Wyclef Jean still exploring sounds without borders
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| Published on Monday, November 19, 2007 |
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By Gail Mitchell
LOS ANGELES, USA (Reuters): "Eclectic" is a word critics have used to describe Wyclef Jean's music. But the musician/rapper/songwriter/producer says his vision was just ahead of its time.
"Sampling Enya with the Fugees, doing combinations with Kenny Rogers ... I was doing that 13-14 years ago," Jean said during an interview at Billboard. "I was called eclectic because of a certain box I was supposed to stay in. Now I hear everybody with everybody. Music is at a fresh space right now; there's a fusion going on. If I grow up knowing Johnny Cash, Run-D.M.C. and Jimi Hendrix, why can't I just play all the music?"
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| Wyclef Jean. AFP PHOTO |
Jean does just that on his latest solo album, "The Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant" (December 4, Columbia). Following the pattern of his previous albums, the artist marshals the creative forces of a diverse guest lineup, including Paul Simon, T.I., Mary J. Blige, Norah Jones, Akon, System of a Down's Serj Tankian, Lil Wayne and Shakira. Jean's longtime collaborator, cousin Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis, executive-produced the album with the artist.
"Carnival II" marks the Fugees frontman's return to Columbia/Sony and the 10-year anniversary of his solo debut, "Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival Featuring Refugee Allstars." Acknowledging that "Carnival II" is similar to its predecessor, he attributes its release 10 years later as happenstance. "I didn't plan it like that," he insisted. "I was just inspired by Haiti and the fusion of culture around the world."
It was Jean's explosive pairing with Shakira on the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit "Hips Don't Lie" that signaled what Jean terms his second wind of inspiration. He had spent the greater part of the last three years doing charity work in his native Haiti. During that period, he lost a key inspiration and gained another.
The loss occurred with the unexpected death of his evangelist father. "The way I learned music was through traveling," Jean recalled. "I would hear different forms of it on the streets being with my father."
His inspirational boost came with the birth of his daughter two years ago. "A child does something else to you. She thinks I'm cool," he said in his lyrical Haitian lilt.
Then the call came from Shakira. "All he needed was to know that people were still into real music," Columbia VP of marketing Stephanie Gayle said. "And 'Hips' did that for him."
As did an invitation from T.I. to collaborate on the Atlanta rapper's single, "You Know What It Is." And the wind started to shift.
"I heard taking some time off can be dangerous in the music industry," Jean said with a laugh. "But I always have my pulse on music, even in Haiti. The vibe was so strong that when I got back to America, it made me see things differently. It was like, 'You can still do this. You can freak with this young kid generation because they're checking for you' -- the ones in this generation who are merging sounds like T-Pain, T.I. and Lil Wayne."
Jean gets an assist from some of hip-hop's most valuable players on lead single "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)," featuring Akon and Lil Wayne. He then goes on to cater to another generation with Paul Simon on "Fast Car," which integrates a dark hip-hop beat with guitar.
In addition to reuniting with Shakira ("King and Queen"), Jean reteams with "911" partner Blige on the vulnerable "What About the Baby," which addresses children caught in the middle of separated parents. Jean is most excited about "Selena," his tribute to the Mexican songstress of the same name, which includes a sample of her famous "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom," approved by her father.
"Haitians and Mexicans share a similar story about pride and struggle," Jean said. "It was important that I reach out to my Mexican brothers and sisters and let them know that we are with them." | | | | Reads : 105 |
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