The Origin Of Cosmic RaRa
- Noble D. LeMoore
- Jan 15
- 15 min read
Updated: 7 hours ago
THE COSMIC RARA & THE COSMIC RHYTHM FEDERATION
What is the Cosmic RaRa?
Conceptually, Cosmic RaRa is Cosmic Consciousness. It is the Rhythm, the cacophony and the harmony that organizes and structures the Cosmos. It is the dance of the stars, of energy and matter. It is the fission or fusion of atomic nuclei, the sound of thunder, the speed of lightning, muddy water, and that which forms our DNA. It is the orchestration of the Creator. It is the vital Rhythm of the worlds, on the planetary plane and the elevated paths. Its prose is as literal as metaphorical. Cosmic RaRa is undoubtedly the seed of RaRa as we know it on earth, however, it is not a closed door, it conceives itself as boundless and timeless, transcending forms. It is a High-frequency vibration that embraces the idea of Afro-Futurism as a portal of forward motion and creation of new paradigms.
Sonically, its foundation is in Afro-Caribbean Rhythms, Hip-Hop, and broadly American musical tradition. Also knowing that being part of the diaspora born in Canada with Ayitian origin, I unconsciously carry the cultural dynamic of the land, the blending of Native/African, European yet also all the waves of migrations that were absorbed in the creole identity.
In his book, based on the musical history of Ayiti titled "Histoire musicale d'Haiti," Claude Dauphin expresses that the music of Ayiti is characterized by two paradoxical tendencies. One being the conservation of the African heritage, the second being the creation of the Creole style. The colonial period created a dynamic where African heritage and European contributions coexisted and shaped the early national soundscape. At the dawn of independence, inter-American influences were added, further contributing to the wealth of the musical tapestry. These elements merged to a dominant national musical classification at the popular level, while simultaneously coexisting with other creative currents that are less directly perceptible yet influential.
RaRa is a celebration in Ayiti; this is where it’s at. The event, from which the music gets its name, occurs during the Easter period in spring. It is a music that is closely tied to voodoo tradition, though some would suggest that there are also elements of Taino culture in it. It also exists in the French colonial context, where the artists would parade and dance to ancestral music dressed in what would look like royal garments, seeking donations. Rara is now what we see in Carnivals or festive events. There are certainly African drums that are said to be essentially the same as those in Petwo and Kongo ceremonies. For the commonly used instruments, there is a large drum called “Gwo Baka”, tambourines, two-headed Kongo drums played with two sticks like a side drum, a pewter rattle, often in the shape of a cross known as “Tchancy” in Creole. There are other instruments such as Tchatchas, scrapers known in Creole as “Grajj”, yet also whistles, flutes, brasses, and different types of winds. We have one-note bamboo trumpets, bamboo vaskin, tin trumpets called “Konè” (crown). There are also custom-made instruments by the musicians. With all the instruments at play, it is a sound that is rhythmic based and an improvised free form of expression.
I started producing music at the beginning of 2000. Though I was heavily influenced by American Hip-Hop, with its Boom Bap sounding instrumentals, I would occasionally experiment with sounds that leaned more on the Island’s tradition. It is, however, ‘round 2010, while I was working on my first instrumental essays of “A/My Cosmic Fantasy” that I named the style “Cosmic RaRa”. In this, I wanted to create something close to home, with an authentic feel, with a taste of my own musical ear.
Memories and Influences
I have in memory the conversations with my cousin, as kids, we were asking ourselves questions about the origin of the universe, time and space, the possibility of life elsewhere, the paranormal, and metaphysics. Looking at books or speculating on the topics. I have memories of me observing the moon who looked mysterious, beautiful, powerful and terrifying at the same time. As of lately, I kept the habit of taking a picture of every Full Moon for a while. I was also like many kids, trying to stare at the sun and curious 'bout the eclipse phenomenon.
I have memories of my mother singing a Kiskeya lullaby song, or playing records of Tabou Combo, Skah Shah #1, Coupé Cloué, System Band, and also the Zouk flavors from Kassav. Then other great artists that I learned about, such as Leon Dimanche, Roger Colas, L’Orchestre Septentrional, Frantz Casseus etc. I could as well sense the passion of Emeline Michel when I first saw the video clip of her song “Flanm”. Of course, being part of an Ayitian family, parties and events were filled with Kompa music. I still have a vivid capture of the scenery of adults letting loose at a party when I first heard the “Kem Pa Sote” song from Boukman Eksperyans. I can still hear the voice of singer Joseph Dieudonné Larose* in a small club called Balatou in Montreal, or the first time I saw Wyclef perform his album Carnival Live at Gare Windsor.
*As I was writing this article, Joseph Dieudonné Larose left our world on January 8th, 2026, at the age of 80. May he rest in Peace!
