- Byname of:
- Nel Ust Wyclef Jean
- Original name:
- Nel Ust Wycliffe Jean
- Born:
- October 17, 1969, Croix des Bouquets, Haiti (age 57)
- Founder:
- Yéle Haiti
Wyclef Jean
News •
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Who is Wyclef Jean?
Wyclef Jean, born in Croix des Bouquets, Haiti, on October 17, 1969, is a Haitian rapper, producer, and philanthropist. He is known for his politically infused rhymes and ear for hooks, making him a significant figure in popular music.
Jean's family moved to the United States when he was young. He later studied music at Five Towns College. In the late 1980s, Jean, along with Pras Michel and Lauryn Hill, founded the rap group the Fugees. Their 1996 album, The Score, sold over 18 million copies and won two Grammy Awards.
In 1997, he began his solo career. Jean founded the Wyclef Jean Foundation (Yéle Haiti) in 1998 to aid poverty victims in Haiti. In 2010, he was deemed ineligible to run for president of Haiti because he was not a resident of the country. He chronicled his life in Purpose: An Immigrant’s Story (2012).
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Where was Wyclef Jean born and what is his heritage?
Wyclef Jean, born in Croix des Bouquets, Haiti, on October 17, 1969, is a Haitian rapper, producer, and philanthropist. He spent his early childhood in a suburb of Port-au-Prince, raised by relatives after his parents moved to the United States. At age nine, he and his younger brother joined their parents in Brooklyn, New York, later relocating to Newark, New Jersey. Jean's heritage is Haitian.
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What kind of music does Wyclef Jean make?
Wyclef Jean is known for his dynamic and politically infused rhymes. His music blends elements of jazz, soul, reggae, and hip-hop. With the Fugees, he helped create a syncretic style that won two Grammy Awards. As a solo artist, Jean mirrored this style in albums like Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival Featuring Refugee All Stars.
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What was Wyclef Jean's role in the group The Fugees?
Wyclef Jean was a key member of the hip-hop group The Fugees, originally named Tranzlator Crew, which he joined in the late 1980s. The group was founded by Prakazrel "Pras" Michel and Lauryn Hill. Jean's dynamic rhymes, along with his talent for hooks, significantly contributed to the group's success. The Fugees blended elements of jazz, soul, reggae, and hip-hop. In 1996, they released the album The Score, which sold over 18 million copies and won two Grammy Awards.
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How has Wyclef Jean helped people in Haiti?
Wyclef Jean, the Haitian rapper, producer, and philanthropist, has contributed to Haiti through his music and charity work. In 1998, Jean founded the Wyclef Jean Foundation (later known as Yéle Haiti) to address poverty in Haiti. Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Yéle Haiti raised millions of dollars to support those affected. However, the organization closed in 2012 after investigations revealed that a small portion of the raised funds had reached the earthquake victims.
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In what ways has Wyclef Jean influenced music and supported people worldwide?
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian rapper, producer, and philanthropist who has significantly impacted popular music through his dynamic and politically charged rhymes. Jean's music innovatively blends elements of jazz, soul, reggae, and hip-hop, earning him two Grammy Awards with the Fugees. Beyond his musical achievements, Jean founded the Wyclef Jean Foundation (later known as Yéle Haiti) in 1998 to combat poverty in Haiti. Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Yéle Haiti raised millions to support the victims. Although his bid for the presidency of Haiti was unsuccessful due to residency issues, Jean's efforts reflect his commitment to supporting his homeland.
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Wyclef Jean (born October 17, 1969, Croix des Bouquets, Haiti) is a Haitian rapper, producer, and philanthropist whose dynamic, politically inflected rhymes and keen ear for hooks established him as a significant force in popular music.
Born in a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Jean was raised by relatives after his parents immigrated to the United States. At age nine he and his younger brother joined their parents in Brooklyn, New York. The family moved to Newark, New Jersey, when he was a teenager. Jean’s father, a Nazarene minister, prohibited rap music and encouraged Jean to channel his musical talents into the church choir. Nonetheless, Jean joined Tranzlator Crew (later known as the Fugees), a rap group founded by Prakazrel (“Pras”) Michel and Michel’s friend Lauryn Hill, in the late 1980s.
Jean studied music at Five Towns College in Dix Hill, New York, before dropping out to concentrate on his rapping. He continued to perform with Michel and Hill, and in 1994 they released their debut album, Blunted on Reality. Though the album was only moderately successful, the trio continued to record and in 1996 released their sophomore effort The Score as the Fugees. The recording, which innovatively blended elements of jazz, soul, reggae, and hip-hop, sold more than 18 million copies and won two Grammy Awards.
The members of the group then embarked upon solo efforts, a trajectory some observers attributed to an ill-fated affair between Jean and Hill. In 1997 Jean released Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival Featuring Refugee All Stars, which mirrored the syncretic style of his efforts with the Fugees. Between albums, he collaborated with performers including Carlos Santana, for whom he produced the song “Maria, Maria,” and Whitney Houston, for whom he cowrote the hit “My Love Is Your Love.” In 2000 Jean followed up with The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book and in 2002 released Masquerade. Further efforts included Sak Pasé Presents Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101 (2004), Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant (2007), Toussaint St. Jean: From the Hut, to the Projects, to the Mansion (2009), Carnival III: The Fall and Rise of a Refugee (2017), and Wyclef Goes Back to School, Vol. 1 (2019).
In 1998 Jean founded the Wyclef Jean Foundation (later known as Yéle Haiti). The organization raised money and engineered programs to assist victims of poverty in Haiti. Following the Haiti earthquake of 2010, Yéle Haiti raised several million dollars for those affected. Jean announced in August of 2010 that he would run for president of Haiti, but he was deemed ineligible because he was not a resident of the country. Yéle Haiti shuttered in 2012 following investigations by the New York attorney general’s office and by media outlets that concluded that little of the money raised by the charity had actually gone to assist victims of the earthquake.
Jean chronicled his life in Purpose: An Immigrant’s Story (2012; with Anthony Bozza).