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Wyclef Jean

 
Gale Contemporary Black Biography:

Wyclef Jean

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rap musician; guitarist

Personal Information

Born Nel Wyclef Jean around 1970 in Haiti, son of a Nazarene preacher, Gesner Jean. Family moved to Brooklyn, New York, when Wyclef was nine years old; moved to Newark, New Jersey, early 1980s. Married Claudenette.
Education: Vailsburg High School, Newark.
Religion: Raised Nazarene.

Career

Rapper, guitarist, successful recording artist, producer, 1993-. With Prakazrel "Pras" Michel and Lauryn Hill, formed group Tranzlator Crew, early 1990s; group changed name to Fugees, 1993; with the Fugees recorded Blunted on Reality, 1993 and multiplatinum The Score, 1996; released solo album The Carnival, 1997; achieved multiplatinum sales levels.

Life's Work

Rapper, producer, and guitarist Wyclef Jean, after ascending to hip-hop stardom as one third of the wildly successful and artistically ambitious group the Fugees, emerged as a major solo artist with his 1997 debut release entitled The Carnival. Tapping into rap music's deep traditions of omnivorous musical mixture and of Caribbean American fusion, Jean carried them forward in new and exciting ways. Critically well received and a hero on the streets both in the United States and in his native Haiti, he was one of hip-hop music's brightest lights at the end of the 1990s. In the words of Time magazine critic Christopher John Farley, "The Carnival puts Wyclef up there with Billy Corgan, Trent Reznor, and Tricky as one of the most creative people working in pop music."

Jean was born Nel Wyclef Jean (his songwriting credits still list him as "N. Jean") in Haiti around 1970. In any event, when Jean was nine, his family left Haiti for the United States, landing in Brooklyn's tough Marlboro housing project, not far from Coney Island. "When I got to America," Jean told Ebony, "I was expecting to see money falling from the sky." Brooklyn fell short of these expectations, but offered the Jean family opportunities that were nearly unthinkable in their poverty-stricken homeland. Wyclef, who spoke the Haitian Creole dialect of French, knew no English at all, but learned quickly from the rap music that was beginning to flourish on New York's radio stations.

Wyclef's father was a Nazarene preacher, and several years after coming to Brooklyn the family moved to Newark, New Jersey so that Gesner Jean could assume a post at the city's Good Shepherd Church of the Nazarene. Wyclef's mother, noting her son's refusal to follow in his father's footsteps, had already given him a guitar with the intention of diverting his interest from their neighborhood's rampant gang activity. The first song he learned to play, he told Guitar Player, was Steve Martin's "King Tut." At Newark's Vailsburg High School, Jean flourished, majoring in jazz, learning to play more than 15 instruments, and gaining a grounding in the fundamentals of the music business. Hungry for expensive studio time, he earned money by working at McDonald's. Some rappers would hesitate to admit to such employment, preferring to project a gangster image, but as Jean put it to Ebony's Melissa Ewey, "Anybody that did that [deal drugs], I don't know if they're still around. I had a vision, and nobody was going to mess that up."

Jean hooked up with his cousin Prakazrel "Pras" Michel--who also lived in northern New Jersey--and with their friend Lauryn Hill, they began to create and perform hip-hop music. Jean, who had already been honored for his compositional skills at a national choir festival, encountered opposition from his father--"as far as he was concerned, if it didn't talk about God, it was devil music," Jean told Ebony--but the trio made distinctive music and was noticed in Newark almost from the start. They formed a group called the Tranzlator Crew (an earlier incarnation had been notable for its collective ability to rap in six different languages), and by 1993 had been signed to the Ruff House/Columbia label and began bringing together music for an album.

After encountering legal trouble from an alternative-rock group called Translator, Jean, Michel, and Hill changed the name of their group to the Fugees, a shortened version of the word "refugees." Their debut album, 1993's Blunted on Reality, enjoyed mixed critical reviews and moderate sales, but it was the Fugees second release, The Score, that catapulted them to the top ranks of popular music in 1996. The album sold over four million copies in the United States and at least 15 million worldwide; it sold well in Jean's native Haiti, in France, where Jean's French-language skills have made him extraordinarily popular, and in Caribbean and African countries where rap had earlier made few inroads. Jean and his fellow Fugees also did a benefit concerts in Haiti and Miami to help Haitian refugees. Musically, the album was stamped by Jean's adventuresome and eclectic tastes: it featured samples of Caribbean music, rock, and black pop, among other styles, and became best known for its hip-hop remake of Roberta Flack's 1970s hit "Killing Me Softly."

The Fugees remained together and planned future releases as a group as of the end of 1998, but each member also embarked on individual projects. Jean planned a modest album of music in the Creole language to capitalize on his popularity in Francophone countries, but his creativity stretched the boundaries of the project, and the album, The Carnival (full title Wyclef Jean presents The Carnival featuring Refugee Allstars), ended up as a full-fledged solo release. Several of the Creole tracks survived and appeared on the album, which featured a spectacular mixture of styles and elements. Although he was joined by his Fugees bandmates, Jean was the primary creative force behind The Carnival, producing the album and composing most of its tracks.

