Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jeanelle Jean is a Haitian rapper, musician and actor. At the age of nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life there. He first achieved fame as a member of the acclaimed New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees. Jean won three Grammy Awards for his musical work...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionRapper
Date of Birth17 October 1969
CountryUnited States of America
grew rocking sort stay street
You come to our father's church, we would be playing, rocking that place upside-down. So he wanted us always to stay in that realm, and do education. But I sort of like drifted, 'cause I grew up with a lot of street cats, so hip-hop was one of my loves.
father parent grew
I grew up in a Caribbean family household, so the parents are always right. My father smacked me up til I was 20. It was a strict household.
artist brings gotta loop throw
It's not fake. I don't need to go in the studio, throw in a record, do a loop and put it out. To find an artist, you've gotta find the artist that brings it to you. There has to be a 50/50 balance.
coming growing hard
It was hard in the beginning: coming from Haiti, coming to Brooklyn. I mean, growing up in the projects.
children haiti hurt innocent violence
I want to see the violence in Haiti stopped. Innocent people, innocent children are getting hurt and killed every day.
album caribbean guitar mixed playing rock since style talking
I'm going to do an all-guitar album because I've been playing since I was 13. My Caribbean style mixed with my rock style. I want to do a musicians' album-just the guitar talking with different melodies.
double house kicked led raised
I led a double lifestyle-in the house, I was one way, and out the house, I was another way. Man, the whole house raised hell, then I got kicked out.
losing therapy
I had to make this album. It was my therapy after losing my dad. If I didn't have music, I'd probably be strung-out somewhere.
king spring
I'm the King of Spring Ting! Without 'Clef you can't have no Spring Ting!
happens matter thirst yesterday
No matter what happens today, yesterday was historical. The only thing that erupted was the thirst to vote.
artists bring work
I try to bring something different to all the artists I work with.
choose college focus ike soon
It's ike being in college and being undecided about your major. As soon as you choose your major, you focus in on it.
bring caribbean music producers
We try to bring a lot of live musicianship to the music. A lot of grooves. We're Caribbean; we from the islands. Out of the music industry, I'd say we're the Caribbean producers of the world.
What Sammy Sosa has done for the Dominican Republic, that's what I think I can do for Haiti.