For Haitian artist Dadjozé, creativity has never meant working with a single medium. Growing up in Carrefour, Haiti, he was drawn to dance, drawing, music, and other forms of artistic expression. But now, rap comes most naturally to him.
In this Afro Music 22 interview, Dadjozé discusses growing up in Carrefour, using music as an emotional outlet, maintaining his connection to Haitian culture while living abroad, and the broader artistic identity he is cultivating through and beyond music.
ORIGINS & ARTISTIC IDENTITY
You grew up in Carrefour, Haiti. What was your experience growing up there, and how did that environment shape the person and artist you are now?
Kafou is a place where I’ve spent a significant part of my life. It taught me not to depend on others, but to rely on myself. It taught me to be cautious and to move through life with awareness.
Kafou also taught me that life is a dream and I am the one who gets to decide what reality I want to live.
You have said that you were interested in music, dance, drawing, and other forms of artistic expression from an early age. What are some of your earliest memories of creating, and when did music begin to take precedence over the other art forms?
Before, I used to dance, but I felt that dance alone wasn’t enough. That’s what inspired me to come up with the idea of combining a dance group with music, where we would dance and sing at the same time.
At the time, the group I was part of was called KrazyStep. But I never really considered myself a singer. I felt much more comfortable when I was rapping, and my mindset and personality naturally aligned more with the identity of a rapper.
That’s what eventually led me to embrace rap more fully and make it a bigger part of who I am as an artist.
You officially began your music career in 2023. What happened during that period that made you decide it was time to pursue music seriously?
I’ve been making music for a long time, but at first, it was simply a passion for me. I never really saw it as an important part of my life.
Over time, however, I came to realize that whenever I face difficult situations that stir my emotions, music is one of the ways I release what I’m going through. It is a form of therapy for me, a way to express things I can’t always put into words.
That’s when I decided to take music more seriously and start focusing on the kind of music I truly want to create.
You currently live in the Dominican Republic. How has living outside of Haiti affected your relationship with Haitian culture and the way you express your culture through your work?
The fact that I no longer live in Haiti creates a certain disconnect between me and the culture back home. It means I often have to actively seek out news, follow Haitian communities on social media, and stay informed in order not to become too disconnected from the evolution of the culture.
For me, it’s important to stay aware of what’s happening within the community, understand how Haitian culture continues to evolve, and maintain a connection with my roots, even while living away from home.
CULTURE & THE CREATION OF VODOURAP
You describe yourself as the creator of VodouRap. Take us back to its beginning. When did you first realize that you wanted Haitian Vodou and rap to be the foundation of your own genre?
As I developed as a musician, I came to realize that, as an artist, I needed something that could truly represent an identity that defines who I am and what I want to communicate.
That’s when I felt the need for my culture to play a symbolic role in every form of art I wanted to explore. I wanted to create something that wasn’t simply born from my imagination, but was rooted in my culture, my heritage, and the way I see the world.
That realization ultimately led me to create VodouRap.
What does the name “VodouRap” mean to you beyond simply combining Vodou and rap? What makes a song VodouRap by definition?
For me, VodouRap is an artistic expression that reflects my respect, love, and dedication to my culture. It is my way of connecting with my heritage, bringing it into a modern form, and keeping it alive through my music.
Haitian Vodou has often been misunderstood or misrepresented outside of Haiti. When you incorporate Vodou into your music, what do you want listeners who are unfamiliar with the tradition to understand about it?
In every form of religion and spirituality, there are aspects that can be considered positive, just as there are aspects that can be considered negative. Vodou is one of the most persecuted and misunderstood spiritual traditions in the world.
It is true that some aspects of Vodou may seem difficult to understand to many people. However, for Haitians, Vodou is not simply a religious or spiritual practice. It is an integral part of our culture and heritage with a rich set of values and principles.
Through my music, I want to help people understand, discover, and appreciate some of these values and principles, while presenting them through a modern and artistic perspective.
Is there a line you maintain between using Vodou as artistic expression and protecting aspects of the tradition that you believe should remain sacred or private?
In Vodou, there are certain initiatory aspects and teachings that are reserved for those who have been initiated. As an artist, I choose to focus primarily on its cultural aspects and fundamental spiritual principles, sharing with the public what can be presented, understood, and appreciated without entering aspects reserved for initiates.
WRITING & CREATING
You have said that you create your music around two things: what people feel and your linguistic expression. When you create a song, which usually comes first for you, the emotional atmosphere or the words?
