With all that's going on in the Gulf -- you know, with what could be up to one-million gallons of crude gushing from the center of the globe per day thanks to the assholes at BP and Haliburton -- it seems the devastation in Haiti, a nation still left in shambles from the horrendous earthquake that rocked the country on January 12, has taken a back seat in the media mobile. An estimated 230,000 Haitians lost their lives as a result of the earthquake, with another 300,000 left injured and over one million left homeless.
By of Los Angeles with strong ties to Detroit, group of artists is asking the public to remember the difference each of us can make for the aching Haitian population. The project, which is a collection of music from some of the world's most notable MC's out of Detroit and LA is called Notes for Haiti. The album is available digitally in a “pay-what-you-want” format through the website notesforhaiti.bandcamp.com. All proceeds from album sales and donations are funneled directly to Oxfam America’s ongoing Haiti relief efforts.
The compilation features exclusive content and album material from thye likes of Karriem Riggins, eLZhi (of Slum Village), Blu (XXL Freshman Top 10 2009), Fashawn (XXL Freshman Top 10 2010), Exile, Aloe Blacc, Crown Royale (Buff 1 and DJ Rhettmatic), Invincible, Now On (Mayer Hawthorne, IX Lives, Jackson Perry), 14KT, Houseshoes, Co$$, Sene, AB, Marv Won, Jordan Rockswell, and SlopFunkDust.
The concept behind the “pay-what-you-want” format (used previously by bands such as Radiohead), says c0-producer Niles Heron, "is that the user can dictate the price paid for the album as a whole, or for each song purchased individually (for as little as $1)."
The donations are processed directly to Oxfam America through the secure BandCamp-PayPal portal, removing unnecessary overhead or infrastructure costs at the point of sale.
Oxfam America’s relief efforts in Haiti have already affected a reported 400,000 lives on the island. Oxfam is working in multiple locations to provide clean water, sanitation, shelter, seeds and running cash for work programs. Though their public appeal to Haiti has closed (for the time), this project will continue to affect their ongoing efforts on the island.
Detroit natives Niles Heron (in full disclose is son of MT editor W. Kim Heron and now lives in Los Angeles) and Sarah Lockridge-Steckel (Boston) executive produced the album.
Look for a full review of Notes for Haiti by Travis R. Wright in the SPUN section of Metro Times on June 23.