The sampling and incorporation of other styles of music is integral to hip-hop, but The Carnival used such techniques with unusual imagination and variety. Guest artists on the album included Puerto Rican salsa queen Celia Cruz (on a humorous, subtle recasting of the 1960s hit "Guantanamera"), New Orleans soul stars, the Neville Brothers, the reggae group I Threes, and members of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. One of the album's hit singles, "We Trying To Stay Alive," took the Bee Gees' disco hit "Staying Alive" as a point of departure, taking it through a complex yet infectious series of musical and poetic twists and turns. The recording harked back to rap music's earliest days, when DJs would improvise rhymes over disco records in New York nightclubs. Yet it also showcased the music's new virtuosity. Jean's creativity was rewarded with two Grammy award nominations in 1998, and the album took only a few months to reach the one-million sales mark.

Many of the album's sales were made to fans of rock music attracted by the sound of Jean's guitar playing. The guitar has been an uncommon instrument in hip-hop music, and its incorporation into a raw hip-hop sound is one mark of Jean's uncommon mastery of stylistic mixture. "Wyclef's strengths like in his ability not just to deftly cop the feels of calypso, reggae and rock, but to layer those styles and tones in the studio," Guitar Player noted admiringly. On several of The Carnival's songs, complex raps surround a quoted melody in long notes, with Jean adding a rhythmic groove or humorous percussive notes on guitar.

At the end of the 1990s Jean seemed to have the talent, training, and imagination to become a major lasting force in hip-hop music. "The only artists who are going to last the next five to 10 years are those people doing original music," he told Billboard. "I've got a 50-year plan for this business." Already much in demand as a producer from high-profile artists such as Tevin Campbell, Gloria Estefan, and rapper Canibu, Jean was slated to star as the son of reggae legend Jimmy Cliff in a sequel to the 1970s film The Harder They Come. Fans of many musical stripes await future releases of his own.

Awards

Nominated for two Grammy awards, including Best Rap Album, for The Carnival, 1998.

Works

Selective Discography

  • Blunted on Reality, (with the Fugees), Ruff House/Columbia, 1993.
  • The Score (with the Fugees), Ruff House/ Columbia, 1996.
  • The Carnival, Ruff House/Columbia, 1997.

Further Reading

  • Billboard, June 14, 1997, p. 1; March 21, 1998, p. 35.
  • Ebony, May 1998, p. 120.
  • Entertainment Weekly, December 26, 1997, p. 61; June 26, 1998, p. 56.
  • Guitar Player, January 1998, p. 35.
  • New York Times, October 27, 1997, p. B5.
  • People, July 7, 1997, p. 26.
  • Time, July 28, 1997, p. 74; August 24, 1998, p. 91.
  • Vibe, August 1998.
  • Washington Post, September 30, 1998, p. D5.

— James M. Manheim

Gale Musician Profiles:

Wyclef Jean

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Rap musician, guitarist

Multi-talented hip-hop guitarist Nel Wyclef Jean, one-third of the renowned band The Fugees, released a platinum-selling solo debut album titled The Carnival in 1998 to positive and often gushing reviews. Jean drew upon Creole folk music, Afro-Cuban, reggae, rhythm and blues, funk, and rap music to forge a refreshing brand of hip-hop, and this variety of musical styles was also evident in the music of The Fugees. In addition to artfully fusing a myriad of musical styles, Jean is one of the few hip-hop artists to play the guitar and still be accepted as a rapper by hardcore hip-hop fans. In this respect, he combined an appreciative alternative music fan base with his hip-hop and rap fans and achieved a rare feat. Time magazine's Christopher John Farley wrote, "The Carnival puts Wyclef up there with Billy Corgan, Trent Reznor and Tricky as one of the most creative people working in pop music."

Jean was born in Haiti in 1971, and moved to Brooklyn near Coney Island in New York City with his parents at the age of nine, before eventually moving to Newark, New Jersey, to attend high school. His father, Gesner Jean, was pastor of Newark's Good Shepherd Church of the Nazarene. Jean studied at Newark's Vailsburg High School, learning as much as he could about music and the music business. His cousin, Prakazrel 'Pras' Michel of the Fugees, lived in South Orange, New Jersey, and Jean began experimenting with hip-hop along with Michel and Lauryn Hill of The Fugees while still in high school. Jean told Rolling Stone's David Sprague, "When I'd come back from the studio, I'd get a whipping from my dad, 'cause I was playing devil's music." While Jean was still underage, a recording contract fell through because his father refused to condone it.

In 1988 the Vailsburg High School Swing Choir included Jean on bass and Michel on vocals; they sang for the Young Americans National Invitational Performance Choir Festival in Hollywood, where the choir won an award for costumes and Jean was honored for an original composition. Jean wrote songs on the choir's bus while traveling from one event to the next. Back in Newark, Jean and Michel formed a rap group called Exact Change, which was distinguished by the fact that they wore tuxedoes, rapped in six languages, and had a positive message. Then the two Haitian cousins and Lauryn Hill began rapping together under the name Tranzlator Crew, and by 1993 they were signed to Ruff House/Columbia Records and working on their first full-length release.

