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The Lafayette Afro Rock Band was a group of musicians that formed in 1970 on Roosevelt, Long Island, New York. They were formerly known as Bobby Boy Congress and Ice. A relocation to Paris put them in a position to be the house band at Pierre Jaubert’s Parisound studio. Each Man Makes His Own Destiny was their debut album to emerge in 1973. But their next two albums Malik and Soul Makossa are the reasons they are remembered because of “Hihache” and “Darkest Hour.” Both songs have been prodigiously sampled by some of the most important hip-hop and R&B producers. Teddy Riley, LL Cool J and Public Enemy are just a few of the artists that have benefitted from The Lafayette Afro Rock Band sound. In 1975 they worked as the backing band for jazz composer Mal Waldron’s Candy Girl album. Blues musician Sunnyland Slim also used them as his band for his collaboration album Depression Blues around the same time. They recorded under the Lafayette name for a last time for the Voodounon EP in 1974 and reverted back to the Ice name for two more albums before permanently breaking-up.
