From React Magazine...
Wyclef Interview
by Adam Bernard 22.10.04
Wyclef Interview
The Fugees are back! That's right, one of Hip-Hop's most beloved groups have come back together to both perform and record again. Recently Wyclef sat down with us here at ReactMag to break down how it went down, how Dave Chappelle was instrumental in it, and why he's not even concerned with the sales numbers of his new solo album.
Adam Bernard: You know what I have to start out with.... what's the deal with the Fugee reunion and how much did Dave Chappelle have to do with it?
Wyclef Jean: We all are big fans of Dave Chappelle and when Lauryn called me and she was like "yo I'm doin the Dave Chappelle thing it would be cool if we got together and did it." At first I thought someone was trying to punk me on MTV. I think being big fans of Dave Chappelle really helped, because you know how many times people have wanted us to do stuff we said no, but for Dave Chappelle we said yes. It was a great time. I think they're making movie out of it.
AB: What went down at that party? Did the three of you get along well after not being together for so long?
WJ: I think the whole history is created by the media, with us it's just one two three. "Yo Pras the beef's squashed. Yo L you good? OK let's do this." I think drama comes in groups that come together (artificially), but this is like the hood meets the suburbs group. Two kids in the burbs, I was in the other school in the hood. It was as easy as one two three you know what I mean.
AB: The problems that caused the breakup in the first place, are they still prevalent, and if so how did you go about dealing with them?
WJ: Once a man and twice a child. I think what happens is when you get a little older, me, I'm more socially active right now than I've ever been, so things that I wouldn't let somebody get away with before I'd probably just let them get away with it now. You know if somebody said a word to you back in the day, I would think with anger first, but now I don't do that. I really analyze everything, why is person saying that? They may have had a bad day. I really think about it cuz it may hurt the next person.
AB: You have a new single out, "President," tell me how you became inspired to write that.
WJ: The first time I did that song was actually on Dave Chappelle and Dave Chappelle came to my studio, he was filming the spoof with Dylan and Da Band. He was like what the **** was that? I said I was just vibin but he said go in there and record it.
AB: Still on presidential topics, a lot of people have started criticizing the youth voting campaigns, saying it will lead to a lot of votes being cast by people who aren't educated enough on the issues, what are your thoughts on this?
WJ: I think the first thing is you do have to educate voters on one side but the reason that it's getin a lot of criticism right now is because it's the first time all of these campaigns are actually working and the young people will actually make a difference. What is a Democrat, what is a Republican? Do half of them know what they're voting for? I don't think half the people in America even know what they're voting for. Get them to the polls so they can exercise their rights, educate them on the way.
AB: With each solo record you release you seem to grow musically and slip when it comes airplay and sales. Do you feel these things are directly correlated?
WJ: I speak to Stevie Wonder about this all the time and he said what do you want to do, do you want to do music, because sometimes when you do music you sacrifice music sales but at the end of your term, your 25-30 year term, your catalogue will be worth you plus quadrillion. Whatever you don't pick up now you pick up later. I don't really analyze it, I feel growing musically is the most important thing. I think if anybody wants to judge me on record sales, judge me on when I do do records and they do sell. I've done that, so what's more important to me right now is to put out a CD in four languages. Is it gonna go #1 n the charts? No, but is it going to become part of the Wyclef classic? I think the long run is the most important thing, and I think that's what makes me credible and makes people want to hear me and see me. When it's time for those radio records I know how to maneuver that, I know how to do those "Perfect Gentlemans," the "Two Wrongs," but my head space right now just wants to get all of this music out and as soon as I can vent into this music I'll be back to play the chart game with The Fugees. Clef only plays chart games when we bring the group together.
AB: Speaking of chart games, what did you think of Mario Winans interpolation of the "Ready Or Not" beat?
WJ: Yeah I was really happy with that, Mario's a good friend of mine. I just remember when I used the Enya sample I was just in my basement I was like man Enya ain't never gonna hear this.
AB: What can listeners expect from the new album?
WJ: You have Creole, English, Spanish and French. I did it because of the bicentennial of my country 1804-2004. We're working on a big concert, supposed to take place December 5th in Haiti. It's like my world beat, promoting that world beat / Creole which is really effective in the islands right now, and promoting different rhythms from the country.
AB: Do you get more satisfaction performing in Creole than English?
