Interview with Roberto Martino, T-Vice

Every month, the Little Haiti Cultural Complex hosts an event called Conversations With. It is a Happy Hour Networking event that features a prominent member of the Haitian/Haitian American community. You drink, eat, and mingle to your hearts content, until the featured speaker shares his/her story.








This past weekend, Roberto Martino, lead singer of the Haitian Konpa band, T-Vice was the featured speaker. Before he hit the stage, I had the pleasure of a one on one interview with him. I found him Very down to earth and open to share himself with his fans.

Click here for the full interview.

After the interview, the singer took to the stage to share the tale of T-Vice from his point of view. Personally I had not become familiar with the band until my late teens, so the band's history was very enlightening. They suffered ups and downs as most entertainers do, and had moments where they almost left it all behind. But as Roberto shared, the love of the music and the love they had for their fans kept them from walking away.

The event closed out with him announcing an upcoming album and answering questions from the crowd. I asked a question that many T-Vice fans wanted to know. What started the beef between T-Vice and Djakout #1? The answer is in the video below.

Click here to watch the video.

Perhaps the next interview will be with the younger brother, Reynaldo Martino. You'll have to stay tuned to found out.

Until then
Na we pita/A plus tard

The Lovely Emeline Michel

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting a Haitian Kompa Music Legend, Ms Emeline Michel. She was in Miami, Fl filming the music video for her newest single.

I was invited to join the crew on set to get some behind the scenes shots; though I had some ulterior motives. I may have had a crush on her once upon a time and may have been trying to slip her my number. Sssshhh don't tell anyone I admitted that LOL!

Big Night In Little Haiti/Gwo Nuit Nan Ti Ayiti

Yours truly and the Big Night In Little Haiti sign

Miami is one of those cities constantly mentioned in songs and travel blogs for its nightlife and activities. For it's beautiful beaches, various clubs and lounges, and plethora of culturally inspired events people from all over the world flock to Miami. Few people realize that Miami is made up of many smaller cities. One city in particular, Little Haiti, is one of Miami's hidden gems.

Little Haiti, so named due to the influx of Haitian immigrants who came to call it home in the late '70s early '80s. Comprised of many Haitian owned restaurants, businesses and tourist attractions, Little Haiti is a great place to become engrossed in Haitian culture.

One such attraction is The Little Haiti Cultural Center (LHCC). The center offers tutoring programs, arts and crafts, and dance classes for children and adults. A focal point of the center is a program that it along with The Rhythm Foundation sponsors every third Friday of the month.