Did you know that there are websites on the internet where serious Haitian music fans and enthusiasts go to—not just to get news on the latest releases of their favorite artists and bands, but to also get industry scoops? Haitian Beatz is one such site. Based in New York and co-founded by Moses St. Louis, the site is part informational portal and part forum. And in case you’re not too ardent of a Haitian music fan, there are plenty of articles on other aspects of Haitian culture, from travel to historical trivia and interviews. So, what goes into running Haitian Beatz? And who are the minds behind the digital media company? Read on to find out!

Moses St. Louis and Haitian Beatz co-founder Jean-Price “Jacobin” Vixama.

Kreyolicious: How did Haitianbeatz come about?
First of all, let me say “thank you” for the opportunity. I’ve been involved in the Haitian media circle for a long time now…starting back in the 1990s with Konpadirek.com, Kompa Magazine, and finally joined forces with Opamizik.com. I spent few years with the site, until 2008 when I decided to start something fresh and new. I called my good friend, my partner Jean-Price Vixama (Jacobinnoir), and asked him to join me on this adventure, and here we are eight years later.

Kreyolicious: Why that name?
I wanted something broad, because at the time, most websites had the word “konpa” in them…kompamazine.com, konpadirek.com, compascentral.com, konpaevents.com, which came later…I wanted to have something broader that would include all aspects of the Haitian music industry, not just konpa. Also the word “beat” “ can be utilized in different context…not just music…like keeping our culture “on the beat”. As you can see the word “beats” on Haitian Beatz ends with a “z”, which was one addition that my partner Jacobin came up with, that I thought was cool.

Kreyolicious: There are ideas that get thought of, but that never come to fruition. What steps did you take to get Haitianbeatz from idea to actual product?
When I spoke to Jacobin, and told him about the project, he was 100% for it. We would talk from time to time on the phone exchanging ideas. We went back and forth picking a template. Once that was done, I had my cousin working on building the site. Therefore, I was getting more the up-to-date information. Jacobin is usually the technical person, and I’m more the person who work on contents. We compliment each other in that sense. One we had agreed on the template, I started working on the contents. I remember, sending an off-line link for him to review and he was shocked, on how much contents I already had for the website, including interviews, surveys, news on different subjects.

With Wyclef and some guests at a NASQAD event.

Kreyolicious: When did you realize that you were pulling an audience and that your site was catching on?
Once I started getting, angry phone calls from our artists [Laughter] about articles I have written that were not to their liking. However, I would get praises from the readers, because they like the fact that I tell it as it is, especially [with] the trademark series NBNB (No Bias, No Bull)…[Laughter] and my motto “I report, you decide”.

Kreyolicious: What goes into a standard day of managing Haitian Beatz?
One thing people don’t realize, maintaining a website is very difficult and a lot of hard work and dedication, because the readers expect you to keep them informed on a daily basis. Especially with the reputation I have built. Once there are some rumors out there, they expect me to dig and bring them the true story…like when a few of the TVices’ musicians abruptly left the band, I wrote the most detailed story about that breakup, the band leaders were not happy, but the readers loved it. Like when RichIe [currently of the band Klass] and Gazzman [leader of Disip] decided not to put together a band, after many thought it was a done deal. I reported exactly what happened, including details of secret meetings that they were held in New York. So, to answer the question, you have to always be on top of your game. Now, it’s a little easier, because people would call me with tips for stories, without me having to dig deep for the information.

This concludes PART ONE of the interview with Haitian Beatz co-founder Moses St. Louis. Be sure to watch out for PART II.

CLICK HERE to visit Haitian Beatz. CLICK HERE to visit the Haitian Beatz page on Facebook.

As the co-founder of the wildly popular Haitian music site Haitian Beatz, Moses St. Louis is on the grind daily, sharing scoops about Haitian music with his legion of readers and users. In Part One of the interview with the web entrepreneur, he revealed that he started the website after he had already garnered a load of experience in the Haitian music industry. Taking that experience and putting it to use, he recruited another Haitian music enthusiast Jean-Price “Jacobin” Vixama and Haitian Beatz launched! Here he looking back at the beginnings of Haitian Beatz, and discussing his plans for the platform’s future.

Kreyolicious: In the time you’ve been running Haitian Beatz, what would you say have been the most trying times? Bad news first.
A few years ago, the site was hacked and a virus was inserted into the server, and many of our readers’ computers crashed. We lost many members because of that. Even though we eventually fixed the problem, we were never able to get the members who were affected back, or maybe just a few have returned.

Kreyolicious: And what would you say have been your favorite memories? Good news, last.
But there has been some good times, like receiving a proclamation from the Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio on our anniversary event. Getting citations from the New York City Council and the New York State Assembly. We have become a household name in the Haitian music industry.

Kreyolicious: Technology changes at lightning bolt speed, and surely you’ve seen your share of changes since you’ve started as a webpreneur. What changes have you witnessed, and how did you handle them?
Joomla is the platform that we use for the site. It is very new and many people seem to think it is very hard to manage. To the contrary, Jacobin and I really enjoy using it for its simplicity. Even though it’s advanced, it’s very easy to manage. We are in the process of introducing something new that we are working on, but we will keep it a secret for now…[Laughter]

Kreyolicious: If you were starting this venture now, what would you do differently?
I would make social media a very active part of that project.

Kreyolicious: If you were recommending Haitian music to someone whose exposure up until then to Haitian music was minimal, or nonexistent, which artists, bands, and albums would you recommend, and why?
I’m a strong fan of Haitian roots music. I probably would direct their attention to bands like RAM, Boukman Eksperayns, Boukan Guinen, Azor…all their albums.

Kreyolicious: Where do you hope to take your brand in the next 5-7 years?
Well, I’ve been involved in this music business for many years. I’ve worn many hats as manager, promoter, and now media. I always believe in continuity. We would love to integrate some new blood into HB, to start taking the leadership of the site, under our guidance. One positive thing that is happening with the website now, especially on our forum, [is that] the members of the forum are [increasingly] the driving force of the website. I can spend a couple of days without signing into the website, but you’ll always see new topic discussions, generated by our members, which is very encouraging. HB is more member-driven lately.

This concludes PART TWO of the interview with Haitian Beatz co-founder Moses St. Louis. CLICK HERE if you missed PART I.

CLICK HERE to visit the site Haitian Beatz. CLICK HERE to visit the Facebook page for the site Haitian Beatz.