Memories of walking with my mother in Cité Soleil (Ayiti), and seeing an elderly woman take a plastic bucket, turn it upside down, and start drumming, stomping her feet, and singing. As a youth, witnessing a voodoo ceremony and the energy coming out of the drumming and the ecstatic dances, and people in a state of trans.
The Cosmic aspect sprang from my early fascination for space, physics, astronomy, cosmology, and the interplay of science and spirituality; the fine line between myth and reality. I can say that through my journey, a set of Words, Images, and Sounds captured my attention and nurtured my psyche. I had an Art teacher in high school called Max Cosma. I would get good grades in art class; however, the highest grade that we could get from him was 99% or 99.99% to the most, but never 100%. No matter how great the artwork was, the grade would be under 100%. He would say that no artwork is perfect. Thus, my quest isn't so much an obsession towards perfection as it is to find a way to accurately articulate all this creatively, yet leave some space for interpretation. On the other hand, I don't want to give myself any form of limitations, discarding the prefix "im" before the word possible. What is it to Create? How far can the imagination navigate? What can we grasp from the abstract and bring to the concrete?
I Am surely a fabric of pop sci-fi, through movies, comics books, cartoons, and music. There are so many things that are part of my imagination that either lean towards Utopia, Dystopia, or somewhere between. Be it George Lucas' Star Wars, where we cannot forget the theme music of the movie, or the "Imperial March". The martial arts, the wisdom, and the power of the psyche in using the force. On the same breath, David Lynch’s Dune from Frank Herbert’s books, with its interplanetary perspective, the politics, and the exploitation of resources such as the spice. Yet Also the philosophical and existential struggle for freedom, the cultivation of our inner powers, full potential and mathematics beyond artificial intelligence. Back to Earth, old to the new, Peter Hyams, Capricorn One, the ambition of man to travel through space and reach other planets, the struggle and conspiracy theories behind the scenes. The Arthur C. Clark inspired Space Odyssey 2001, directed by Stanley Kubrick questioning our origin, forms of intelligence beyond our realm. The idea of super beings coming from elsewhere, who’s power on earth are amplified like Superman (Kal-El) from planet Krypton, or beings like the transformers from Cybertron. Isaac Asimov's prophecies are being fulfilled. The dystopia of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and the idea of our great technological advancement, such as in biology, robotic AI, and ethics; the complexification of our infrastructures, yet the decay of our societies, and the potential of being overwhelmed and overpowered by our makings.
Star Trek, with Captain Kirk (William Shatner), and the legendary Doctor Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who was my favorite character. Alternatively, in the HipHop realm, is it Redman as the Funk Doctor Spock or the Superman Lover? The United Federation of Planets and Captain Picard’s adventures on the Enterprise tapped into many topics of the future and the intergalactic dynamics with other life forms and dimensions. Be it Chris Carter’s X-Files with Mulder and Scully’s journey through the cosmic conspiracies, we want to believe; furthermore, we want to know. Will the truth be finally unveiled as our space exploration leads to our first Contact as directed by Robert Zemeckis? Or is the uprising of mankind to counter the takeover of the planet by a fascist reptilian alien species? The existential quest and obsession of the mathematician in the movie PI, directed by Daren Aronofsky. I see myself roaming through The Twilight Zone beyond The Outer Limits, Alex Proyas' Dark City, or the microcosm of Andrew Niccol’s Gattaca. I was drawn to the idea of an interstellar teleportation ancient technology in Roland Emmerich’s Stargate. I can go back and forth on kids' entertainment from H.G wells Time Machine to Spielberg’s Back II the Future, Joe Dante’s Explorers, Les Satellipopettes with Capitaine Cosmos, Captain Future, Captain Harlock, Goldorak, Astro Boy, The Mysterious Cities Of Gold, etc. It all sounds like music to me.
I, in fact, was naturally drawn to certain sounds, words, imagery, and concepts. Undoubtedly, the rawness of Parliament Funkadelic. Parliament is high-energy music; every time I listen to it, I smile, get up, and get busy. Parliament Funkadelic’s Funkencyclo-P-Dia defines words Such as:
Big Bang theory: Funk set the universe in motion; ignition by Funk. Ain’t nothin’ but a party in a Black Hole.
Black Hole: Prime Zone of Funkativity, nappy dugout, home to Star Child. Celestial body which suckulates the unfunky deep into its chocolaty center.
Cosmic Slop: Dancing with the Devil to pay your bills. (*We don’t want to fall into this trap.)
Mothership: Outer space chariot bearing Star Child and Funkenstein back to Earth when it deserves a global splanking.
The One: The first Beat; wholeness, perfection, as in “Everything is on the One.”
