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Jerry Duplessis | |
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 Duplessis at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles, California | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jerry Duplessis |
| Also known as |
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| Born | August 9, 1975 Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Instruments | |
| Website | www.wondamusic.com |
Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis (born 9 August 1975) is a Haitian music producer and musician. His first major success was as a producer for Fugees' 1996 album The Score . He also played the bass guitar with the Fugees, and group member Wyclef Jean is his cousin.
Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis was born and raised in a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. At 14, he began playing the bass. Early influences at this time included Aston Barrett, and James Jamerson. At 16, he was sent to the US and was raised by his father and his aunt who was also Wyclef's mother. The basement of their family home soon became their home studio.
From church to some time at the Institute of Audio Research, and gigs wherever he could play, their home studio "Booga Basement" was opened serving artists near New Jersey. Wyclef, Samuel Pras Michel, and Lauryn Hill would then unite to create a new Caribbean style group ultimately known as the Fugees. Wonda and Wyclef would align to provide production for the group which would be signed by Ruffhouse/Columbia. Label mates at the time would include Cypress Hill and Kris Kross.
Jerry Wonda and Wyclef Jean's producing took off with the Fugees. Their cover of the Roberta Flack classic "Killing Me Softly" sung by lead vocalist Lauryn Hill reached No. 2 on the Pop charts and No. 1 on the R&B charts. Co-produced by Wonda, their album The Score became one of the best-selling hip hop albums of all time gaining worldwide recognition.[ citation needed ]
Wonda and Wyclef made history in 2000. Santana's Supernatural single "Maria Maria", which Wonda co-produced, held the No. 1 chart position for 10 weeks. In 2006, the duo produced Shakira's worldwide hit "Hips Don't Lie" from the album Oral Fixation Vol. 2 . It became the top-selling song of the 21st century and reached No. 1 in more than 50 countries, leading Shakira to be the 1st female Colombian singer to top Billboard's Hot 100 chart. They also co-wrote "My Love Is Your Love" for Whitney Houston's album of the same name.[ citation needed ]
In 1996, Wonda would co-produce the Fugees all-star Ali tribute "Rumble in the Jungle" featuring A Tribe Called Quest and Busta Rhymes for the Muhammad Ali documentary When We Were Kings. The Warren Beatty film Bulworth includes "Ghetto Superstar" performed by Pras Michel, ODB and Mýa and "How Come" by Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour and rapper Canibus.
Alongside Wyclef and Andrea Guerra, Wonda wrote and produced the theme song "Million Voices" for the film Hotel Rwanda , which was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2005. The same song was later nominated for a Grammy Award in 2006. [1] Other film credits include The Manchurian Candidate , Dave Chappelle's Block Party and 50 First Dates .
In 2001, Wonda built Platinum Sound Recording Studios in Times Square, NYC.
In 2009, Wonda began producing music on his own, founding a production company called Wonda Music and placing his first major record with teen sensation, Justin Bieber for "U Smile." He has since followed up several placements to include artists Mary J. Blige, Musiq Soulchild, Keri Hilson, Estelle, Busta Rhymes, Miguel and Lupe Fiasco. Wonda began signing artists, producers, and songwriters to his Wonda Music imprint.[ citation needed ]
Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Hill is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as one of the most influential musicians of her generation. She is often credited for breaking barriers for female rappers, popularizing melodic rap, and pioneering neo soul for mainstream audiences. In addition to being named one of the 50 Great Voices by NPR, Hill was listed as one of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone. In 2015, she was ranked as the greatest female rapper by Billboard. Her other accolades include eight Grammy Awards—the most for any female rapper.
Fugees are an American hip hop trio formed in 1990 in South Orange, New Jersey. 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 during their performances, along with The Roots.
My Xperience is a reggae album by Jamaican dancehall performer Bounty Killer, released in 1996. Bounty Killer was one of dancehall's biggest stars in the 1990s and his harsh hip hop-influenced songs made him a controversial figure. Most of the songs on My Xperience are morose tales of poverty and violence.
Nel Ust Wyclef Jean is a Haitian rapper and musician. 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".
Prakazrel Samuel Michel, known professionally as Pras, is an American rapper. He is best known as a member of the hip hop group Fugees, alongside Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill. After the Fugees, he earned two Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, the Grammy-nominated song "Ghetto Supastar " featuring Ol' Dirty Bastard and Mýa from the film Bulworth, and "Avenues" with Refugee Camp All-Stars and Ky-Mani Marley. He also collaborated with Jean and rock band Queen on the 1998 remix of "Another One Bites the Dust", which reached the top five on the UK Singles Chart. In 2017, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Digital Daytime Drama Series, as a producer on the web series The Bay.
