La Tortura in english? who knows...but she said we will like it in a recent interview.

Hip hop and konpa
in an intimate setting

Booking Haitian-born hip hop artist Wyclef Jean, and Sweet Micky -- the Haitian konpa music king whom Jean declared an MVP on his Masquerade album -- usually runs in the tens of thousands. Friday night, several hundred Haitian-American professionals got to experience the jam session for free.

Jean, who was in Miami working with Latin music sensation Shakira on a reggaeton-inspired single, joined Sweet Micky on stage in a ballroom at the James L. Knight Center. The konpa artist was headlining a reception to kick off a three-day conference by the Haitian-American Leadership Organization, a newly formed group hoping to promote a different kind of image of Haitians by tapping Haitian-American professionals to become more involved in their community.

''This is important with what we are trying to do with the next phase of Haiti,'' Jean told The Miami Herald. He is becoming increasingly involved with the issues affecting his troubled Caribbean homeland.

Wearing a black T-shirt declaring ''We are all Refugees,'' the star of one of the biggest-selling hip-hop acts ever, the Fugees, came to the reception at the invitation of Sweet Micky, who donated his talent to the affair. Before his arrival he was at North Miami's Hit Factory recording studio with Shakira and at Little Haiti's Sant La Neighborhood Center, where he spent the afternoon hanging out with executive director Gepsie Metellus.

''Micky is my political advisor, and he tells me what to say . . . so there will be no discussions of [former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand] Aristide on the podium tonight,'' Jean told the crowd, to the sound of laughter.

Then addressing the crowd in Haitian-Creole, he said, ``If we want to advance [as Haitians] we need to have HALO. . . . If they want the Haitian vote, we are the ones they are going to have to come to.''

During the evening, Jean posed for ----, signed autographs and showed off his best konpa moves as Micky worked the crowd into a frenzy. Jean even showed an admiring group of youngsters his latest flips and hip hop moves before taking the guitar and microphone to belt out Bob Marley's No Woman No Cry, and 911, the duet he made with soul singer Mary J. Blige.

-- JACQUELINE CHARLES

Hopefully we like it cause her album is on flop status as of now. Hopefully this will bring it back up, but they'll have to rerlease it..

Such a shame one of the best albums last year flopped especially when there's so much crap that's "hot" and "popular" now. Hopefully, if released, it will be a huge hit.

that should be hot

If her record company would have released Animal City, How Do You Do, or Timor as the first singe....this album would have been HUGE.... Don't Bother was a good song but a weak first single.... I bet a lot of people don't even know Shakira has a new english album out because of little or no airplay....

The following order for singles would have made a hit album, in my opinioin

1) Timor
2) Animal City
3) How Do You Do
4) Hey You
5) Don't Bother

I'm all for newly recorded singles and all, but it's a shame it's being done when only one single has been released so far...

Her songs on the album don't appeal to me as Mainstream music. I couldn't imagine the majority of her songs on the radio on that album... Hopefully she'll bring it back

I think Illegal is radio friendly.

with this new song, they will probably re-release the album and it will be big hopefully...and then comes 3 single....which i hope is Illegal or How do you do?
then comes the others....can be Animal City or Timor :P

Wyclef ^___________^

Wyclef is definately one of my all time favorite artist. I mean, he sings 2 of my favorite songs of all time. Those being

2 Wrongs ft. Claudette of City High
&
New Day ft. Bono of U2

It should be great. It's unfortunate that "O.F. Vol. 2" isn't doing very good, it's such a great album with quality songs. I think Shakira knows what sells. I bet if she wanted to she could make an extremely commercial album and spin off tons of mainstream hits.

By making this reggaeton song with Wyclef Jean hopefully it will boost sales of "Oral Fixation Vol. 2" and give Shakira a huge hit in the United States and worldwide. I don't want to see this album become a flop, and if it takes Shakira making an upbeat dance reggaeton song to rebound and make the album sell, then so be it.

I wish her the best of luck. There's so much talent in Shakira and her music, if only she could receive the proper amount of attention and airplay.

hahaha, its funny how shakira without radio support die... no like other artist that altough the lack of radio support their albums sell somethin' like 4 million albums

its more funny how you dont have a life and always behind a Shakira thread.

pls, shakira needs to give up, in fact so does Wyclef! Am happy that her album has flopped... she tries so hard to come across as a serious artist and yet ends up looking so stupid, esp. in her video for 'Don't Bother'. Who is she tryin to impress as a 'serious artist'? Nobody bloody cares, we all liked her when she did Whenever and I love 'Underneath Yours Clothes'. She should drop the whole rocker whatever rubbish she tries so hard to pull off.

And a single with Wyclef...she has just ensured that her album will never see the Top 200. An artist who himself is struggling these days to gain airplay and credibility let alone sales...oh well. Sorry to offend any fans here but ave been dieing to say these things!

Shakira is floping because shes too good for MTV audiance.... yet some mature people that like real music havent even heard the song or the album bause they think shes some kind of britshit....

