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Wyclef Jean Biography
Review The Artist (7)
Source: http://www.wyclef.com/history.html
Wyclef Jean's extraordinary musical talent has brought him wealth and fame and taken him all over the world. He's been a member of the biggest-selling rap group in history, he's a multi-platinum hit-making solo artist; and he's produced for, and collaborated with, an incredibly diverse array of musical superstars. But throughout his entire career, Wyclef Jean has never forgotten where he's come from, the places that nurtured his character and creativity as a young man: his native Haiti, where he lived until age nine, as well as the projects of Brooklyn and the streets of Jersey.
On Masquerade, his third solo album, Wyclef focuses his considerable lyrical and musical skills on life in the hood: past, present, and future. There are vivid tales of his childhood and his struggles as a young immigrant on the mean streets of New York, serious messages to the youth wrongly enamored of thug culture, and pleas for peace and love in the future--all backed by the eclectic and unpredictable sounds we've come to expect from a Wyclef Jean CD. Hardcore hip-hop beats, R&B funk, slow jams, and uptempo reggae--they're all here, sometimes all in the same track. Masquerade represents the next step in the musical development of an artist who's known unalloyed success since first stepping onto the scene nearly ten years ago, and who shows no signs of slowing down.
Wyclef Jean, of course, first hit it big as a prime mover in the groundbreaking Fugees, whose 1996 masterpiece The Score stands as one of the most influential records in hip-hop history. On that album, Wyclef pioneered a production style that became virtually unavoidable throughout the rest of the '90s: real life street hip-hop seasoned with a radio-friendly musical, lyrical and vocal sophistication. The Score sold more than 11 million copies worldwide, won two Grammys (including Best Rap Album), and paved the way for the successful solo careers of all three of its members. In 1997, Clef released Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival, a double-platinum album that featured the emotionally powerful hit single "Gone Till November," which earned him a Grammy nomination in the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance category.
Clef's second solo CD, The Ecleftic -- 2 Sides II A Book, was even more musically adventurous than his previous work, from the booty-shakin' "Dirty South" to the socially-conscious neo-protest ballad "Diallo" to the R&B smash "911" which found Clef dueting with Mary J. Blige. In addition to his solo work, Clef found time to collaborate with Whitney Houston on her smash "My Love Is Your Love" and Carlos Santana on his chart-topping hit, "Maria Maria". More recently, Wyclef's worked with Mick Jagger and Sinéad O'Connor on their latest releases, as well as collaborations with U2, Destiny's Child, Michael Jackson, and Rita Marley.
The spiritual element that's always been crucial to Wyclef's music is immediately apparent on "Peace God," the first track of Masquerade. Clef calls this his "Crouching-Tiger style": a Far East flute is looped over a hip-hop drumbeat while Clef rhymes in praise of God and against false idols made by man. Whether adopting the persona of the Preacher's Son or a Thug Angel, Clef has always illuminated ghetto reality as he sees it, taking on the tone of a wise older brother rather than a strident preacher. "The PJs" is an ode to the projects Clef grew up in and the lessons he learned there: "Gotta make noise for the PJs/I wrote my first rhyme in the PJs/You can hear it in my speech, I'm from the PJs." This is a playful tribute to the harder life he's left behind as well as a reclamation of his status as a hip-hop artist, first and foremost.
There's no other musician today who seems so natural in so many different genres. "Masquerade" is a hardcore posse track featuring M.O.P., but while other producers might be content to just let the beat run, Clef brings on accomplished Israeli violinist Miri Ben-Ari to provide an unexpected coda to the track. Proving that he not only has an ear for music but also an eye for talent, "One Last Chance" is a soul ballad with Clef on acoustic guitar dueting with velvet-voiced Claudette Ortiz of City High. "Daddy" is one of the saddest songs you're ever likely to hear--reminiscent of 2Pac's classic "Dear Mama"--a rap that Clef dedicates to his recently departed father. "What A Night" remakes Frankie Valli's 1976 disco hit into a soul/hip-hop blend where Clef tells a little of his amazing life story and details his many accomplishments. On "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," Wyclef reworks the Bob Dylan classic, in Clef's version the lyrics are transformed into a lament on unnecessary death occurring in the ghetto and thro
ughout the world.