Isn’t it nuff said with titles like: “Big Bang Theory”, “The Mothership Connection”, “Funkentelechy”, “One Nation Under A Groove”
George Clinton Quote: “Free your mind, and your ass will follow.”
The poetry and philosophy of Sun Ra with his Arkestra allows us to Jazz our way through space, being one with the motion as “Space Is The Place”. Boundless in space and time, back as far in antiquity and the future. The image, the sound, the voice of Afro-futurism before the term existed. We have themes such as “The Futuristic Sound of Sun Ra”, “Secrets Of The Sun”, “The Heliocentric Worlds Of Sun Ra” (Vol 1 & 2). “Sun Ra Visits Planet Earth”, “The Nubians Of Plutonia”, “Interstellar Low Ways”, “Atlantis”, etc.
As Sun Ra says: “Space Is The Place” I say Space Is The Place, as the Universe Unfolds, our Mind and perspectives must harmonize with it. I selected a few quotes from the man who came from the Sun.
1) “At first there was nothing then nothing turned itself inside-out and became something.”
2) “The Possible has been tried and failed. Now it’s time to try the impossible.”
3) “The Universe is endless; our possibilities are also endless.”
4) “Space is not only high, it's low. It's a bottomless pit.”
5) “Space is the place where we can escape the limitations of our earthly existence.”
6) “The only way to transcend the ordinary is to embrace the extraordinary.”
7) “Every “individual” is a unique star in the celestial symphony of life.”
8) “The rhythm of the universe beats within our hearts.”
9) “We are all interconnected, part of a cosmic web of energy.”
The journey does not stop here; we can travel through Gustav Holst’s “Planets” or Isao Tomita’s electronic version, then take it back to the elements of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Fantasy”:
“Every man has a place, in his heart there’s a space, and the world can’t erase his fantasies. Take a ride in the sky, on our ship fantasii. All your dreams will come true, right away…”
“Every thought is a dream, rushing by in a stream, bringing life to your kingdom of doing. Take a ride in the sky, on our ship fantasii. All your dreams will come true, miles away…”
Then we can go on full explorative free flow mode with Herbie Hancock’s Sextant with titles like “Rain Dance”, “Hidden Shadows”, “Hornets”, or Head Hunters “Chameleon”, “Watermelon Man”.
The journey continues to Jimi hendrix's Electric Lady Land as "... The Gods Made Love", and to the sound of the "Voodoo Chile", The Cry Of Love's "Astro Man". A Band of Gypsys "Message To Love/ Message To The Universe", "Power To Love/Power Of Soul", "South Saturn Delta". What about King Crimson Albums like In The Wake of Poseidon “Peace – A Beginning”, “Peace – A Theme”, “Peace – An End”, then Islands with titles like “Formentera Lady”, “Sailor’s Tale”, “Ladies of the Road”, “Prelude - song of the Gulls”… Starless And Bible Black “The Night Watch”, “Trio”… Ironically, I was not too familiar with the album Spacegroove (1998), which is an immersive cosmic artistic theme. However, in my youth, I got to experience albums such as In the Court Of The Crimson King. The entire album is excellent however to select a few, “Epitaph”, “I Talk To the Wind” or “Moonchild”. From there we can move to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon" or Santana’s Moonflower, “Let The Children Play”, “Zulu”, “Europa”, “Transcendence”, or the homage to Toussaint Louverture.
The Alan Parsons Project’s Album Eye in the Sky with titles such as “Children Of The Moon”…
A few lines from “Eye In The Sky”:
“The Sun in your eyes made some of the lies worth believing. I Am the Eye in the Sky looking at you. I can read your mind, I Am the Maker of rules…”
Lyrics from “Gemini”:
“Watching Waiting Rising Falling
Listening Calling Drifting
Touching Feeling Seeing Believing
Hoping Sending Leaving
I Couldn’t Say Why You And I Are Gemini
If I Tried To Write A Million Words A Day
I See Your Shadow Coming Closer
Then Watch Your Drifting Away
Watching Waiting Rising Falling
Listening Calling Drifting
Touching Feeling Seeing Believing
Hoping Sending Leaving
I Couldn’t Say Why You And I Are Gemini
We Are Travelling A Million Worlds Away
I See Your Shadow Coming Closer
Then Watch You Drifting Away.”
Hip-hop has always been my rock, the spirit of it as felt in Beatstreet or Wild Style. Be it Afrika Bambaata & The Soulsonic Force’s “Planet Rock” to “Dark Matter Moving at the Speed of Light.” With titles like “Dark Matter”, his version of “Soul Makossa” or “Electro Salsa”. Out of this world like Outkast ATLiens, the album itself is a sonic experience, songs like ”ATLiens” ‘Elevators”, “Wheelz Of Steel”, “E.T. (Extraterrestrial)”, “13th Floor/Growing Old.” Keith Murray’s “Get Lifted” or “Escapism.”