The group changed their name due to a legal objection by a new wave group named Translator, and chose The Fugees as a shortened version of refugees—since they sought refuge in their music. Their first release, Blunted on Reality, was released to positive reviews in late 1993. After producing their second release, The Score, in their own studio in East Orange, free of the constricting terms of their original production contract, the group saw their sophomore effort attain instant success. The Score was more focused and strident, and drew from the band's myriad musical influences—everything from Caribbean music to Roberta Flack, and early 1980s new wave musicians like Tears for Fears and the Pet Shop Boys. The Score topped the charts for weeks, sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, and was followed by an extensive tour that ended in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The Score's "Killing Me Softly," a remake of Roberta Flack's early 1970s single, graced the R&B singles chart for seven months and the pop chart for six months. When the Fugees returned to the group's native homeland for a concert at the Bicentenaire in Port-au-Prince, an estimated 80,000 jubilant fans greeted them.

While The Fugees were touring, Jean continued recording; he initially intended to release a solo album of songs in Creole, but he expanded his reach. He also did remixes for Cypress Hill, Sublime, Simply Red, Whitney Houston, TLC, Michael Jackson, and Bounty Killer while the band was on the road. The prolific Jean was the primary writer, producer, and performer on The Carnival, but he enlisted an impressive array of international talent for his debut solo release. Lauryn Hill and Michel assisted his effort, as did the Latin supernova salsa singer Celia Cruz on "Guantanamera," the New Orleans-based Neville Brothers on "Mona Lisa," members of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Jean, on "Gone 'Til November," and reggae's I Threes on "Gunpowder." Pablo Diablo was featured on "Crazy Sam" and "Talent." "Yele" featured the Creole folk music of Jean's Haitian homeland, as did "Sang Fezi," "Jaspora," and the calypso-infused "Carnival." The French-Creole songs on The Carnival topped the charts in Haiti.

Jean's father died in an accident in September of 2001. In that same year his wife, Marie Claudinette, lost her mother and an uncle. Jean told Steve Dougherty and Mark Dagostino in People, "We went through a death spell, losing three people back-to-back. Then, after a year of mourning, I finally understood. To conquer death, you have to celebrate life."

In 2002 Jean released Masquerade. He followed this with Greatest Hits and The Preacher's Son in 2003.

In 2005 he branched out into acting. He appeared in four episodes of NBC's "Third Watch" and appeared in two independent films, One Last Thing and Dirty. He also signed a deal with HBO to produce and star in a comedy series based loosely on his own life. Jean told People, "I love performing. It's time for that right now—to celebrate life and give people hope."

Selected discography
(With the Fugees) Blunted on Reality, Ruff House/Columbia Records, 1993.(With the Fugees) The Score, Ruff House/Columbia Records, 1996.Presents The Carnival, Ruff House/Columbia Records, 1997.Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book, Columbia Records, 2000.Masquerade, Ruff House/Columbia Records, 2002.Greatest Hits, Ruff House/Columbia Records, 2003.The Preacher's Son J-Records, 2003.Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101, Koch, 2004.
Sources
Periodicals
Billboard, June 14, 1997.
Ebony, November 1996.
Entertainment Weekly, December 26, 1997.
Guitar Player, January 1998.
Harper's Bazaar, June 1996.
Interview, May 1996.
Newsweek, October 6, 1997.
People, July 7, 1997.
Rolling Stone, September 5, 1996.
Time, July 28, 1997.
Us, August 1996.
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:

Wyclef Jean

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  • Genres: Rap

Biography

Lead Fugees rapper and sometime guitarist Wyclef Jean was the first member of his group to embark on a solo career, and he proved even more ambitious and eclectic on his own. As the Fugees hung in limbo, Wyclef also became hip-hop's unofficial multicultural conscience; a seemingly omnipresent activist, he assembled or participated in numerous high-profile charity benefit shows for a variety of causes, including aid for his native Haiti. The utopian one-world sensibility that fueled Wyclef's political consciousness also informed his recordings, which fused hip-hop with as many different styles of music as he could get his hands on (though, given his Caribbean roots, reggae was a particular favorite). In addition to his niche as hip-hop's foremost global citizen, Clef was also a noted producer and remixer who worked with an impressive array of pop, R&B, and hip-hop talent, including Whitney Houston, Santana, and Destiny's Child, among many others.

The son of a minister, Nelust Wyclef Jean was born in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, on October 17, 1972. When he was nine, his family moved to the Marlborough projects in Brooklyn, NY; by his teenage years, Jean had moved to New Jersey, taken up the guitar, and begun studying jazz through his high school's music department. In 1987, he also joined a rap group with his cousin Prakazrel Michel (aka Pras) and Michel's high-school classmate Lauryn Hill. Initially calling themselves the Tranzlator Crew, they evolved into the Fugees, a name taken from slang for Haitian refugees. The trio signed with Ruffhouse Records in 1993 and released their debut album, Blunted on Reality, the following year; it attracted little notice, thanks to an inappropriate hardcore stance that the group wore like an ill-fitting suit. But the Fugees hit their stride on the follow-up, The Score, ignoring popular trends and crafting an eclectic, bohemian masterpiece that sounded like nothing else on the hip-hop landscape in 1996. Thanks to hit singles like "Fu-Gee-La" and "Killing Me Softly," The Score became a chart-topping phenomenon; in fact, with sales of over six million copies, it still ranks as one of the biggest-selling rap albums of all time.