Masquerade is the kind of album that only Wyclef Jean could make--from rock to rap to soul to reggae, Clef is a living embodiment of the different styles and genres that comprise contemporary popular music. Producer, arranger, composer, musician, rapper, singer, and showman--Clef is that rare artist who not only does all these things, but does them incredibly well. There's only one Wyclef Jean and Masquerade secures his place as one of the most versatile, talented, and accomplished musical artists we've got. |
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Review about Wyclef Jean
i have a movie i want you to be the exsecutive producer | Reviewer: romane simon | 7/25/09
hello mr jean
my name is romane simon
from haiti
i am an actor/director
i have a movie i am working on now with trick daddy /neil brown jr/scooby and a few other ffamous actor from l.a
this movie call REVENG OF JETLEE
AND I ALWAYS DREAM OF WORKING WITH YOU IN ONE OF MY PROJECT. SO AS THAT MOVIE IS MY BIGGES PROJECT I WANT TO ASK YOU
CAN YOU BE THE EXSECUTIVE PRODUCER OF THIS MOVIE
i can be reached at 321 594 9203 or 2008artiste@live.com PLEASE IF YOU DO THAT FOR ME YOU WON'T REGRET IT
I KNOW YOU A BZ MAN
AND A PART OF THIS MONEY THE MOVIE MAKE I WANNA HELP HAITI TOO JUST YOU ARE HELPING HAITI
i am so happy to write to you today
i am looking forward to work with
thank you Godbless you
greatest | Reviewer: akano tunde | 6/10/09
i listen to a wide range of music and i feel wyclef jean is up there. greatness to me, is not by record sales but the content of the song. the world dont want to hear the truth no more. wyclef is extraordinary infact, when you mention the beatles, bob marley, pink ffloyd, mj etc.....you should remember a clef
Cleffy is my mentor and rolemodel | Reviewer: IMMANUEL K. ANSAH | 4/5/09
Am a producer and an Africa from Ghana to be precise.i will love to communicate with wyclef and if possible learn from him since am planing of coming to America sometime soon.i'll be very greatful if this could happen,cus its going to be a dream come true.may God almighty bless more and more in all that you do.thanks alot
wanna be just like a wonderful rapper like | Reviewer: welsay | 7/7/08
i'm a rapper dj live in Virginia but i need some help about that. i don't knowif wyclef or another peoplecan help out. please call me or write":757 723 0607 welsay@hotmail.com.
thanks in advance for the help.
im doing and report on you | Reviewer: haiti's love child | 1/11/08
hay wyclef im doing and report on you in my religion report on you .my project is based on how a persons does stuff to make the world a better place and i feel as though you help alot of peole in alot of ways if not by money then by your words wisdom.. you give people hope to goo on soo i just wanted to take you for everything you have done for hatit and your fans .. and thanks for shoutin out brick city...thats where im from soo its nice to see some one doing something good with their lives instead of drug dealing
heyyy | Reviewer: jean fritz alexis | 1/3/08
heyyy how you doing clef.my name is jean fritz alexis i'm haitian. I was burn in port-au-prience. I'm a underground rapper, i want to be just like you or just like another rapper please can you help me with my music please.. here's my father's phone to call me if you can help me with that 781 363 2407 . here's my big brother's phone 617 840 1281. here's my phone 857 719 8629,, thank you for your time..
don jeffry | Reviewer: Jean Fritz Alexis | 7/24/07
hey how you guys and girls doing, i just want to ask Wyclef or another person who's in the same group with him some questions about rap.so please give me call on (857)334-37-15 my name is Jean Fritz Alexis,they call me jeff,so give me a call please
Review the Artist Wyclef Jean
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