Wyclef Jean 302511 226142327 2008-07-17T00:33:12Z Jwillbur 617133 /* Together for Haiti */ add links {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians --> |Name = Wyclef Jean |Img = WyclefJean.jpg |Img_capt = Wyclef Jean performing at a [[UNAIDS]] concert. |Img_size = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels --> |Landscape = |Background = solo_singer |Birth_name = Neluset Wyclef Jean |Alias = Wyclef |Born = {{birth date and age|1972|10|17}}<br />[[Croix-des-Bouquets]], [[Haiti]] |Died = |Origin = [[South Orange, New Jersey]], [[United States]] |Instrument = [[Singing|Vocals]], [[guitar]], [[piano]], [[drum kit|drums]] |Genre = [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]], [[reggae]], [[kompa]], [[R&B]], [[folk music|folk]] |Occupation = [[Musician]], [[singer-songwriter]], [[record producer|producer]], [[actor]] |Years_active = 1987–present |Label = [[Ruffhouse Records|Ruffhouse]], [[Columbia Records|Columbia]], [[J Records|J]], [[Koch Entertainment|Koch]] |Associated_acts = [[Fugees]] |URL = [http://www.wyclef.com/ www.wyclef.com] |Notable_instruments = }} '''Wyclef Jean ''' ({{IPAEng|ˈwajklɛf ˈʒɑn}}) born '''Nelust Wyclef Jean''' on [[October 17]], [[1972]]) is a [[Haitian American]] [[musician]], [[actor]], [[record producer|producer]] and member of the [[hip hop music|hip hop]] trio [[Fugees|The Fugees]]. == Biography == Born in [[Croix-des-Bouquets]], [[Haiti]], he was named Wyclef Jean by his foster father, a pastor who re-named him after [[John Wycliffe]]<ref>[http://www.yele.org/ Yéle.org]</ref>. He moved with his family to [[Brooklyn]], [[New York]] when he was nine, then to northern New Jersey. ===Marriage and children=== In 1994 he married Haitian-American fashion designer Marie Claudinette Pierre-Jean. Pierre-Jean is a former pre-med student at [[Montclair State University]], [[New Jersey]] turned fashion designer. Named after [[Haitian]] beauty queen Claudinette Fouchard, Pierre-Jean launched her design collection "Fusha".<ref>http://www.fashionwindows.com/fashion/fusha/default.asp. Fusha 2005</ref> The couple have one daughter, Angelina Claudinelle, whom they adopted from the United States in March 2005 at three months old.<ref>[http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/wyclef%20adopts%20haitian%20baby Wyclef Jean - Wyclef Adopts Haitian Baby<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Angelina was not named after their good friend, actress [[Angelina Jolie]]. He mentioned on his appearance on the [[Tyra Banks]] show that she was named Angelina simply for the fact that she was an angel. Jean has been a resident of [[Saddle River, New Jersey]], and [[South Orange, New Jersey]].<ref>Century, Douglas. [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/arts/music/11cent.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=wyclef+%22saddle+river%22&st=nyt&oref=slogin "Alpine, N.J., Home of Hip-Hop Royalty"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[February 11]], [[2007]]. Accessed [[February 16]], [[2008]].</ref> == Yele 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 Gonaives after the devastation by Hurricane Jeane. 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. 6,800 scholarships will be provided to children in Port-au-Prince, Gonaives, Les Cayes, Port-de-Paix and Cap Haitian through Yéle Haiti’s efforts. == Together for Haiti == Created in response to the current food shortages and rioting in Haiti, Together for Haiti is a partnership Wyclef Jean, in cooperation with Yele Haiti, the UN [[World Food Programme]] and the [[Pan American Development Foundation]] (PADF). Both a fundraising and awareness campaign, its mission is to provide much needed resources for three crucial programs in Haiti: *Targeted Food Distribution - Expand WFP’s existing food assistance program for children under five and pregnant women, continue existing school meal programs through summer vacation, and organize voucher-based food distribution of dry food to the neediest families. *Immediate Employment Creation - Create Labor-intensive employment opportunities that will support of expanding agricultural production, with wages in cash and food. *Micro-enterprise Grants - Small grants and training for small-scale egg production, vegetable gardens, grain milling, bread production and other related activities. The partnership was publicly launched on May 20, 2008 at a press event hosted by Wyclef Jean in New York City. www.TogetherForHaiti.org ==Musical career== [[The Fugees]] signed to [[Ruffhouse Records]], which released the group's debut album, ''[[Blunted on Reality]]''. It sold poorly, but follow-up album ''[[The Score (album)|The Score]]'' sold over 17 million copies worldwide. Jean announced plans to begin a solo career with 1997's ''[[The Carnival|Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival Featuring the Refugee All-Stars]]'' (generally called ''The Carnival''). The album's guests included Hill and Pras along with Jean's siblings [[Melky Sedeck and Farel Sedeck Guerschom Jean]], 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]]). <!