Back in the 90s, they were considered one of Konpa’s most powerful crew and the one band known to have brought New Yorkers out five days a week. With monster hits like Ti Poul la, 14 Fevriye, Lanmou nan kalalou, Pa bouje, Pump up the volume, Ayiti an kòbòy, Vagabon, Don’t you know I love you and so many more, the early part of their journey has led them all the way to the door steps of “Crossover” and they’ve even knocked on that door on several occasions. Unfortunately, internal turmoil, changing times, a new wave of popular “light weight” bands and some involvement in Haitian politics caused Phantoms to go into hibernation for several years. They made several attempts at a comeback but nothing would take them to the place they once were: the TOP of the Haitian music world. Many of their core musicians even attempted to go their separate ways but to no avail.

Throughout that period though, their fans and Konpa music lovers in general never stopped talking about them as they either continued to share their great memories of the band or to voice their frustration that such a group of talented entertainers isn’t active in an industry so badly in need or REAL entertainment. Bottom line, Phantoms always managed to get a mention in the news. More recently they caused a public outcry when they announced that they would bury the name Phantoms forever and replace it with Sak Pase as to denote a has-been. Under pressure from the fans and their new record label, those plans were scratched and once again Phantoms embarked on another comeback. Today Brooklyn’s most famous zombies are back in the studio working on what promises to be the ultimate come back. They are more focused, more determined, more prepared and more energized since their successful years; and based on what I witnessed in the studio, they are more likely to succeed this time around. They have twelve songs in the works and amongst them are “Dife (fire)”, “Premiye Janvye pa’p pran’m deyò” (a song written by Bethova Obas), “I’m sorry”, “M’damou” (sang by Sharon) and a Cassandra/Sharon duet called “Dance”.

After so many years of back and forth and uncertainty, I became one of the skeptics who thought that these guys have traded in their zombie suits for clown outfits. But when they allowed me to get a taste of what’s coming, in merely two short sessions, they made a believer out of me all over again. As a scorned fan, I am not only giving them another chance but I am anxiously awaiting the release of their upcoming CD.
Due to restrictions in their new contract with EMI, Opa cannot share anything containing audio samples of their work with its viewers; however, we can share some pictures with you guys. We hope you enjoy them. And as soon as any part of their latest work is legally made available to the public, we’ll be right here to bring it to you

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