Wyclef Jean was the first Fugee to declare plans for a solo project, setting to work soon after the group completed its supporting tours. Released in the summer of 1997, The Carnival (full title: Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival Featuring the Refugee All-Stars) was even more musically ambitious than The Score. Its roster of guests included not only the remainder of the Fugees, but also Jean's siblings (who performed together in the duo Melky Sedeck), Cuban legend Celia Cruz, New Orleans funk mainstays the Neville Brothers, and Bob Marley's female backing vocalists the I Threes. The breadth of his ambition was further in evidence on the album's two hit singles; "We Trying to Stay Alive" recast the Bee Gees' signature disco tune as a ghetto empowerment anthem, and the Grammy-nominated "Gone Till November" was recorded with part of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Those two songs helped push The Carnival into a Top 20, triple-platinum showing, and most reviews were naturally quite positive.

In the wake of The Carnival, Wyclef stepped up his outside work for other artists; over the next few years, he collaborated as a producer, songwriter, and/or remixer with a typically diverse list of artists: Destiny's Child ("No No No"), Sublime, Simply Red, Whitney Houston (the title track of her My Love Is Your Love album), dancehall reggae star Bounty Killer, Cypress Hill, Michael Jackson, Eric Benet, Mya, Santana ("Maria Maria"), Tevin Campbell, the Black Eyed Peas, Kimberly Scott, Sinéad O'Connor, Mick Jagger, and Canibus. Clef also served as Canibus' manager for a short time in 1998; prior to their split, a report surfaced that Wyclef had pulled a gun on Blaze editor Jesse Washington over a negative Canibus review the magazine was slated to run (Wyclef vehemently denied the accusation, and no charges were filed).

By the time Wyclef began work on his second solo album, rumors were flying about tension between individual Fugees, and despite their denials, the fact that no follow-up to The Score was in sight seemed to lend credence to all the speculation. Although Wyclef had previously announced he would put off his sophomore effort until after the next Fugees album, he was well into the project by early 2000, giving an early release the antipolice brutality track "Diallo" (with guest vocals from Senegalese superstar Youssou N'Dour) via the Internet. The full album, titled The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book, was released toward the end of the summer and entered the charts at number nine. Besides N'Dour, guests this time around included Mary J. Blige (on the Grammy-nominated duet "911"), Earth, Wind & Fire, Kenny Rogers, and even wrestling star the Rock ("It Doesn't Matter"); Clef also threw in a left-field cover of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here." This time around, some critics suggested that Wyclef's sprawling ambitions were growing messy, but the record went platinum nonetheless. Shortly after its release, he also started up his own record label, Yclef.

With no Fugees reunion in sight, Wyclef began preparing his third solo album, Masquerade, in 2001; he also appeared in the Jamaican gangster flick Shottas, and, sadly, suffered the death of his father in a home accident. Masquerade was released in the summer of 2002, and in addition to the usual worldbeat fusions, it found Wyclef reworking songs by Bob Dylan and Frankie Valli, and featured guest shots from Tom Jones and Israeli violinist Miri Ben-Ari. Masquerade entered the charts at number six, proving that Wyclef's freewheeling approach still held quite a bit of appeal. One year later, he returned with The Preacher's Son, and also released an album of traditional Haitian Creole music, Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101. His debut solo album got its sequel in 2007 when Carnival, Vol. 2: Memoirs of an Immigrant hit the shelves. The album had a diverse and lengthy guest list, with Akon, Mary J. Blige, Norah Jones, Shakira, Paul Simon, and Sizzla being just some of the names involved. Two years later he returned with Toussaint St. Jean: From the Hut, To the Projects, To the Mansion, a mixtape that found Wyclef rapping rather than singing. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Wyclef Jean

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"Wyclef" redirects here. For similarly spelled articles, see Wycliffe (disambiguation).
Wyclef Jean

Wyclef Jean in 2008
Background information
Birth name Wyclef Jeanelle Jean
Also known as Wyclef, Nel, Clef
Born (1969-10-17) October 17, 1969 (age 42)
Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti
Genres Hip hop, dancehall, R&B, reggae, pop rap
Occupations Musician, songwriter, producer, actor
Instruments Vocals, guitar, piano, drums
Years active 1992–present
Labels Ruffhouse, Columbia, Clef Recording
Associated acts Fugees, Akon, Lil Wayne, R. Kelly, Niia, The Rock, Mary J Blige, Doug E. Fresh, Flo Rida, Shakira
Website wyclef.com

Wyclef Jeanelle Jean (Haitian Creole pronunciation: [wajklɛf ʒã], English: /ˈwaɪklɪf ˈʒɑːn/; born October 17, 1969)[1] is a Haitian American musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country. He first received fame as a member of the acclaimed New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees.

On August 5, 2010, Jean filed for candidacy in the 2010 Haitian presidential election,[2] although the Electoral Commission subsequently ruled him ineligible to stand as he had not met the requirement to have been resident in Haiti for five years.[1][3]

Contents

Early life

Although his birth date was widely given as October 17, 1972, papers filed for his run as a candidate for the presidency of Haiti, disclosed that he was, in fact, born in 1969.[1] Born in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, the son of a Nazarene pastor,[4] Wyclef moved with his family to Brooklyn, New York, when he was nine[5] before moving again to northern New Jersey. Jean has cited reggae artist Bigga Haitian as one of his early influences, as well as neighborhood heroes MC Tiger Paw Raw and producer Lobster v. Crab.[6] Jean graduated from Vailsburg High School in Newark, briefly attended Eastern Nazarene College in Massachusetts, and finished one semester at Five Towns College in New York.[7][8] Jean has been a resident of Saddle River, South Orange, and North Caldwell, New Jersey.[9][10] In 2009, Jean enrolled in the Berklee College of Music.[11]

Music career

Fugees era

Jean's musical breakthrough was as part of The Refugee Camp (The Fugees), a three-member group that included Lauryn Hill and Prakazrel "Pras" Michel. Jean is Pras's cousin and a fellow Haitian immigrant. The Fugees signed to Ruffhouse Records, which released the group's debut album, Blunted on Reality. It sold fairly well, peaking at #49 on the U.S. Hot 100 and selling over 2 million copies worldwide. The follow-up album – The Score – sold over 18 million copies worldwide, eventually becoming a multi-platinum, Grammy-winning album.

