Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean in 2009, photo by Prphotos
Birth Name: Nel Ust Wyclef Jean
Place of Birth: Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti
Date of Birth: October 17, 1969
Ethnicity: Haitian
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian rapper, musician, actor, and politician. He was a member of hip hop trio The Fugees, with Lauryn Hill and Wyclef’s cousin Pras. He was appointed Ambassador-at-Large of the Republic of Haiti in 2007. He is also known as Wyclef, Toussaint St. Jean, Nel, and Clef.
Wyclef was born in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, and moved to New York City, U.S., with his family at the age of nine. He is the son of Yolanda and Reverend Gesner Jean. He is a cousin of diplomat, journalist, political activist, and author Raymond Joseph, who was Haitian Ambassador to the U.S., from 2005 to 2010. Wyclef established the Yéle Haiti Foundation in 2005. After the January 12, 2010 Haiti earthquake, he was recognized for assisting the impoverished nation.
Wyclef is married to designer Marie Claudinette. They have a daughter, who is adopted.
Wyclef has said:
My dad always told me, ‘Don’t forget, you’re a descendant of Toussaint L’Ouverture’… So, this was how I was brought up, with a very fearless attitude.
Toussaint L’Ouverture was a prominent Haitian Revolution leader.
In his song, “Baba,” released in 2019, he states, “And I just took my [23andMe] DNA test Don Dada/One hundred percent Nigerian Baba/When you gonna learn-uh/Can’t frame a earner/Came with the noose, I freed myself like Nat Turner.”
In the second episode, Wyclef Jean explores what it means to be Haitian and growing up in America. “My dad always told me, ‘Don’t forget, you’re a descendant of Toussaint L’Ouverture,’” he said. “So, this was how I was brought up, with a very fearless attitude. At times I think it was stupid because you’d be like, ‘Yo, get off the block.’ ‘I am not getting off the block, I am a descendant of Toussaint L’Ouverture. You can shoot if you want, but I will not get shot.’”
https://www.fastcompany.com/90218792/john-legend-and-wyclef-jean-dive-into-their-dna-on-23andmes-new-podcast
Wyclef Jean released a music video for his single “Baba,” and it’s just in time for the end of Black History Month.
The video premiered on Friday and features jarring imagery, including Jean spitting his bars while hanging from a noose.
In the song, he raps about finding out his roots through genetic testing and the meaning of that discovery: “And I just took my DNA test Don Dada/One hundred percent Nigerian Baba/When you gonna learn-uh/Can’t frame a earner/Came with the noose, I freed myself like Nat Turner.”
https://www.wyclef.com/news/298209