While Haiti’s problems are far from gone, and while lives of people are still far from what it used to be, life still moves forward. One of the best things is despite all the hardships certain staples of Haitian culture won’t die - namely art and music. I threw up a report a from the NY Times a few weeks ago about the hardships of Haitian artists. This NY Times video shows how artist are still pushing on, making music, painting and surviving.

Here is a crazy story I heard about. A Haitian family that survived the quake in Haiti, was relocated to Chile through one of their sons who lives in Chile. The son who is part of a Haitian reggaeton band, Reggaeton Boys, had connections with the Chilean Embassy in Haiti. They arrived in Chile on the 23 of January to only be in the middle of another quake on February 28th. While the family survived again this was another shock to them.

And if you were thinking what I was you must be wondering about a the Haitian Reggaeton group, I added a video on them to confirm things a bit.

Nike has joined the outpouring of support after Haiti’s earthquake with a tee shirt designed by Haitian-American students in Florida. Check out the details below…

Over a month has passed since the devastating earthquake the shook the small island of Haiti and captivated the entire world. Many countries were quick to lend hands, but in dire situations like these, emotional support is also welcome. Nike Basketball took a trip to Forest Park Elementary School in Southern Florida, a school with a 60% Haitian population, to create a piece of artwork meant sent a message of hope, love and empathy to the Haitian people. The tag line reads ‘Kinbe Pa Lage’, which translates to ‘Hold on tight, don’t let go’. The artwork was placed on a Nike Basketball t-shirt, and was placed for sale at $25 a piece at Nike retailers, with all proceeds going to Mercy Corps and Architecture for Humanity, two of Nike’s partners in the Haitian Relief Effort.

Click the images below for a few more shots of the shirt….

The shirt is available for purchase now at NikeBasketball.com.

via.

Carnival is jumping off around the Caribbean and South America but unfortunately not this year in Haiti. Due to the earthquake it has been canceled sadly enough and that also brings more hardship for artists and mask makers that prepare pieces for Carnival. The NY Times has a story about the plight of one artist in Jacmel.

Click here to view the article: At Carnival Time, a Joyless Haiti.

It’s likely that by now you’ve heard about the “We Are The World” remake commissioned by Quincy Jones and Wyclef Jean, especially since Dom posted a bit about it last week. Well, the single is now ready for the world. Check out the video, featuring everyone you can think of, below…

The single is available for purchase now, with all proceeds going towards the relief efforts in Haiti. Click here to buy it on iTunes.

Another cover that hasn’t gotten as much press as the “We Are…” effort is the Simon Cowell-organized “Everybody Hurts” charity single. Check out that video, featuring some of the best artists in the UK, below….

Purchase “Everybody Hurts” by clicking here.

Check out a list of the artists involved after the jump…

(more…)

One of, if the best, photoblogs on the internet is Boston.com’s The Big Picture. They recently put together a piece on the continuing aftermath of Haiti’s earthquake. Check out a sampling of the photos below…

Tomorrow (Feb. 2nd) will mark three weeks since the massive January 12th earthquake in Haiti, and tent cities remain full, even as some businesses and factories are beginning to reopen in Port-au-Prince. Now that massive amounts of aid have arrived, distribution problems have cropped up and are being addressed. The World Food Program has begun a new system of delivering rice to 10,000 Haitians per day at each of 16 women-only distribution points around the city - restricted to women, since young men often muscle their way to the front of distribution lines, and the women are viewed as more likely to fairly divide up the food. Aid chiefs and donor nations are warning that Haiti will need at least a decade of painstaking reconstruction.

For the full gallery, featuring 40 photos, click here: The Big Picture: Haiti three weeks later.

They also put together an earlier piece, with 46 photos, after the earthquake struck. For that feature, click here: The Big Picture: Faces of Haiti.

DONATE: Text ‘Yele’ to 501501, ‘Haiti’ to 90999 or directly through yele.org and redcross.org.

Joell Ortiz spits a quick history lesson on Haiti over the instrumental of the moment nowadays, Jay Electronica’s “Exhibit C”. Check out the audio below…

Download it here: Joell Ortiz - “Exhibit H”.

…via RapRadar.

DONATE: Text ‘Yele’ to 501501, ‘Haiti’ to 90999 or directly through yele.org and redcross.org.

Haiti has been in all the news headlines, on television and just about every website you turn to has a Haiti Relief donation link. The amount of attention is amazing. From news, to fundraisers now to clothes, Ralph Lauren just got in on it. I just got an email from Polo recently showing their relief efforts, they put the Haitian flag on their polo in conjunction with the United Way. I’m actually surprised but glad that there has been so much positive support given back to raise money and aid. I really hope that this is being done for all the right reasons and not just to jump on the band wagon.

I was reading an article that explained the psychology behind why people donate, and altruism was not the main reason. You can’t help but wonder about all the companies and organizations out there who are doing it just for good press, who knows… I guess you can’t complain too much about the motives but be happy that there is help.

A few of our friends are putting together a charity event going towards the relief efforts in Haiti tomorrow night. For more info on the event, click here.

Some of my people are putting together a great event tonight here in NYC, to benefit the victims of the Earthquake in Haiti. Great music, free drinks, and philanthropy are all on the agenda. Check out the details below…

Be sure to make it out if you can.

DONATE: Text ‘Yele’ to 501501, ‘Haiti’ to 90999 or directly through yele.org and redcross.org.