Black Alex
hip-hop, dancehall, kanaval
Black Alex, also known as Black La, was the stage name of Jamecy Alex Pierre, one of the defining voices of Haitian Kreyol rap and ragga. Born in Pétion-Ville in 1976 and deceased in 2015, he remains tied to the first major generation of Kreyol rap in Haitian memory. The nickname Black Alex came from his dark complexion and became the signature of an artist with a heavy, direct, immediately recognizable voice.
He became famous with King Posse, the group that mixed rap, ragga, dancehall, light konpa, and carnival in the 1990s. With King Posse, he belonged to the era of 'Lokal', 'Zanmi', 'Diana', 'Abandone', 'Sa Ou Wè', and other records that pushed Kreyol rap into radio, parties, schools, and carnival. Black Alex was one of the figures who made the group sound heavier, more street-rooted, and more memorable.
After King Posse, he continued as a solo artist and as a featured voice on records by Mizik Mizik, Carimi, Ralph Papillon, Sweet Micky, and others. His strength often came in short appearances that changed the energy of an entire song: a verse, a phrase, a vocal tone. That is why his page needs to sit beside the King Posse page: King Posse explains the movement; Black Alex explains one of the voices that made the movement stick in collective memory.