Haiti’s music fuses African, European, and Caribbean traditions in forms ranging from ceremonial and folk music to méringue, rara, and compas. These examples connect Haitian-born international star Wyclef Jean with Tabou Combo, one of the country’s defining compas bands.
The music of Haiti combines French and Spanish elements with African rhythms and influences from the island’s Indigenous heritage. Distinctive Haitian styles include rara processional music, twoubadou ballads, mini-jazz, mizik rasin, hip hop kreyòl, méringue and the widely popular compas. Compas is a constantly evolving dance genre that joins African rhythms, European ballroom traditions and Haitian aesthetics around a steady, pulsing beat. Among Haiti’s internationally known artists are Wyclef Jean, Tabou Combo, Boukman Eksperyans and RAM.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia’s “Music of Haiti” article.
Haitian-born Wyclef Jean represents the country’s far-reaching influence on international hip-hop, R&B, and popular music.
Tabou Combo is one of Haiti’s best-known compas bands and a durable example of the country’s signature dance music.