If you’ve ever set foot in a Haitian household, then Trapland Pat’s “Thru da Door” will sound familiar. Producer 30AtWill’s electronic keyboard melody brings to mind Kompa, one of the most popular music genres in Haiti. It’s not a coincidence. The wide-eyed Trapland Pat is of Haitian heritage and comes from Broward County, a section of South Florida where you can’t drive too far without catching the aroma from a restaurant with the blue and red flag in the window. In an interview, Pat spoke about how Haitians were looked at as outsiders in his neighborhood for a long time: “You could get jumped for being Haitian down here when we were growing up.” Even with that influence, his rapping is much more in tune with the wave of South Florida rap that has been the norm since Kodak Black hit the scene; he’s subtly melodic and catchy even outside of the hook. He does the beat justice by making what he grew up with into something new.
With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace, it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear.
Check out previous Ones, and listen to new rap from Trapland Pat and more on our Spotify playlist.
