1804 Liberation

As said in practically all his songs, Christopher Laroche a.k.a Freedom sings
for one purpose: Fighting freedom.
I started learning about this artist as I was having a conversation with
members of a compas group. Curious I asked some of his close friends to
make me listen to his beat: after listening to “Vi Anm” and “Trou Bwa
Kayiman”…the only thing I could say was WAW. In December in Haiti, on
radios, all around Pétion - Ville one name was making the headlines: Freedom.
I just had to get the CD.

Ayibobo: This song talks about all this time that Haiti is fighting. D’apre
mwen beat lan tres interressant ak tambour et cha-cha ann. It shows some of
our roots. The lyrics are pretty deep; Although It’s a really nice song, I can
criticize one thing in the song and that is the repetition of “ ayibobo”…

Delivre: In this song also, Freedom raps about Haiti’s deliverance. I like the
title of the song witch is well illustrated in the beat: The beat is like a
marching band because of the drums, it shows determination in a movement
“revolutionary movement”. Lyrically speaking, they aren’t deep but manage to
touch you, realising that he is right:” li leu pou chak ayisyen nan peyi nou ka
manje”.

Trou bwa kayiman: This is the song that made something out of Freedom in
my opinion. It was the song that Freedom first released and made a hit. The
lyrics aren’t’ creative as such but it is a really nice song. The style is different
and therefore you are intrigued.

My Block: In this song, which is mostly English rap, he talks about the
gangster life he has not chosen but that he has to live. Knowing that Freedom
lives in Canada, I think that the fact that this song is in English, it might be
what will attract Foreigners to this artist, hoping that with this they might
open their eyes on our country, because he’s talking about the suffering we
have to go trough.

Vi anm : Freedom sings about his country. This song comes with a nice guitar
sound, and then goes to a rap beat. This song challenges the artist to put his
voice in first place: in the album this is the first song where you hear
Freedom’s voice and the changes he can make it with.

Vizyon (and Visyon Remix): Like the title, in his chorus, Freedom talks about a
vision he gets when he sleeps, and that’s the only thing that can keep him
moving. The beat comes in and he’s rapping about the real Haiti. This is a call
for help on Freedom’s behalf. The lyrics are true and that is what I like about
this song.
•        The remix is a more gangster kind of beat becomes of the police sirens
and it’s a slower beat.


Le’m Mouri: Here also, Freedom raps about the “gangster life”: he explains
what it will be after death.

Pwoteje: The beat here is really nice and shows determination in his beat
(just like Delivre ); This time his voice shows more suffering.

Voodoo Land: Personally I have to admit that this is the song I least like on
the CD. On this song he sings in English, about the spiritual side of Haiti. The
beat is very relaxing if I can say; the drums and lions in the background are
creative. Lyrically speaking there is nothing extraordinary, or catching
compared to the other songs.

Manman: For me this is a revelation for Freedom. On the whole CD Freedom
shows us that he is a gangster, talking about death (“Pa kwe nan lanmot neg
paka mouri”), revolution, fighting …
In this song he shows us that inside of him he has a sensitive side. When I
first heard this song I cried, and I know I’m not the only one. This song about
his mom explains that whatever happens he will always be there for her, the
same way she was there for him. For him, she is everything, including his
inspiration. There is so much harmony in this song. The beat goes well with
his voice and the way he sings his song, it’s has if it was a prayer: WAW.

Sove peyi mwen: This is my favourite song. Depi sou son flute la I fell in love,
mwen pa bezwen pale pou kout guitaa a. The beat reminds me of where I
came from, and the lyrics make me realise the real situation of Haiti and
makes me want to a make a difference. Here too, his voice is perfect for the
song; it’s another prayer but this time for his country. After hearing this
song, the only thoughts that are going trough my minds are how can I make a
difference for my country and when can I start?

Limye deals with the problems in life that seems to never go away; He
mentions Haiti’s reality. The song ends with the reason why he writes this
song.
Personally I like the choice of this song to end the CD because he explains
his point of view.


Overall, I can say that his lyrics are in most part deep, he’s screaming to
everybody around him for help. He often sings about the same themes, but he
knows how to play around with the beats, his lyrics and his voice witch is
what makes his style. He writes all his tracks. Up to now, Haiti didn’t really
have this kind of style in it’s “repertoire” and I think that is what make
people interested in him.
A lot of people always have comments to do concerning Freedom, for my part
I can say that his lyrics are what I like and the beats are good. I heard some
of his English tracks and can only hope that he’ll be able to release the most
he can…
I wish him luck on his next album if it’s coming soon.

Ti Doms