Jean, Wyclef

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Wyclef Jean

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.

For the Record …

Born Nel Wyclef Jean in Haiti in 1971; one of four sons and a daughter born to Gesner Jean, a pastor at Newark's Good Shepherd Church of the Nazarene and his wife; moved to Brooklyn near Coney Island in New York City with his parents at the age of nine; married Marie Claudinette (a fashion designer), 1994.

Formed high school bands with Fugees' member Lauryn Hill and Prakazrel "Pras" Michel; the trio began rapping together as Tranzlator Crew and signed with Ruff House/Columbia Records, 1993; released Blunted on Reality as The Fugees, 1993; released The Score, 1996; released solo debut The Carnival, 1997; released Masquerade, 2002; released Greatest Hits, 2003; released The Preacher's Son, 2003.

Addresses: Record company—KOCH Entertainment. 22 Harbor Park Dr. Port Washington, NY 11050, phone: (516) 484-1000. Website—official: www.wyclef.com.