Jean announced plans to begin a solo career with 1997's Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival Featuring the Refugee All-Stars (generally called The Carnival). The album's guests included Lauryn Hill and Pras along with Jean's siblings' group Melky Sedeck;[12] the I Threes (back-up vocals for Bob Marley); The Neville Brothers and Celia Cruz. The album was a hit, as were two singles: "We Trying to Stay Alive" (adapted from The Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive") and "Gone Till November" (recorded with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra).

Solo career

Released in 2000, Jean's second solo album The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book was recorded with guests including Youssou N'Dour; Earth, Wind & Fire; Kenny Rogers; The Rock; and Mary J. Blige. With Blige he released "911" as a single. He was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Act at the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards.[13][14]

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Jean participated in the benefit concert America: A Tribute to Heroes contributing a cover of the Bob Marley song "Redemption Song". Jean has produced hits and been featured in hit simgles for Destiny's Child, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige to name a few.

Jean's third album, Masquerade, was released in 2002. His fourth album, The Preacher's Son, was released in November 2003 as the follow-up to his first solo album, The Carnival.

In 2004, he released his fifth album, entitled Sak Pasé Presents: Welcome to Haïti (Creole 101) (released in the United States by Koch Records). Most of its songs are in his native language of Haitian Creole like "Fanm Kreyol" with the French Caribbean Admiral T. He also figured on the album Mozaik Kreyol of this one in the song "Secret Lover". Then he covered Creedence Clearwater Revival's song "Fortunate Son" for the soundtrack of the 2004 film remake of The Manchurian Candidate and wrote the song "Million Voices" for the film Hotel Rwanda.

Jean also produced and wrote songs for the soundtrack to Jonathan Demme's 2003 documentary The Agronomist, about the Haitian activist and radio personality Jean Dominique. With Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis, Jean also composed the score of the documentary Ghosts of Cité Soleil,[15] He also helped produce the film and he appears briefly onscreen speaking by telephone in 2004 to a "chimere" gang-leader and aspiring rapper, Winston "2Pac" Jean.[16]

Wyclef Jean performing at a UNAIDS concert in 2006

During a period between 2004 and 2006 and fueled by a reunion performance in Dave Chappelle's "Block Party", it appeared that the Fugees were on track to record a new album, however Fugees member Pras claimed to Billboard, "To put it nicely, it's dead." He said the root of this animosity was the third member of the group, Lauryn Hill, and was quoted in Billboard as saying; "Me and Clef, we on the same page, but Lauryn Hill is in her zone, and I'm fed up with that shit. Here she is, blessed with a gift, with the opportunity to rock and give and she's running on some bulls**t? I'm a fan of Lauryn's but I can't respect that."[17]

In 2006, Jean was featured in Shakira's smash hit Hips Don't Lie. The song went on to become the highest selling single of the 21st century, in addition to reaching number one in over fifty-five countries. Jean and Shakira went on to perform the song at the 2006 Grammys and the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards.

Jean released an album in September 2007 that he recorded in Atlanta, Georgia, with the help of T.I., who also collaborated with Jean on the songs "You Know What it is" and "My Swag" on T.I.'s 2007 album, T.I. vs. T.I.P. Recently, Wyclef released a new song called "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)" featuring Lil' Wayne, Niia and Akon, which references the song "C.R.E.A.M." by the Wu-Tang Clan. The album also features a single, "Fast Car", whose video was made with the assistance of video game Burnout Paradise. During this period, he was featured in a mix version of the Cartel song "Wasted" that was released with their self-titled album. In November 2008, an upbeat single 'Let Me Touch Your Button' featuring will.i.am (of The Black Eyed Peas) was released in the UK in conjunction with Wyclef's invovlement with UK MOTOROKRSTAR (which sees Motorola UK on the search to discover British talent).[18]. Jean released a song with Serj Tankian "Riot".

In 2009, he featured in a song called "Spanish Fly" with Ludacris and Bachata group Aventura in Aventura's upcoming album "The Last" which came out in June.

On June 17, 2009, Wyclef announced via Twitter that his new album will be called wyclefjean and is to be released sometime in February 2010.[citation needed] The first single off of wyclefjean is to be titled "Seventeen" and will feature Lil' Wayne.[19]

In November 2009, a track titled "Suicide Love" featuring rapper Eve leaked online prior to the release of his EP.

