Creole 101: Wyclef’s Story

In Haiti, there is name to describe a true son of the land, a proud patriot, the man who may leave his country without his country ever leaving him. Such a man is called a « natif natal » which perfectly describes Wyclef Nelust Jean.

As 1/3 of the Grammy award-winning group, The Fugees, Wyclef’s rise to superstardom was accelerated when their 1996 sophomore album, The Score, sold 17 million copies worldwide and spawned several hit singles, including the #1 smash “Killing Me Softly.” The success of this album and his subsequent multi-platinum solo release, Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival, has made him one of the most sought after singer/songwriter/producers in the industry.

Having worked with Bono, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Destiny’s Child, Santana, Gloria Estefan, Patti Labelle, Missy Elliott, Youssou N’Dour, Mary J. Blige, Simply Red and many other artists over the years, Wyclef has received numerous accolades and is no stranger to critical acclaim. But despite the sense of accomplishment he enjoys from this recognition, no other musical endeavour has given Wyclef as much pride as his current album,
Sak Pasé Presents: Welcome To Haiti Creole 101, a predominantly Creole & French release that has been in development for several years. Since 2004 marks the 200th Anniversary of Haiti’s independence from slavery, Wyclef decided that the appointed time had come to unveil his masterpiece. Using his mother tongue and a blend of traditional Creole beats like Konpa, Zouk & Rara, Wyclef honours his homeland with a vibrant, eclectic musical celebration that transcends the language barriers and speaks to the heart of all true music fans.

Creole 101 also includes a few English tracks, like the socially conscious mantra, “President”, which Wyclef recently sang at the U.S. Democratic National Convention in Boston, Mass. The video for this single will be directed by Spike Lee.

Track by Track

1. Intro: It’s all about pride. Pride of your national flag and homeland. Features the hypnotizing voice of Jean Domique, the great Haitian journalist who got shot down in front of his radio station on April 3 rd 2000. This comes straight from the soundtrack Wyclef has just completed for “The Agronomist” , a poignant documentary directed by three time Oscar winner Jonathan Demme.
2. 24 Hours to live. Imagine you wake up and have24 hours left. What would you do? Who would you go to? Wyclef’s nightmare starts up with a genuine sample of Rodrige Milien’s “Confession” from 1975. Jean invents a new style by mixing the troubadour vibe with hip hop culture with an astonishing sense of timing and suspense.
3. Party By The Sea. A party song that mixes the crazy hype of Jamaica’s Buju Bunton with the know how of new generation konpa duet, T-Vice: Roberto Martino (hooky guitar licks and vocals) and his brother Reynaldo (cheesy synthesizers and more hooks ) are both sons of the one and only Robert Martino, the guitar hero of the brave 70’s konpa music.
4. Festival / Fistibal A typical carnival anthem, good to ride a float thru the streets of Port-au-Prince. Includes extracts from “rhythms of the night” wyclef’s by De Barge, top 3 song and Motown’s biggest hit on the year wyclef got to New York. Features a new dance Fistibal named after the slingshots, Haitian boys favorite toy. Pure mayhem !.
5. Lè Ou Marye. A rocking tribute to Ti Paris, the greatest troubadour of Haiti. “Lè ou marye” is an absolutely hilarious and kinky song about why one should wed. With a little help from the leaders of twoubadou movement Fabrice Rouzier and Keke Belizaire and an impersonation by Clef of the late King Coupé Cloué, one of the most internationals renown artists of the early 70’s and 80’s who would venture into long improvised speeches reminiscent of early spoken words, Isaac Hayes’ style.
6. Konpa #2 More konpa with an both an old fashioned and updated flavour. This melodic, heartbreaking song says “Beware of Aids” and drug abuse! “I might be the biggest star” says Wyclef “but I’m nothing if you ain’t with me… I wanna see the future alive in your eyes…”
7. La Bamba. How to turn a classic Latin pop song from Mexico into Konpa, and take it higher, just for the hell of it.
8. Pistachio This one goes to the street vendors selling roasted peanuts in the market place. “Pay your respect: she’s my mother, and don’t badmouth that sugarcane worker: he’s my dad”. Walking bass line give the wicked rhythm a speedy drive a bit like modern MPB Musica Popular Brazilera, ideal but ideal for a marching band chanting “We are moving on up !”
9. Voodoo Marsa. Rara and Raboday are crazy rhythms inspired by the voodoo tradition. Spirits ride high. Marasa means twins. “My country and I are inseparable, sings Wyclef ”. Big up to Boukman, the strong slave, Jamaican born, who started the uprising against the French in august 1791.
10. Haitian Mafia One of the strongest new beats on the CD. Featuring Foxy Brown who reunites with in and Creole speaking Caribbean,”these immigrants did not want to become mafia in America. You forced them into organized crime…”
11. Lavi Nouyok. Tales of life in New York City. Dedicated to all the boat beople and illegal aliens who learn life the hard way after dreaming of America. More of a straightforward hip hop but Creole rimes.
12. Bay Micro m’ Volum Louder, my mike ! A song about freedom of speech on an infectious rara dance ostinato. In the remix version Wyclef Jean welcomes the critaclly accalaimed Haitian hip hop group Muzion from Montreal. Dramatic, Impossible and his sister J.Kill won themselves best rap album in Quebec for their first two releases in 99 and 2002.
13. Fanm Kreyòl “Sharon Stone and Beyonce is nice but give me a Caribbean girl better”. She knows how to dance the Zouk”. Aknowledging the widely spread raga vibe in the French Caribbean.
14. Nou va rive. A song for hope. A mystical lament with the vibe of “Yele”, the great ballad from his 97 solo album that shows Jean closer to Marley, praying for peace.