We Trying to Stay Alive.”

10. Jacki-O

The song titles of her two best known songs, “Pussy (Real Good)” and “Sugar Walls,” offer some idea of what Jacki-O is all about, but the Miami rapper has also written a novel, collaborated with Ghostface and written songs for the WWE.

Honorable Mention
Rick Ross, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z?

Various—mostly dubious—sources on the Internet have suggested these three have Haitian roots, without offering any compelling evidence. Ross, who grew up in an area with a sizable Haitian population, has been tied to Florida’s Zoe Pound gang, and seems like the most likely story but we haven’t seen any proof. Rapper-of-the-moment Future is also said to be of Haitian extraction, but his “Itchin” line, “Me and all my woahs stick together like the zoes/Sak pase” tells us he knows Haitians, not that he necessarily is one. Until then, honorable mentions all around. Here’s a video of Ross performing in Haiti before the earthquake…