Wyclef Jean's EP named From the Hut, to the Projects, to the Mansion was released on November 10, 2009. It includes 17 tracks, featuring Cyndi Lauper, Timbaland, Eve, and Lil' Kim.[20] In this album, Wyclef uses the alias Toussaint St. Jean, his alter ego, when he raps.[21]

Wyclef Jean's upcoming self-entitled studio album was due to be released in 2011, has still yet to be released. "Hold On," the lead single from the project, will feature Dancehall artist Mavado.[20]

Personal life

In 1994, he married Fusha designer Marie Claudinette.[22] In 2005, they adopted their daughter, Angelina Claudinelle Jean. The couple renewed their vows in August 2009.[23]

His uncle – political activist, journalist and diplomat Raymond Alcide Joseph – has been the Haitian ambassador to the United States since 2005, and came to prominence as a spokesman for his country after the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake. Together with Wyclef, he issued an appeal for international aid.[24][25][26]

On March 19, 2011, Jean claimed that he was shot in the palm of his right hand in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The police reported otherwise saying that Wyclef was not wounded by a bullet but was cut by glass. Police Chief Vanel Lacroix said "we met with the doctor who saw him and he confirmed Wyclef was cut by glass."[27][28]

Yéle Haiti

In 2005, Jean established the Yéle Haiti Foundation. In its first year of operation, the foundation, with funding by Comcel, provided scholarships to 3,600 children in Gonaïves, Haiti, after the devastation by Hurricane Jeanne. In its second year of operation, it is almost doubling the amount of the scholarships and spreading them throughout Haiti, providing tuition in 5 regions. The foundation aims to provide 6,800 scholarships to children in Port-au-Prince, Gonaïves, Les Cayes, Port-de-Paix, and Cap-Haïtien.[citation needed]

After the earthquake on January 12, 2010 in Haiti, Jean called on others to donate to his foundation's Yéle Haiti Earthquake Fund, imploring "We must act now."[29][30]

Jean has been active in his support of his native country and created the foundation Yéle Haiti[31] to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to Haiti. He describes Yéle as a non-political organization intended to empower the people of Haiti and the Haitian diaspora to rebuild their nation, saying, "The objective of Yéle Haiti is to restore pride and a reason to hope, and for the whole country to regain the deep spirit and strength that is part of our heritage".[citation needed]. Yéle Haiti was created in October 2004 with Wyclef's cousin Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis. Projects were launched in January 2005. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were present for the first anniversary of the launch in 2006.[32][33]

In January 2007, Jean became a roving ambassador for Haiti, to help improve its image abroad.[34]

May 20, 2008 – Yéle Haiti partnered with WFP (World Food Programme) of the United Nations to launch www.togetherforhaiti.org

September, 2008 – Wyclef in conjunction with Yéle Haiti Charity delivered food to Hurricane Ike victims in Haiti. Matt Damon provided assistance in the food lines serving food.

Oct 23, 2008 – Wyclef Jean performed on stage with Carlos Santana in San Francisco on behalf of Yéle Haiti, OneXOne, and WaterPartners International to raise funds for clean water, education, health, environment, and community development in the USA and in the developing world.

In 2009, Wyclef Jean and The Timberland Company joined forces to help raise environmental awareness in Haiti. This duo "will be a multi-platform effort incorporating Timberland products, digital and social media, service events, music, and concerts that will promote environmental awareness." The campaign will push to support and educate the country as well as helping to improve health care and the environment, and the community. Wyclef Jean also plans to spread information about the joint efforts through social media outlets such as "Twitter, YouTube, Myspace, Facebook, imeem, and Social Vibe."[35] He also aims to use social networking websites to help raise money to build the Yéle Center.[20]

In January 2010, along with his uncle Raymond Joseph, Haitian ambassador to the US, Wyclef issued an appeal for international aid following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Today, Yele's mission, headed by CEO Derek Johnson, is to provide aid and assistance to the communities in Haiti in greatest need, where severe poverty, widespread unemployment, rampant malnutrition and crippling illiteracy are most pervasive. In doing so, we strive to balance emergency relief with support for long term sustainable initiatives that together are giving both hope and practical assistance to the people of Haiti. Yele's programs focus on emergency relief, employment, youth development and education, and tree planting and agriculture.

In a November 27, 2011 New York Post article entitled "Questions Dog Wyclef's Haiti Fund", the Post asserted that less than one third of the over $16 million raised after the Haiti earthquake in January 2010 has been spent effectively for the victims of the catastrophe. The Post does not allege any dishonest embezzlement of funds on Wyclef's part, but rather asserts that there was gross mismanagement and negligence with regards to the distribution of the funds the charity raised. Required Federal tax returns were not filed, and $1 million was given to a Florida firm that does not seem to exist. Wyclef and most of the board left the charity in the summer of 2010. It is now under new management. Wyclef stated, "It's a clean slate now." Due to the controversial nature of Jean's former charity, he has kept a relatively low profile.

Politics

Although Wyclef Jean has only been active in Haitan politics, he told Womens Wear Daily in 2011 that quote "I am a huge fan of Sarah Palin" [36].