The Score is the second and final studio album by the hip hop trio Fugees, released worldwide on February 13, 1996, on Columbia Records. The album features a wide range of samples and instrumentation, with many aspects of alternative hip hop that would come to dominate the hip-hop music scene in the mid- to late-1990s. Primarily, The Score's production was handled by Fugees themselves, Jerry Duplessis and Warren Riker, with additional production from Salaam Remi, John Forté, Diamond D, and Shawn King. The album's guest verses are from Outsidaz members Rah Digga, Young Zee, and Pacewon, as well as John Forté, and Diamond D. Most versions of the album feature four bonus tracks, including three remixes of "Fu-Gee-La", and a short acoustic Wyclef Jean solo track entitled "Mista Mista".
Judgement Records is a record label, started by Joe Nicolo after Ruffhouse Records was dissolved.
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 24 June 1997. Wyclef Jean also served as the album's executive producer. The album features guest appearances from Celia Cruz and The Neville Brothers and multiple appearances from Jean's former Fugees bandmates, Lauryn Hill and Pras.
"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 (2005). 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.
T.I. vs. T.I.P. is the fifth studio album by American rapper T.I., released on July 3, 2007 through Grand Hustle Records, Asylum Records and Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took a year and a half to record towards early 2007, as T.I. stated and confirmed in an interview with MTV News. Production was handled by several record producers, including Kannon "Caviar" Cross, Just Blaze, Mannie Fresh, Lil' C, Wyclef Jean, Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis, Sedeck "All Hands on Deck" Jean, Keith "Lil' Wonda" Duplessis, Kevin "Khao" Cates, Timbaland, Bao Quoc Pham, Steve Holdren, Nate "Danja" Hills, The Runners, Tony Galvin, Eminem, Jeff Bass, and Keith Mack, among others. Notably, it is also his first album not to feature production from his frequent collaborator DJ Toomp.
"Ready or Not" is a song by American hip-hop group Fugees, from their second studio album, The Score (1996). The song contains a sample of "Boadicea" (1987) by Irish singer Enya, and its chorus is based on "Ready or Not Here I Come " by the Delfonics.
Welcome To Haiti: Creole 101 is the fifth studio album by Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released on October 5, 2004. The album, which was co-produced by Jean and long time collaborator Jerry 'Wonda' Duplessis, combines elements of reggae, kompa, dancehall, bachata, and world music. The album contains guest appearances from the likes of Sweet Mickey, Foxy Brown, 2Face Idibia and Sound Sultan. The album was inspired by Jean's love for Creole music, and Jean stated that the album was designed to be as "far from Billboard Hot 100-topping music as possible", describing the record as an instant "cult classic".
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".
Unexpected is the second studio album by American hip-hop and R&B recording artist Lumidee, released by TVT Records on April 17, 2007 in the United States and on June 21, 2007 in the United Kingdom. The album was produced primarily by J. Marty with contributions made by Scott Storch, T.C. Love, Lenky, Ron Browz, Wyclef Jean, Jerry Duplessis and Red Spyda.
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.
"Nappy Heads" is a song written and performed by American hip-hop group Fugees, released in February 1994 as the second single from the group's debut album, Blunted on Reality (1994). The original version of the song was co-produced by Pras and Wyclef Jean, and written by Lauryn Hill. "Nappy Heads" was recorded at House of Music Studios in New Jersey. However, the more-well known, definitive remix version was produced by Salaam Remi. The song became the group's first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 49. The song also reached #1 on the Billboard dance chart.
Che Pope is an American record executive, record producer, and songwriter from Boston, Massachusetts, also the former COO of GOOD Music and the founder of Wrkshp Media. He is perhaps best known for producing on the Grammy Award for Album of the Year winning album Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and the Grammy-nominated "Bound 2" by Kanye West, as well as executive producing Cruel Summer and co-executive producing Yeezus.
"Lost Ones" is a diss song by American rapper and singer-songwriter Lauryn Hill. It was released on August 25, 1998, through Ruffhouse and Columbia Records. The song was written by Hill and produced by Hill, alongside Vada Nobles and Che Pope. Despite never naming him in the song, the song is widely presumed to be about Hill's former Fugees Bandmate Wyclef Jean.
"Rumble in the Jungle" is a song recorded for the 1996 documentary film When We Were Kings, which depicts the 1974 boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman that the song is named after: The Rumble in the Jungle. The song was written and performed by American hip hop group Fugees along with fellow hip hop artists A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, and John Forté. Additional writers credited on the song are Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson, and Chip Taylor since "Rumble in the Jungle" samples recordings written by them. The lyrics of the song focus mostly on Ali and his life, as well as the boxing match itself.
Arden Altino is a musician and producer. Known in the industry as "Keyz", Altino produced numerous records for a wide range of artists such as "Hold On" for Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish, and "OUT OF MY HEAD" by Lupe Fiasco Featuring Trey Songz. He collaborated with Parisian artists such as Passi and Jocelyne Labylle on several records while adding to his roster of artists, Mary J. Blige, Justin Bieber, Estelle, and P. Diddy. Altino co-produces now with Jerry Wonda out of Platinum Sounds Recording Studio in New York City.
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