WJ: I love performing at all. I love being multilingual, I break the language barrier. I think some things sound cooler in English some things sound cooler in Spanish or Creole.
AB: When you dropped "Blunted on Reality" in '94 you were bald and Lauryn Hill had hair... other than the reversal of follicle fortunes, what other major changes have you seen in yourself and your crew over the years?
WJ: Really just growth, growth in the sense of attitude, awareness, and finding yourself and understanding who you are as a person and what purpose do you really serve on earth.
AB: And what do you feel that purpose is?
WJ: I feel that individual purpose of mankind is to be able to help others. The whole purpose of existence is to be able to pull the next person along with you. If you're only able to help yourself, you just is. Really for me it started at a young age being in my father's church. Every Sunday he would be like you gotta sing a song, sometimes we didn't have a song, we'd have to make one up. He'd say somebody's having a bad day and you signing something is gonna make them feel good for that minute, you can't do that? I understood what that meant and that's what I try to bring to people.
AB: How many people do you think really know the real Wyclef?
WJ: I think my Mom knows the real me, and my wife. That's really it. Everybody else they know little pieces of me, man.
AB: Anything else you'd like to add about yourself or The Fugees reunion?
WJ: I think you're going to start seeing some shows around the place and slowly you will start to feel us creeping through your houses, through your stereo system, creeping through your video, your computers... I really feel that it will happen and it's an exciting thing to know that we are the rap Beatles, we are the Hip-Hop Beatles and the great thing that is out of every reunion in the world, everyone does reunions and people don't give a ****, it feels good that the most anticipated reunion ever is The Fugees. So that's a great feeling. You know what's funny now, I'm getting calls from people and it's a different kinda call, it's like a "yo can I get on The Fugee album" call, but the thing is you didn't call me to get on my album, so it's about the hype not the music. All these people are getting the 3rd Bass gas face.
AB: Well if I recall correctly you never really had featured guests on either of the Fugees albums.
WJ: No, we don't believe in guests. Go listen to "The Score," you'll hear like The Outsiderz, you'll hear like Diamond D, but it's not like you're puttin a guest on to sell a record. We'll have a guest because it's really an incredible person.
AB: With everything you've done both with The Fugees and as a solo artist what do you feel you have left to accomplish in the music industry?
WJ: I don't really think I've accomplished nothing yet. Quincy Jones has accomplished a lot, I'm just hoping that over the years I can bring that music to ya'll. New music, the fusion of orchestra music with the voice. I got one CD called "The Eclipse," it's all reggae. There are so many things I want to do and the good thing is to be able to do these things and to not worry about if you're gonna be on the radio tomorrow or sell a record. By now I'm a business man and the whole industry know Wyclef knows how to make his money.
Adam Bernard
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Digital Underground Raw Uncut (DVD)
by Adam Bernard 22.10.04
Digital Underground Raw Uncut (DVD)
Arguably one of the most important groups in the history of Hip-Hop, Digital Underground has never really gotten their due. They've jumped off the careers of artists ranging from 2Pac to Mystic and their original DJ, DJ Fuze, is one of the most slept on ever. All of this makes them more than worthy of "Digitial Undergroud Raw Uncut," an extremely well put together DVD that chronicles their career. Performance clips and in depth interviews highlight this film which shows that artists who have fun make better music. At one point Shock G names all the people who've ever been a part of DU, a group he describes as himself, Money B "and whoever else wants to be down." The list is exhaustive and I think a film like this really helps put how important the group is in perspective. There are some rare old performance clips and some dope interviews, including Shock G explaining how he had to push a very young 2Pac on stage the first time because the future superstar was so incredibly nervous at he prospect of going on (imagine that, Pac nervous about getting up in front of a crowd!). Other great clips include DU performing the "I Got Five On It" remix with The Luniz, DU introducing the world to Mysic, and DU working with Lilly Haydon, one of the first Hip-Hop violinists (Kanye's came around over half a decade later).
Digital Underground is a group that truly represents Hip-Hop. They turned down major tours to tour with acts they respected and wanted to get to know. Their style of music led to good times in the crowd and at one point they got so big that LL Cool J told them they should be headlining when their tour hit DU's native Cali. "Digital Underground Raw Uncut" is a great documentary on a great group. If we had more Digitial Underground's the Hip-Hop world would be a much better place.
Adam Bernard
