Hold On
by Wyclef Jean · 2010 · hip-hop · 4:10 · Haitian Creole, French
Wyclef Jean invites Mavado onto “Hold On,” an official video released January 23, 2010, days after Haiti’s earthquake. The title asks people to endure, and its publication context gives that imperative a gravity needing no decoration. Wyclef brings his connection among Haiti, hip-hop, reggae, and diaspora; Mavado’s dancehall voice adds another kind of Caribbean urgency. Across more than four minutes, the song offers encouragement at a moment when loss and uncertainty exceeded what one private story could explain.