By Onz Chery
FORT LAUDERDALE — Christopher “Freedom” Laroche remembers hallucinating that his soul left his body. It was in the early 2000s, and Laroche was laying in a Toronto hospital, going in and out of a coma. He begged God to help him, promising to do something special for Haiti if he lived.
“The only thing I remember was I was Haitian,” Laroche, 38, said about his time at the hospital. “I did not remember my name. I did not remember nothing. At that point, I felt like my love for Haiti became magic.”
Laroche was at the hospital after being assaulted by more than a dozen men — some of whom beat him with baseball bats. Days after leaving the hospital, Laroche began singing the words Trou Bwa Kayiman se la mwen soti, Creole for “Bois Caïman is where I’m from.” The tune refers to the site of the conclave that kicked off the Haitian Revolution.
It was then Laroche realized that music about Haiti would be the way to keep his promise. In 2004, Laroche released a debut album, 1804: Liberation, where he sings and raps about both his own pain and Haiti’s. The song Trou Bwa Kayiman is part of the album. When 1804 was released, the country was experiencing severe political instability under President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Eighteen years later, as Haiti arrives at its 218th year of independence, it is experiencing even more acute turmoil. And Laroche still believes that things will get better.
“We’re kings and queens in the most beautiful place in the world, but we’re hurting and disrespecting it,” Laroche said. “It’s going to take a lot of work to bring it back. But I still haven’t lost hope. We’ve got to plant the hope. Haiti needs the message of light and this year we want to deliver that.”
This year, Laroche plans to release “1805,” the long-delayed sequel to his “1804” album. It features prominent artists like J-Perry, Mikaben and deceased rapper Black Alex.
To many familiar with his work for Haiti, Laroche’s devotion to help is an inspiration and cherished.
“He’s someone you can never forget,” said Telies “Junior” Louis, a childhood friend. “I don’t even know how to put into words how much he’s in love with Haiti. If there were three people like Freedom in Haiti, the country would be doing well.”
Okap born and bred
Born on Dec. 31, 1984, one day before Haiti’s Independence Day, Laroche hails from Cap-Haitien, the country’s second largest city. Although born into a wealthy family, growing up, he played with children from all social classes, roaming the woods and rap battling in the streets.
A huge fan of American hip hop, at age 12, Laroche got a job at Radio KB, where he played songs by American artists. Around that time, Laroche started to perform in shows alongside a close friend, Fausto Vincent, where they covered songs by Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder and other English-speaking musicians.
During his late teenage years, Laroche moved to Florida, then New York and eventually Toronto, as he sought to break into the music industry. It was then that the assault, which left his cranium cracked in three places, took place. To this day, Laroche says he still doesn’t know why he was attacked.
“Christopher became another person,” said Laroche’s mother, whose identity The Haitian Times is withholding for security reasons. “From then on, he had a mission on earth for his country. I cannot be more grateful about my son’s music. Singing about Haiti is the pride of all Haitians.”
Laroche’s debut album, 1804, was the first Haitian musical work that was solely hip hop. It influenced scores of other Haitian hip hop artists, said Jean Alix Rebecca, a radio animator based in Cap-Haitien.
“When you’re talking about the most classic albums in Haiti, you cannot not mention “1804: Liberation,”” Rebecca said.
After “1804,” pain and some success
Ten years after 1804 was released, Laroche experienced one of the hardest times of his life. Vincent, who featured in many of his songs, died while battling cancer. Run, a song of Laroche that Vincent produced, is featured in the soundtrack for Cut Throat City, a Netflix movie.
“I just wanted him to stay alive so the fact that the universe had a different plan made it sad for me,” said Laroche, who now lives in Fort Lauderdale. “It was the type of sadness that never goes away.”
Laroche has also recorded a variety of songs that have yet to be released, including one with Snoop Dogg he said will be in an upcoming hip hop album in English. He is also working on an Afrobeat album.
Many of his songs, including Dream A World, have been played in worldwide media, such as CNN and BET.
Besides his music, the bachelor — he said Haiti is his wife — supports Haiti through different non-profit organizations that assist people in Haiti like Restavek Freedom. He’s also regularly invited to events about Haiti.
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