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:Wyclef Jean - The Ecletic-front.jpg|left|thumb|''[[The Ecleftic]]'' (2000){{deletable image-caption}} ]] --> The Fugees remained in limbo during this time, with the follow-up to ''The Score'' being continually postponed as all three members cultivated solo careers. At the concert [[Woodstock 1999]], Jean paid homage to 1969 [[Woodstock]] performer [[Jimi Hendrix]] by setting fire to his guitar after playing "[[The Star Spangled Banner]]", and burnt his fingers while doing so.<ref>{{ cite news | first= David | last=Peisner | coauthors= | title= Rock Stars Who've Caught Fire Onstage! |date=February 2007 | |publisher= Blender Magazine Online | url= http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?ID=2531&src=blender_ed | accessdate= 2007-03-02 | language= English }}</ref> Jean's second solo album, released in 2000, was ''[[The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book]]''. This was recorded with guests including [[Youssou N'Dour]], [[Earth, Wind & Fire]], [[Kenny Rogers]], [[The Rock (entertainer)|The Rock]] and [[Mary J. Blige]]. With Blige he released "[[911 (Wyclef Jean song)|911]]" as a single. He was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Act at the 2000 [[MTV Europe Music Awards]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/953286.stm BBC News (Oct. 2, 2000): "MTV Europe Music Awards: The nominations"]</ref> [[Image:56732430 Wycleff2AffichageWebgrandformat.jpg|right|thumb|Jean during the 2006 elections in Haiti]] Jean's third album, ''[[Masquerade (Wyclef Jean album)|Masquerade]]'', was released in 2002. His fourth album, ''The Preacher's Son'', was released in November [[2003 in music|2003]] as the follow-up to his first solo album, ''the Carnival'' In 2004, he released his fifth album, entitled ''[[Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101|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 [[French-based creole languages| Haitian Creole]]. He also covered [[Creedence Clearwater Revival]]'s song "Fortunate Son" for the soundtrack of the 2004 film remake of ''[[The Manchurian Candidate (2004 film)|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 ''[[Cité Soleil#In the media|Ghosts of Cité Soleil]]'',<ref>[http://www.belfim.com/cast.php/99 ''Ghosts Of Cité Soleil'' - Casting Info (2005)]</ref> in which he appears onscreen speaking by telephone in 2004 to a "''chimere''" gang-leader and aspiring rapper, Winston "2Pac" Jean.<ref>[http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003604282 ''Film Journal International'' (June 27, 2007): ''Ghosts of Cité Soleil'' (review by Frank Lovece)]</ref> 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 claims to Billboard "To put it nicely, it's dead." He says the root of this animosity is the third member of the group, Lauryn Hill, saying to Billboard, "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."[http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003613627] Jean announced he would release an album in September 2007 that he recorded in [[Atlanta, Georgia]] with the help of [[T.I.]]. Right now, 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 Chorus was inspired by Wyclefs old Scarberian friend, Iain Brooks who coined the popular phrase "Dolla, Dolla Bills yall!". Jean met Iain while performing in Toronto in the early 90's, he was stunned by his masterful rhyming talents, and was humbled by his choice to "keep it real" and not conform to the man. "The song would not be possible without Iain's craftful lyrics." - Jean == Humanitarian efforts == Jean has been active in his support of his native country and created the foundation [[Yéle Haiti]] <ref>[http://www.yele.org/index.html Yele.org]</ref> to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to Haïti. He describes Yéle as a non-political organization intended to empower the people of Haïti and the Haïtian [[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".{{Fact|date=July 2007}}. Yele Haiti was created in October 2004 with Wyclef's cousin [[Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis]] and humanitarian experts [[Sanjay Rawal]] and Natabara Rollosson. Projects were launched in January of 2005. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were present for the first anniversary of the launch in 2006. In January 2007, Jean became a roving ambassador for Haiti, to help improve its image abroad.