Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper and record producer. At the age of nine, he emigrated with his family to the Northeastern United States. In 1990, he formed the New Jersey–based hip hop trio Fugees with fellow musicians Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel. Jean served as lead guitarist and producer. 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. Following their success, Jean released his debut solo album, Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival (1997), which yielded the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single "Gone till November".
In 1997, Jean guest featured on Destiny Child's breakout single "No, No, No". Afterwards, he co-wrote the 1999 singles "My Love Is Your Love" for Whitney Houston, and "Maria Maria" for Santana. His second solo album, The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book (2000) was supported by the top 40 single "911" (featuring Mary J. Blige), and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His third album, Masquerade (2002), peaked within the top ten of the Billboard 200. He guest performed on Shakira's 2006 single, "Hips Don't Lie", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100. The following year, his single "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)" (featuring Akon, Lil Wayne and Niia) peaked within the top 20 of the chart and led his sixth studio album, Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant (2007). The album moderately entered the Billboard 200 and marked his final to be released by a major label.
In 2007, Jean was appointed Ambassador-at-Large of the Republic of Haiti by President René Préval. In 2010, he filed for candidacy in the 2010 Haitian presidential election. However, Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council ruled him ineligible to stand for office, as he had not met the constitutional requirement to have been a resident in Haiti for five years prior to the election. Jean's highly publicized efforts to raise relief funds after the 2010 Haitian earthquake were channeled through his charitable organization, Yéle Haiti. The charity, which conducted education and welfare activities in Haiti between 2005 and 2010, effectively closed in 2012. The New York Times reported that much of the earnings raised by the organization in the Hope for Haiti Now telethon were retained by Jean.
He is the recipient of three Grammy Awards, the BET Humanitarian Award, and a Vanguard Award from the NAACP Image Awards, in addition to being nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his musical work. In 2011, President Michel Martelly of Haiti awarded Jean with the National Order of Honour and Merit to the rank of Grand Officer. Jean has also been inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Jean is one of the artists who have reached the most radio charts on Billboard.
Source : Wikipedia