2010 Haitian presidential campaign

Wikinews has related news: Wyclef Jean considering standing for president of Haiti

On August 5, 2010, Wyclef confirmed the rumors that he was running for office by telling CNN's Wolf Blitzer that he was running, though Blitzer had questions about Jean's actual citizenship and passport. In an article written by Exclaim! Magazine it was mentioned that Jean will be stepping down as the chairman of Yéle Haiti. On August 5, Jean formally filed papers as a candidate for the 2010 Haitian presidential election, following media speculation that he would make his announcement that evening on Larry King Live.[37][38][39][40] Wyclef would have run as a candidate for the Viv Ansanm (Live Together) political party.[41] On the topic of his candidacy, Jean has stated, "I am being drafted to serve my country."[citation needed]

Besides opposition from Sean Penn in regards to Jean's Haitian presidential plans, Arcade Fire's Win Butler stated in a radio interview:

"Technically, [Wyclef Jean] shouldn't be eligible because he hasn't been a resident of Haiti. And I think him not speaking French and not being fluent in Creole would be a really major issue in trying to run a really complex government, like the government in Haiti. It would kind of be like Arnold Schwarzenegger only speaking Austrian German and being elected president of the United States after New York City and LA had burned to the ground... I think he is a great musician and he really passionately cares about Haiti. I really hope he throws his support behind someone who is really competent and really eligible."[42]

On August 20, 2010, his bid for candidacy was rejected by Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council. He was turned down because he did not meet the residency requirement of having lived in Haiti for five years before the November 28 election.[3][43] Afterwards, Wyclef stated:

“ I respectfully accept the committee's final decision, and I urge my supporters to do the same.[44] ”

Appearances in television and film

Jean at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
  • On a 2004 episode of Chappelle's Show, he appeared as the musical guest.
  • He starred in Virgin Mobile commercials as himself.[45]
  • In 2005, he appeared in the film One Last Thing.... His character is a cab driver named Emmett Ducasse. It is implied he is an angel due to being in the main character's "Heaven". Wyclef also has an original track that is the closing credits first song. The song is "Heaven's in New York".
  • Also in 2005, Wyclef appeared in 4 episodes of the hit NBC prime time television drama "Third Watch" as the recurring character, Marcel Hollis, a gang leader responsible for blowing up the police precinct house in the final episode of the series.
  • In December 2007, starred in the four-part MTV exclusive online short-film Americlef[46]
  • May 20, 2008: At the Gansevoort Hotel, Wyclef Jean in partnership with the WFP and PADF launched "Together for Haiti" to address the hunger crisis in Haiti[47] members of the American and international television and print media were invited to cover the news.
  • October 17, 2011: The Apprentice (U.S. season 12) Episode 1: Hero Worship

