Biography

Early Life

Born in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti as Nelust Wyclef Jean, he was renamed Wyclef Jean by his adoptive father. His father was a pastor and re-named him after John Wycliffe. He moved with his family to Brooklyn, New York when he was nine, then to northern New Jersey, where he began playing the guitar and studying jazz in high school. At 14, Jean was shot once.

In 1987, Jean, his friend Prakazrel Michel (whom Jean has called his cousin), and his classmate Lauryn Hill formed a hip hop group called the Tranzlator Crew before becoming The Fugees.

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 Fushard, Pierre-Jean launched her design collection "Fusha".

The couple have one daughter, Angelina Claudinelle, whom they adopted from Haiti in March 2005 at three months old. Angelina is named after their good friend, actress Angelina Jolie.

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 sold over 17 million copies worldwide. Jean announced plans to begin a solo career with 1997's 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, 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).

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 99, 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.

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 and Mary J. Blige. With Blige he released "911" as a single. The critical reception was mixed, with many calling the album scattershot and too far-ranging to be cohesive. Regardless, he was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Act at the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards.

Jean's third album, Masquerade, was released in 2002 and sold well, though critics frequently panned it. Wyclef's fourth album, The Preacher's Son, was released in November 2003 as the follow-up to his first solo album, the Carnival

In 2004, he released his fifth album, entitled 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 Haitian Creole. He also covered Creedence Clearwater Revival's song "Fortunate Son" for the soundtrack of the 2004 film remake of 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 Duplessis, Jean also composed the score of the documentary Ghosts of Cité Soleil, in which he appears onscreen speaking by telephone in 2004 to a "chimere" gang-leader and aspiring rapper, Winston "2Pac" Jean.

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."

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. He can also be heard on T.I.'s song "You Know What It Is".

Collaborations

Jean worked with artists including Admiral T, Mary J Blige, Akon, Celia Cruz, Gloria Estefan, DJ Quik, Queen, Sarah Connor, Carlos Santana, 2face Idibia, Tevin Campbell, Tom Jones, Cypress Hill, Bounty Killer, DJ Khaled, Whitney Houston, Destiny's Child, Brian Harvey, The Rock, Sublime, Simply Red, Mya, Sinéad O'Connor, Missy Elliott, Bono, Beenie Man, Elephant Man, City High, Wayne Wonder, Buju Banton, T.I., Scarface, T-Vice, Sweet Micky, The Edge, Mick Jagger, Ying Yang Twins, Canibus, The Black Eyed Peas, Eric Benét, Brandy, Subliminal, Pitbull, Timbaland, Magoo, Tarkan, Shakira, Jin, Sunz Of Man, Big Pun, Kenny Rogers, Cartel, Xzibit, Juvenile, The Neville Brothers, Willie Nelson, Niia, I&I, Busta Rhymes, Maxi Priest, R. Kelly, Leela James, John Legend, Ziggy Marley, Chamillionaire, M.O.P., Anthony B, Cam'ron, Rammstein, Lil Wayne, Prodigy and Machel Montano, and rapper Tupac Shakur on the Rap Phenomenon II album. He sang background and rapped in the song "Please Man" on Big & Rich's album Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace.

Jean collaborated with Shakira on her single "Hips Don't Lie", which was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

His latest collaboration is with the Billboard-charting Asian pop diva Sun on her latest hit single "China Wine", for which they co-wrote the tune and lyrics. Jean co-stars in the music video with Tony Matterhorn, Elephant Man, Tyson Beckford and Lady Saw.

Awards/Nominations

Jean was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Act at the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards. In 2005, he earned a Golden Globe nomination for his track entitled "Million Voices" featured on the soundtrack to the film Hotel Rwanda.

Humanitarian Efforts

Jean has been active in his support of his native country and created the foundation Yéle Haïti to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to Haïti. He describes Yéle is a non-political organization intended to empower the people of Haïti and the Haïtian diaspora to rebuild their nation, saying, "The objective of Yéle Haïti 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".. Yele Haiti was created in January 13th 2005. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were present for the first anniversary in 2006.

In January 2007, Jean became a roving ambassador for Haiti, to help improve its image abroad.

Television/Film

Performed "President" on the second season of Chappelle's Show.
Appeared in the movie Carmen: A Hip Hopera alongside Beyonce and Mos Def, as a fortune teller.
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 Mobile commercials as himself. 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.
He narrated the movie Full Clip, starring Busta Rhymes, Xzibit, 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. 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".