Yet MTV audiance is full of ****..... before when she did Whenever, wherever..... criticts compared her to britney etc etc etc etc....( dont want to name the rest )............... now they compared her with "The cure", "the cramberries" "petula clarck" a few other real artist im glad shakira noticed that and shes aming at the right place....... she just has to conquer middle of america........ it would be hard for her since a lot see her like another fake artist......

This could show a lack of wisdom on her part. America will hardly take her any more seriously than it does now. Sometimes you have to compromise in order to get your word out. I am sure that Mariah would be cravin to return to her balladry roots and sing some songs with more depth, but she knows that she will be poorly received. I am also sure that Beyonce would like to make an album in the vein of 'Diary' or 'Minor', but knows that she either wouldnt be able to pull it off, or will never be given the light of day by critics. Similarly, Alicia Keys secretly craves the funkiness and choreography of Beyonce's music, hence her tryin to incorporate more dance moves and funkiness in her music, but shes knows that her dancin may be a bit ruff, or it may be a commercial disaster so she sticks to her formula.

Shakira needs to be told the truth. America doesnt like her when she aint shakin something or being sweet. The choice is hers - continue strugglin to be taken seriously by a mass audience that not only cannot embrace u as that kind of audience, but dont even find the material worthy of what u pupport, or jump back on d commercial bandwagon. As it is, her significance in the pop world is less significant than when she took the world by storm with Laundry Service. Baby girl needs 2 up her game a bit mo.

The problem with Shakira is that she also want to be known as a real artist, the one many latin americans met before Laundry Service, the one with the 4 Grammy she has, the talented one....but she released Laundry Service (W/W) and then La Tortura....I mean I know she likes to make all kind of music and her passion is rock music but she should know that she is more well known worldwide by her shake it music and thats because she made it that way.

Ah, shut up. I swear...... She writes her own music, writes her own lyrics in multiple languages, and then produces it too. And it's not like her albums don't get good reviews, they get pretty great reviews. Shakira is a serious artist, she does her work. She has a great amount of involvement in her albums. For you to say she should give up because her album isn't doing well is completely stupid.

Shakira just needs to learn how to balance her commercial and artistic integrity, to make quality songs that are also catchy and radio friendly. She does NOT need to just give up and go 100% commercial and back to just dancing for the sake of sales. The problem is NOT that the music is bad, it's just that it's difficult to market.

Hopefully with a catchy and radio friendly 2nd single she will be able to boost the sales of "Oral Fixation Vol. 2".

America..America..America.."God Bless America"..why do people only think in America....it isn't the whole world. She is very loved in the rest of the world and respected...not to mention in Latin America where she is portrayed as "The Best Latin American Singer of All Times" by MILLIONS. In Europe she is gaining a lot of ground...Germany, Switzerland..Austria..Italy..Spain and many more...

And I know it may not be selling well..but that doesn't mean she's not talented...that album has great songs..and the world will now it by the time she releases all of the singles....don't overestimate anything in this world...

Velve

I dint mean she should give up on her music career. I meant she should give up on the album. The mistake is made. Its just like Brandy or Janet releasing the wrong singles and gettin poor reactions to them. Theres no point continueing to flog the albums, the most sensible thing to do is to accept that they are flops, go back to the studio and come up with a hit.

U r also right in sayin that she needs to balance the commercial with the artistic. Thats what am tryin to say. The Emancipation of Mimi is a very commercial record but it has garnered so much praise equally for the more 'artistic' tracks on it such as 'Fly Like A Bird' and 'Circles'. Not sayin they r not commercial, or they are her 'Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' type tracks, but they show that at least she leaves some room for less commercial tracks, which could also be singles.

musicfan

Yes, America, America, America. It may not be the only music market but it sure is the biggest. Fortunately or unfortunately, an artist has 'made it' when they become big on those shores. We can't also deny that the fact that an artist is doin very well in the US is not a sellin point when marketting the artist abroad. It helps to create momentuum, e.g. the fact that We Belong Together, Yeah or In Da Club has achieved so much success in the US meant that radio stations and fans alike were ready to jump on their bandwagons when the songs werre made available in the UK.

Also, no matter how much u discredit the grammies, they still count 4 somethin. No artist is nominated once they dont impact on the US mkt. Joss Stone, Dido and Coldplay would not have achieved so worldwide recognition if they did not attempt to penetrate the US mkt, and therefore receive grammy nominations which impacted on their sales.

All in all, Shakira is very talented, and it was evident from her songwriting skills on Laundry Service. As far as I was concerned, it was a commercial yet artistic record. Much as 'Whenver' was a poppy song, it made very clever use of lyrics. 'Underneath ur clothes' tho panned by critics for being Mariah-esq, was actually a very good record - the emotion was raw and the understated video excellent; 'Objection Tango' was also a critical favourite. Shakira jus needs to recreate that spark.

Thanks for being a nice commentator..anyways, I think I know what you are trying to say. However, it is pointless to say to give up on promoting the album knowing the fact that only that one single has been released and has helped OF sales to sale up to more than 1 mill. People are loving this song after they buy the album..me for example. After listening to the whole album I realize DB wasn't the right choice..please, to everyone, let's not say "something will happen (flop) when not all of what in the album is has not been released.