Most of the time, when I create music, the emotional aspect comes first. I start by mumbling melodies, and once the vibe feels right, once I feel the energy flowing through me, I capture it and hold on to that feeling.
Then, I start thinking about the words and finding the right lyrics to express the emotion and energy I felt.
You sometimes repeat words and phrases until they begin to function almost like a mantra. How did you develop that technique, and what are you trying to create through it?
Over time, I came to better understand the impact that sound and music can have on our subconscious. One of the methods we most often use to learn, internalize, or master something is repetition.
That is why, for me, music is often a form of resistance in the face of difficult moments I am going through.
My goal when creating music in the form of mantras is to use repetition and the energy of music to speak to my subconscious, nourish it with positive thoughts and energy.
And help me find the strength and determination to face complicated situations.
Haitian Creole is central to your music, while you also speak English and want your work to reach listeners internationally. How do you think about language when creating music for audiences who may not understand every word?
I make music in Haitian Creole because, first and foremost, I wanted to start with the country I come from and stay connected to my roots.
But now, we are also working on other projects where we are beginning to incorporate English so that we can reach a broader audience and take the music even further.
You have said that emotion can communicate across language barriers. Can you tell us about one of your songs where the feeling of the record is especially important to understanding the sentiment behind it?
In my song “Bawon,” I aim to create a feeling of liberating rage, an energy that pushes you to take control of your life and confront the situations that make you afraid. It is a song that encourages you to face your fears head-on.
Even when someone doesn’t understand the lyrics, I want them to feel the energy, power, and motivation in the music.
Has creating music ever changed the way you understood certain experiences you’ve had in your own life?
Music makes me understand that life is an experience. Some situations will make you happy, and others will make you cry. But what matters most is to keep moving forward, embrace every experience as part of the journey, and never stop growing.
HAITIAN IDENTITY & A GLOBAL AUDIENCE
Haitian music already has internationally recognized traditions and genres. Where do you see VodouRap fitting within Haiti’s broader musical landscape?
Rap itself does not really dominate Haitian culture, but I believe the cultural element we bring into rap can make a meaningful difference.
VodouRap can create a bridge between rap and Haitian cultural heritage, allowing Haitians both in Haiti and across the diaspora to see more of their identity, history, and culture reflected in rap music.
As you introduce VodouRap to audiences outside Haiti, what parts of Haitian identity do you feel are especially important to represent accurately?
One of the essential values that VodouRap always seeks to share with an international audience is the importance of honoring and respecting our ancestors in Vodou.
This deep connection is what makes the presence of the ancestors remain sacred and central to the vision of VodouRap.
BEYOND THE MUSIC
Graphic design, fashion, and supernatural films are all part of your creative world. How do those interests influence the visual identity of your music?
Graphic design, fashion, and supernatural films have helped me better understand visual concepts and how to tell a story through imagery and art.
Because of this, they have strongly influenced how I develop and design my visual concepts.
When you develop cover artwork, videos, clothing, or other visuals, are there recurring symbols, colors, images, or themes with particular meaning within the Dadjozé universe?
It depends on whether the visual I am creating has a specific message to communicate. In that case, I may use different forms of symbolism, such as through colors, styling, or the characters’ looks.
But most of the time, I focus more on a look that I feel comfortable in, something that feels natural to me, represents who I am, and matches the energy I want to convey.
Do you see Dadjozé as primarily a musician? Or are you ultimately establishing a larger creative world where music, fashion, design, film, and Haitian culture intersect?
I see Dadjozé as an artistic character who lives and expresses his art through whatever forms he chooses to explore, whether acting, fashion, music, or any other form of artistic expression.
To me, Dadjozé is a creative identity not limited to a single discipline, but free to explore and express itself through different mediums.
AMBITION & THE FUTURE
What do you want to accomplish with VodouRap over the next several years that you have not been able to accomplish yet?
I want VodouRap to remain a movement and a legacy for future generations of artists, especially young artists who love their culture, are proud of their roots, and aspire to make an impact on the international stage.
Years from now, if people look back at Dadjozé’s catalog and the development of VodouRap, what do you hope they will say you contributed to Haitian music?
I think VodouRap does not yet have enough material in its catalog for the public to fully understand the vision, but we are still in a development phase.
I believe that over the next one or two years, as we continue to create and expand the catalog, VodouRap’s vision will be clearer, richer, and easier for people to understand.
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