Fugees is an American hip hop group formed in 1990. Deriving its name from a shortening of the word "refugees", the group consists of Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel, and Lauryn Hill. The group rose to prominence in the mid-1990s for their pioneering blend of reggae, R&B, funk and hip hop, which eschewed gangsta rap and made them one of the most significant alternative hip hop acts. They occasionally rapped in Haitian Creole, and were one of the first hip hop bands to incorporate live instrumentation, along with The Roots.
Nel Ust Wyclef Jean is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a founding member, co-producer and guitarist of the New Jersey hip hop trio The Fugees, alongside Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel. The group released the albums Blunted on Reality (1994) and The Score (1996), the latter becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time. Jean would follow this with the release of his first solo studio album, Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival (1997), which contains the top ten hit "Gone till November".
Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival, also known simply as The Carnival, is the debut studio album released by Haitian hip hop musician Wyclef Jean. The album was released on June 24, 1997, Wyclef Jean also served as the album's executive producer. The album features guest appearances from Celia Cruz, The Neville Brothers and multiple appearances from Jean's former Fugees bandmates, Lauryn Hill and Pras.
Ghetto Supastar is the debut solo studio album by former Fugees member and American rapper Pras. The album was released on October 27, 1998, through Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records.
The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book is the second studio album released by Haitian hip hop musician Wyclef Jean. The album was supported by its singles "It Doesn't Matter", "911" and "Perfect Gentleman". At the 43rd Grammy Awards his duet with Mary J. Blige, "911" earned him a nomination for Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 2001. The album debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"Hips Don't Lie" is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira featuring Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released by Epic Records in 2006 as the second single from Shakira's seventh studio album, Oral Fixation, Vol. 2. Shakira and Jean wrote the lyrics and jointly composed the music with additional co-writing by Shakira's percussionist Archie Pena. The song was produced by Shakira and Jean with additional co-production by Jerry Duplessis. "Hips Don't Lie" is a reworking of Jean's earlier single "Dance Like This", therefore it features additional composing credits by Omar Alfanno, Duplessis, Luis Días, and LaTavia Parker. The song incorporates samples from "Amores Como el Nuestro" written by Alfanno, and "Carnaval " written by Días.
Masquerade is the third studio album released by Haitian hip hop musician Wyclef Jean. The album was released on June 18, 2002. The album debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200 chart, making it Jean's highest-charting album.
Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released on October 7, 2003. Released just a month prior to his fourth studio album, The Preacher's Son, Greatest Hits contains singles taken from Jean's first three studio albums: The Carnival, The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book and Masquerade, as well as other fan-favourite tracks from those albums, alongside two-newly recorded tracks: "Ghetto Religion", a collaboration with R. Kelly, and "Hey Girl". The album also contains "No Woman, No Cry", a track taken from The Fugees' second studio album, The Score. Notably, Greatest Hits would be Jean's last release on Columbia Records until Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant in 2007.
The Preacher's Son is the fourth studio album by Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released on November 4, 2003. The album, which was co-produced by Jean and long-time collaborator Jerry 'Wonda' Duplessis, combines elements of hip hop, reggae and reggae fusion, and uses a number of samples, including the Motown-inspired "Industry", which samples "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted". The album contains guest appearances of the likes of Missy Elliott, Patti LaBelle, Rah Digga and Redman, as well as a guitar feature by Carlos Santana on the song "Three Nights In Rio".
"Gone till November" is the third single released from Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean's debut solo album, The Carnival (1997). It peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Jean's highest-charting solo hit in the UK alongside 2000's "It Doesn't Matter". In the United States, the song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also reached number four in both Canada and New Zealand.
"We Trying to Stay Alive" is the first single released from Wyclef Jean's debut solo album, The Carnival. The song features raps by John Forté and Pras and samples the 1977 Bee Gees hit "Stayin' Alive" and Audio Two's "Top Billin'" (1987). The video version also contains an interpolation of the main melody of "Trans-Europe Express" by "Kraftwerk". In the US, it reached number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Additionally, it reached number three on the Hot Rap Songs chart and number 14 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The track reached number 87 on VH1's "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time".
Haitian rapper and singer Wyclef Jean has released nine studio albums, one compilation album, two extended plays and 25 singles.
Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant is the sixth studio album by Haitian rapper and former Fugees member Wyclef Jean, released in 2007 as the sequel to his first solo album, The Carnival. Speaking to noted urban writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning Blues & Soul in September 2007, Wyclef explained his thinking behind the album: "Titling it The Carnival 2 was down to The Carnival back in '97 being my first multi-cultural CD. It had rhythms from all over the world, and in that way this new record is the sequel. You know, there's a revolution of culture going on around the world today where the United Nations is everywhere! You go into a room, and everybody's from a different country. It's like we're ALL immigrants! Some of these people may be listening to bhangra, some to hip hop, some to rock... And, when you put that fusion together, it unites people through music."
"Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)" is the lead single from Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean's sixth studio album, Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant. The R&B and hip hop song features vocals from Niia and Akon, as well as rapper Lil Wayne. Verizon Wireless released the song on their V CAST service on August 7, 2007. It peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2008.
From the Hut, to the Projects, to the Mansion is a concept album released by Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released on November 10, 2009. The album, Jean's seventh overall, is a collaboration with disc jockey DJ Drama, which tells the story of the fictional character Toussaint St. Jean, who is based on the 18th century Haitian revolutionary Toussaint L'Ouverture. The album, which was co-produced by Jean and long-term collaborator Jerry 'Wonda' Duplessis, combines elements of Hip Hop, Reggae, R&B and Folk. The album contains guest appearances from Timbaland, Eve, Cyndi Lauper and Lil' Kim, and production from The Runners.
"We Are the World 25 for Haiti" is a charity single recorded by the supergroup Artists for Haiti in 2010. It is a remake of the song "We Are the World", which was written by American musicians Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and was recorded by USA for Africa in 1985 to benefit famine relief in Africa. Initially, in late 2009, it had been suggested to Richie and Quincy Jones—producer of the original "We Are the World"—that a re-cut version of the song be re-released under the title "Live 25". Following the magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake in Haiti in early 2010, which devastated most of the country and killed thousands of people, it was agreed that the song would be re-recorded by new artists, in the hope that it would reach a new generation and help benefit the people of Haiti.
"In the Zone" is a song by Puerto Rican recording artist Ivy Queen featuring Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean. It was composed by Queen, Jean, Deborah Castillero, Aaron King and Omar Navarro and released on February 9, 1999, as the lead single from her second studio album The Original Rude Girl (1998). The song is a hip hop track.
"Divine Sorrow" is a song by Haitian hip hop recording artist Wyclef Jean from his EP J'ouvert. Credited with the mononym Wyclef on the official cover of the single, it also features Swedish DJ and producer Avicii. The song was released as the lead single from the album on 17 November 2014. It was written by Magnus Lidehäll, Salem Al Fakir, and Vincent Pontare.
J'ouvert is a retail Mixtape by rapper Wyclef Jean. It was released on February 3, 2017, and features the songs "Hendrix", "If I Was President 2016", "The Ring", and "I Swear".
Carnival III: The Fall and Rise of a Refugee is the eighth studio-album by Haitian singer-songwriter and rapper Wyclef Jean. It was released on September 15, 2017.
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