The Arsonists' “Rhyme Time Travel” Rakim’s lyrical scientific mathematical genius and his cosmology versed in “The Mystery (Who Is God?), or Gangstarr feat. Inspectah Deck “Above The Clouds”. Jeru Da Damaja's "Scientifical Madness". GZA having a conversation with Neil DeGrasse Tyson on physics and how it also appeals to Hip-Hop, then the science in Wu-Tang or RZA’s 12 Jewelz track on Gravediggaz album. French group IAM with “L’Empire Du Côté Obscur” or Freeman's song titled "La Terre N'est Pas Mon Chez Moi". The Micranots, Black Star, RJD2, Cannibal Ox Iron, MF Doom, Aesop Rock, Apathy, The Ancient Astronauts, The Ultra-Magnetic MC’s, or Main Source Breaking Atoms. KRS-One’s astrological message on his “4th Quarter Freestyle” or Killah Priest’s Heavy Mental lyrics:
“Information begins gathering
Starting to pattering the Stargate towards Saturn
Between the eye socket is where I will build my sky rocket
You don't need any passport, all you need is a thought
Suddenly, the soul becomes hot as coal
The flame blows from out my brain holes like a volcano
The brain begins the process
As we start the conquest from out the physical bondage
The thought launches
Voyaging 144 billion light-years through the shadows of your imagination
Now open your eyes, do you see the flaming arrows aiming at pharaohs inhabitations?...”
There is an infinite list of artists who somehow speak this musical language. Just to say that I always enjoy sounds from Pete Rock, J Dilla, Madlib, Dr Dre, Black Milk, Appollo Brown, Organized Noize, Erykah Badu, De La Soul, The Soul Aquarians, Digable Planets, Robert Glasper, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Q-Tip, Makaya McCraven, Karriem Riggins, Shafeeq Husayn/SA-RA, Hieroglyphics, Georgia Ann Muldrow, Dam Funk. I have in mind the sonic experience from Meshell Ndegeocello’s “Comfort Woman,” just to name a few.
Then I lose myself in books and documentaries, the vulgarization of Astronomy in the teachings of Hubert Reeves. Literature from Buddhism, Ancient Egypt, The Bhagavat Gita, The Abrahamic tradition. Maurice Bucailles's take on science in the bible and the Qur'an. The Sirius Mystery of Robert Temple and the cosmology of the Bantu, the Dogons, as translated by Marcel Griaule and Germaine Dieterlen, or the Genius of Nikola Tesla and his perspective of life beyond earth, and all the names that echoed such as Einstein, Newton, Copernic, etc.
Nikola Tesla quotes on outer space wireless communication:
1) Message to George Scherff on July 4, 1899
"We are getting messages from the clouds one hundred mile away, possibly many times that distance. Do not leak it to the reporters."
2) Letter to the American Red Cross on December 25, 1900
"Brethren! We have a message from another world, unkown and remote. It reads: One... two... three..."
Where I was mostly distracted at school, a teacher would get my attention when speaking of Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin or Neil Armstrong, the Apollo flights, or discussing the tremendous achievements of the Egyptians, the Incas, and the Aztecs, as well as ancient technologies.
The Cosmic RaRa seeks a clear perspective on the tangents that lead us either towards a Utopian or a Dystopian realm, the inside-out way. It is expressed in the spiralist approach of Frankétienne, characterized by vivid passion and insanity. In a metaphysical, spiritual, and scientific form of poetry, paintings, and writings, Frankétienne is anchored in reality beyond and beyond. Cosmic RaRa might as well be synonymous with Cosmic Yoga. It explores all the dimensions of the self, its states, and the space that it occupies. Alain Daniélou writes in his book YOGA – Mastering The Secrets Of The Universe:
“It is by studying the microcosm that we can understand the macrocosm; it is through our own impermanent being that we can reach the Universal Being. It is in the cavern of our heart that we can realize the immensity of spaces, and by controlling our own vital rhythms that we can escape the power of death. It is by exploring the unknown spheres within ourselves that we can visit the celestial and infernal worlds.”
TO BE UPDATED
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C-RARA – THE OFFSPRING OF RARA
This instrumental album of mine titled C-RaRa - The Offsprings Of RaRa is the first of a series. It contains 9 instrumentals. I welcome the readers to do their homework. The titles are in Ayitian Creole as follows:
01. Akra*
02. Zoclo-Siyadd*
03. Nan Soss*
04. Gou Bouche*
05. Ti Kouto Gwo Kouto*
06. Danse Avek*
07. Jiroff*
08. Zo Bwa Shech*
09. Pwa Congo*
Eight (8) songs out of nine (9) are available online and downloadable. There will be an official vinyl version will be avialable on the SHOP, No said date. * Visit the MUSIC page.
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