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T-Vice Long-Lasting Proponents of Konpas Music

December 14, 2013 10:14 AM

Miami-based Haitian Konpas band, T-Vice, inherited its music legacy from Top Vice. Top Vice's Robert Martino, a guitarist legend, passed the baton to his two sons, Roberto and Reynaldo. The group began as a quartet with boyhood friends, James Cardozo and Gerald Kebreau in 1991.

T-Vice transformed Konpas music, bringing new life to the genre with a lively dance beat. They used reggae, merengue, flamenco, and rock and roll influences to create an innovative brand of pop music. Massive international touring have made them the foremost exponents of Konpas music. Europe, the Caribbean, and the U.S. have been frequent destinations on their tour schedule.

T-Vice took the Haitian music industry by storm when they released their initial album Konpa Kontak. They followed with another chart-topping album in October 2006, Kité'm Viv. To keep their career in high gear, they shared album collaborations and concert shows with Carimi, and rival band, Djakout Mizik. T-Vice also joined international rap star, Wyclef Jean, on the video single "Party by the Sea".

Much of their international success has been due to the promotion efforts of their mother, Jessie Al-Khal, and uncle, Pierrot Al-Khal. The enormity of their celebrity led to envy among competing bands, and toward the end of the 90s it was publicly alleged Pierrot was an alcoholic. Irrefutable evidence proved the rumor untrue. In later years, rumors spread T-Vice and Djakout Mizik had a falling out. It turns out the feuding was not of a serious nature, but only friendly competition.

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