Discography

Main article: Wyclef Jean discography

References

  1. ^ a b c Wyclef Dumped From Haiti's Presidential Ballot - TIME, 21 Aug 2010.
    "Before he announced on August 5 that he was running for President of Haiti, Wyclef Jean was still listing his age as only 37 years old. But after declaring himself a presidential candidate, the Haitian-American-Irish hip-hop star also decided to come clean and confirm that he was really 40."
  2. ^ Wyclef Jean registers as Haiti presidential contender by Joseph Guyler Delva, Aug 6, 2010 (Reuters)
  3. ^ a b Wyclef Jean to appeal against Haiti election ruling - BBC News, Aug 22 2010.
    Haiti's electoral commission said that Mr Jean was ineligible to stand as the Haitian constitution requires candidates to have lived in the country for five years prior to an election. The 40-year-old singer lives in the US.
  4. ^ Star Pulse
  5. ^ Tim Padgett (August 4, 2010). "Wyclef Jean to Run for President of Haiti". Time. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2008588,00.html. Retrieved August 4, 2010. 
  6. ^ "Reggae Artists - Reggae Artists - Black Rat: Max Wayne". Bigupradio.com. http://www.bigupradio.com/artistDetail.jsp?aid=2419. Retrieved 2010-06-26. 
  7. ^ "N.J. resident Wyclef Jean is expected to announce run for Haiti president". The Star-Ledger. August 5, 2010. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/08/nj_resident_wyclef_jean_is_exp.html. Retrieved November 28, 2010. 
  8. ^ Kurczy, Stephen (August 5, 2010). "Wyclef Jean for Haiti president: Four challenges he'll face". Christian Science Monitor. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2010/0805/Wyclef-Jean-for-Haiti-president-Four-challenges-he-ll-face. Retrieved November 28, 2010. 
  9. ^ Cruz, Alicia. "Did Wyclef Jean fake his gunshot injury in Haiti?", NewJerseyNewsroom.com, March 23, 2011. Accessed January 3, 2012. "Wyclef Jean, a North Caldwell resident, told media outlets a bullet grazed his hand in the hand as he stood outside of his vehicle to make a phone call late Sunday night. Jean, who was born in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, added that he did not know if the alleged gunshots were directed towards him."
  10. ^ Century, Douglas (February 11, 2007), "Alpine, N.J., Home of Hip-Hop Royalty", The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/arts/music/11cent.html, retrieved 2008-02-16 
  11. ^ Bush, Allen (October 2, 2009). "Wyclef Jean Enrolls in Berklee". Berklee College of Music. http://www.berklee.edu/news/1065/wyclef-jean-enrolls-in-berklee. Retrieved November 28, 2010. 
  12. ^ "Melky Sedeck Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. http://www.discogs.com/artist/Melky+Sedeck. Retrieved 2012-02-13. 
  13. ^ "MTV Europe Music Awards: The nominations". BBC News. October 2, 2000. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/953286.stm. 
  14. ^ Peisner, David (February 2007). "Rock Stars Who've Caught Fire Onstage!". Blender Magazine Online. http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?ID=2531&src=blender_ed. Retrieved 2007-03-02. 
  15. ^ Ghosts Of Cité Soleil - Casting Info (2005)
  16. ^ Film Journal International (June 27, 2007): Ghosts of Cité Soleil (review by Frank Lovece)
  17. ^ Pras Goes Homeless On Film, Says Fugees CD Is 'Dead'
  18. ^ Wyclef Jean interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' December 2008
  19. ^ Lil Wayne Will Be Joining Wyclef Jean On His Next Single “Seventeen”
  20. ^ a b c "Wyclef: Leading The Revolution" by Han O'Connor (Allhiphop)
  21. ^ Up for Discussion Jump to Forums (2009-09-14). "Wyclef Revisits Hip-Hop Roots On 'Toussaint: St. Jean' EP". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/news/wyclef-revisits-hip-hop-roots-on-toussaint-1004044896.story#/news/wyclef-revisits-hip-hop-roots-on-toussaint-1004044896.story. Retrieved 2012-02-13. 
  22. ^ Fusha By Marie Claudinette Jean
  23. ^ "Wyclef Jean - Wyclef And Wife Renew Vows - Contactmusic News". Contactmusic.com. http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/wyclef-and-wife-renew-vows_1114517. Retrieved 2010-06-26. 
  24. ^ "Wyclef Jean Appointed Haitian Goodwill Ambassador". XXLmag.com. 19 October 2007. http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=15152. Retrieved 13 January 2009. 
  25. ^ "Wyclef Jean to be Haiti’s roving ambassador - Entertainment - Celebrities - TODAY Show". MSNBC. 2007-01-03. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16459449/. Retrieved 2010-06-26. 
  26. ^ (French) [1][dead link]
  27. ^ Osorio, Kim (2011-03-22). "Police In Haiti Say Wyclef Was Not Shot | News". BET. http://www.bet.com/news/music/2011/03/22/police-in-haiti-say-wyclef-was-not-shot.html. Retrieved 2012-02-13. 
  28. ^ "Wyclef Jean shot in hand in Haiti". CNN. March 20, 2011. http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/20/haiti.wyclef.shot/. Retrieved March 20, 2011. 
  29. ^ STATEMENT BY WYCLEF JEAN ON HAITI EARTHQUAKE
  30. ^ "Wyclef Jean Haiti Earthquake Appeal". 3threat Media. 2010-01-13. http://3threatmedia.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/wyclef-jean-appeal-following-haiti-earthquake/. Retrieved 2010-01-18. 
  31. ^ yele.org
  32. ^ Salon JAN 17, 2006 "The Pitt-Jolies love Haiti"
  33. ^ Angelina & Brad in Haiti, Jan ’06
  34. ^ BBC News (4 January 2007): "Wyclef becomes Haiti 'ambassador'"
  35. ^ Wyclef, Timberland Join Forces to Assist Haiti Through Social Media
  36. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/wyclef-jean-im-a-big-fan-of-sarah-palin-20110915
  37. ^ "Wyclef Jean to Run for President of Haiti?". UsMagazine.com. http://www.usmagazine.com/moviestvmusic/news/wyclef-jean-to-run-for-president-of-haiti-2010267. 
  38. ^ Up for Discussion Jump to Forums (2009-09-14). "Wyclef Jean Mulling Run for President of Haiti". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/news/wyclef-jean-mulling-run-for-president-of-1004106220.story#/news/wyclef-jean-mulling-run-for-president-of-1004106220.story. Retrieved 2010-08-21. 
  39. ^ "Musician Wyclef Jean to run for Haiti president". bbc.co.uk (British Broadcasting Corporation). 2010-08-04. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-10865575. 
  40. ^ "Wyclef Jean files election papers for Haiti presidency". BBC News. 5 August 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-10888173. 
  41. ^ "Wyclef Jean files papers to stand for Haiti president". BBC News. August 6, 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-10888173. Retrieved 6 August 2010. 
  42. ^ "Exclaim News: Arcade Fire’s Win Butler Adds Opposition to Wyclef Jean’s Haitian Presidential Plans". Exclaim.ca. 2004-03-03. http://exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=146&csid2=844&fid1=48988. Retrieved 2010-08-21. 
  43. ^ "Haiti ruling ends Wyclef Jean's run for president - Yahoo! News". News.yahoo.com. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/cb_haiti_elections_jean. Retrieved 2010-08-21. [dead link]
  44. ^ "Wyclef Jean fighting to get name on Haiti presidential ballot". CNN. August 22, 2010. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/08/22/haiti.wyclef.jean/#fbid=9H6q4eqUdWW&wom=false. 
  45. ^ Partizan - Commercials - Doug Nichol
  46. ^ MTV Online
  47. ^ "MTV Act Blog". Think.mtv.com. 2012-02-09. http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF009898BA00170098F67D/. Retrieved 2012-02-13. 
  48. ^ Leffler, Rebecca (2006). "Inner City Blues". Filmmaker Magazine (ifp) (Fall 2006). http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/issues/fall2006/reports/inner_city.php. Retrieved 29 January 2012. 

External links

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Wyclef Jean
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  • "Anything Can Happen"
  • "Bubblegoose"
  • "Low Income"
  • "Ghetto Religion"
  • "Industry"
  • "Take Me As I Am"
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