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6230247.stm BBC News (4 January 2007): "Wyclef becomes Haiti 'ambassador'"]</ref> May 20 2008 - Yele Haiti partners with WFP (World Food Programme) the United Nations to launch www.togetherforhaiti.org ==Television and film== * Was a musical guest star on Nickelodeon sketch comedy show ''[[All That]] during the 1990's. * Performed "Sweetest Girl" on [[Jimmy Kimmel Live]] * Performed "President" on the second season of ''[[Chappelle's Show]]''. * In 2001, he appeared in the [[made-for-television]] movie ''[[Carmen: A Hip Hopera]]'' alongside Beyonce and Mos Def, as a fortune teller. * Performed on the 2003 [[Source Awards]] with [[DJ Khaled]] * Appeared for a second time on ''Chappelle's Show'' in a parody of ''[[Making the Band]]''. * Appeared on the ''[[The Apprentice (US Season 4)]]'' in 2005. Did a rap, "[[Rubble man]]", with the winning team, Excel, as their reward for winning task five. * Also in 2005, he played gang leader Marcel Hollis who leads his group on an assault on the station house in the [[NBC]] television drama ''[[Third Watch]]''. * In 2004, Jean, Pras and Hill reunited as The Fugees for an event filmed and released in 2006 as ''[[Dave Chappelle's Block Party]]''. * He also starred in [[Virgin Group|Virgin Mobile]] commercials as himself.<ref>[http://www.partizan.com/partizan/commercials/?doug_nichol Partizan - Commercials - Doug Nichol]</ref> In one commercial, a woman approaches him and tricks him into signing a contract which legally binds them in marriage. She drags him back to her trailer-park home where he is mistreated, forced to work and pleasure his wife. Eventually, he runs away and seeks police assistance, but is instead arrested for violating his contract and ultimately winds up in jail. * Appeared in 2002 Jamaican gangster film ''[[Shottas]]'', released in 2006. * In 2005, he played the role of a Jamaican drug dealer in the movie ''[[Dirty (film)|Dirty]]''. * He narrated the movie ''[[Full Clip]]'', starring [[Busta Rhymes]], [[Xzibit]], [[Prodigy (rapper)|Prodigy]] of [[Mobb Deep]], [[Spliff Star]], and others. * He has appeared and performed on the Source Awards with [[DJ Khaled]], with Wyclef and his band and Khaled doing turntables. * He appears in the documentary film ''[[Ghosts of Cité Soleil]]'', released in limited theaters on June 27, 2007. * 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 characters "Heaven". Wyclef also has an original track that is the closing credits first song. The song is "Heaven's in New York". * In December 2007 starred in the four-part [[MTV]] exclusive online short-film Americlef<ref>[http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1576560&vid=195706 MTV Online]</ref> * On April 26th 2008 he hosted the [[MTV Australia Awards]] *He appeared on a remix of his own track "Bubblegoose" for [[Chef Aid: The South Park Album]], where he sings alongside the main charcters of the show. MAY 20th 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 www.togetherforhaiti.org http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF009898BA00170098F67D/ members of the american and international television and print media were invited to cover the news UN envoy [[Jeffrey Sachs]] introduced Jean. Supermodel Petra Nemcova was on hand to support. A surprise appearance was made by Paul Simon. http://flickr.com/photos/23548545@N02/2509895520/in/photostream/ http://flickr.com/photos/23548545@N02/2509085561/ == Discography == {{main|Wyclef Jean discography}} * ''[[The Carnival]] (with Pras and Lauryn Hill)'' (Columbia, 1997) * ''[[The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book]]'' (Columbia, 2000) * ''[[Masquerade (Wyclef Jean album)|Masquerade]]'' (Columbia, 2002) * ''[[Greatest Hits (Wyclef Jean)|Greatest Hits]]'' (Columbia, 2003) * ''[[The Preacher's Son (album)|The Preacher's Son]]'' (J, 2003) * ''[[Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101]]'' (Koch, 2004) * ''[[Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant]]'' (Columbia, 2007) == Footnotes == {{reflist}} == External links == {{commons}} * [http://www.wyclef.com/ Wyclef.com] (official site) * [http://sakpaserecords.net/ Sak Pasé Records] (a record label founded by Wyclef) {{The Fugees}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Jean, Wyclef}} [[Category:1972 births]] [[Category:American rappers]] [[Category:Haitian Americans]] [[Category:Haitian hip hop musicians]] [[Category:Haitian activists]] [[Category:American activists]] [[Category:Humanitarians]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Bergen County, New Jersey]] [[Category:People from Essex County, New Jersey]] [[da:Wyclef Jean]] [[de:Wyclef Jean]] [[es:Wyclef Jean]] [[fr:Wyclef Jean]] [[gd:Wyclef Jean]] [[id:Wyclef Jean]] [[it:Wyclef Jean]] [[ht:Wyclef Jean]] [[lt:Wyclef Jean]] [[nl:Wyclef Jean]] [[ja:ワイクレフ・ジャン]] [[no:Wyclef Jean]] [[pl:Wyclef Jean]] [[pt:Wyclef Jean]] [[ru:Джин, Вайклеф]] [[sk:Wyclef Jean]] [[fi:Wyclef Jean]] [[sv:Wyclef Jean]] [[tr:Wyclef Jean]]