Wyclef - The Carnival II : Memoirs Of An Immigrant

[Wolfy]

Posted Aug 6th 2006 10:09AM by Steve Baltin
Filed under: Hip-Hop, Pop

Wyclef Jean is going back to his producing roots for his next album, 'The Second Wind.' "I'm in that headspace, like when Quincy Jones did 'Back on the Block,'" Jean told AOL Music at an X Games kickoff party in L.A. "I wear so many hats, people keep forgetting that I'm really a producer first. I love performing, love playing, but my gift is to write songs and make records."

Like 'Back on the Block,' 'The Second Wind' promises to be an all-star affair. "I plan to go get Carlos Santana, Shakira, Destiny's Child, Whitney, everybody I've worked with and write these real crazy songs with these wild arrangements and bring them to the world," he says.

While Jean says 'The Second Wind' likely won't hit until next summer, he's already well into the process. "I wrote six tracks so far. I've already got the Mary J. Blige track cut -- it's called 'What About the Baby.' Right now my first single is a song called 'L-O-V-E' that we recorded with Shakira, so look out for that."

www.aolmusicnewsblog.com/2006/08/06/wyclef-has-an-affair-with-mary-j-shakira/

[M 123]

shakira and wyclef next summer again............. and shakira and eve...... this is going to be hot!

[britneyrules]

LOL I thought from the title it was like Wyclef had sex with Mary J & Shakira!!!!

LOL

[muscleclub]

xxjohnxx said:

... Right now my first single is a song called 'L-O-V-E' that we recorded with Shakira, so look out for that."

Hot Ashlee remake?

[Damage]

muscleclub said:

xxjohnxx said:

... Right now my first single is a song called 'L-O-V-E' that we recorded with Shakira, so look out for that."

Hot Ashlee remake? 

LOL

[MusicJunkie]

britneyrules said:

LOL I thought from the title it was like Wyclef had sex with Mary J & Shakira!!!!

LOL

OMG me too! I was so shocked when I read it too. LMAO!

[So Pure]

What happened to the Fugees reunion!? Who cares about Wyclef, where's Lauryn Hill!?! We want new music from her ASAP!!!!

[britneyrules]

muscleclub said:

xxjohnxx said:

... Right now my first single is a song called 'L-O-V-E' that we recorded with Shakira, so look out for that."

Hot Ashlee remake? 

Why not, he made 1 remake a worldwide smash. Pick another singer who's failing right now and remake it into a raggae-tinged jam.

[M 123]

muscleclub said:

xxjohnxx said:

... Right now my first single is a song called 'L-O-V-E' that we recorded with Shakira, so look out for that."

Hot Ashlee remake? 

Ashlee - " L.O.V.E"
Wyclef - "L-O-V-E"


Never that

[MusicJunkie]

sopure said:

What happened to the Fugees reunion!? Who cares about Wyclef, where's Lauryn Hill!?! We want new music from her ASAP!!!!

Same here. I forgot about that. :o The Fugees need to come back NOW.

[muscleclub]

britneyrules said:

muscleclub said:

Hot Ashlee remake? 

Why not, he made 1 remake a worldwide smash. Pick another singer who's failing right now and remake it into a raggae-tinged jam.

[Damage]

moto702 said:

sopure said:

What happened to the Fugees reunion!? Who cares about Wyclef, where's Lauryn Hill!?! We want new music from her ASAP!!!!

Same here. I forgot about that. :o The Fugees need to come back NOW.

They've already released a single or three and they were meh. lauryn did a great concert recently though - the audio shows flashes of her earlier brilliance.

[marcjm]

The title is so misleading. I thought he hooked up with them as well; but it did the job of a title which is to hook a reader.

[robbie23]

britneyrules said:

muscleclub said:

Hot Ashlee remake? 

Why not, he made 1 remake a worldwide smash. Pick another singer who's failing right now and remake it into a raggae-tinged jam.

thats cute that you consider trashlee a "singer"
lol

[busyboy]

Title change, please!


T.I. Kick-Starts Wyclef Jean's LP; Mary J. Blige, Akon Tagging Along

Chamillionaire, Will.I.Am, Pussycat Dolls' Nicole Scherzinger, assorted family members also helping boost Immigrant's status.

By Jayson Rodriguez

MIAMI — He hasn't changed his name to Mr. Jean, but lately it seems Wyclef has been as far from the spotlight as his former Fugees mate Lauryn Hill.

"It's been a minute for me," he admitted to MTV News a couple of weeks ago on the set of T.I.'s "You Know What It Is" video (see "T.I. Getting Ahead Of His Selves With Second Clip From Alter-Ego LP").

But 'Clef recently connected with T.I. while he was in Atlanta and asked the "Bankhead" rapper to put him up in a studio while he was in town. Tip acquiesced and let 'Clef set up shop at a studio he could use all by himself.

The result? Not only did he produce T.I.'s next single (and some other potential future hits that didn't make T.I. vs. T.I.P.; see "T.I. Taking On T.I.P. With Help From Eminem, Justin Timberlake"), but Wyclef also kick-started his next album, The Carnival 2: Memoirs of an Immigrant — the sequel to his debut, The Carnival — which is tentatively due in September. The new set follows 2003's The Preacher's Son and 2004's international-flavored Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101.

"My sound is definitely missing out there, it's obvious," 'Clef said. "And basically, I just want to regroup with my family. I got my little brother with me — whenever you hear me say, 'All hands on deck,' that's my brother Sedeck. And you know, of course, Jerry Wonder forever ... you just have to, as a producer, sometimes step at it from the outside, see what's going on inside, and attack it with a fresh edge."

Family aside, 'Clef also recruited a range of guests, including T.I. — who is tentatively scheduled to co-executive produce the project with Wyclef — Chamillionaire, Paul Simon, Akon and Mary J. Blige.

The first single is still a work in progress, but according to Wyclef, it will feature the Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am and the Pussycat Dolls' Nicole Scherzinger.

"The whole idea is [like] the 'Porgie and Bess' joint, the Gershwin [opera]; so as a composer, we come in and compose all this material and then we throw the artist in the setting," 'Clef explained of the yet-untitled single. "So we put them in the world and now everyone has to perform in that world.

"My cousin came with ... an old [1965] sample from Haiti," he continued. "It's an old Compa; Compa is the rhythm of my country. So imagine now, we land in the West with this old-time [beat] and we go, 'Check, Will,' and Will is like, 'OK, this is what you working with?' And he jumps on it and throws some drums on top of it. Then I'm like, 'OK, this is what you working with?' Then I go in the booth and start jumping in. He goes in and starts jumping. And then next thing you know, Nicole happens to be there. Like, ain't nothing rehearsed because we went in on a vibe."

Wyclef won't have any of his former group members onboard for Carnival 2, and he didn't have an update on a Fugees reunion either. But another one of his Fugees mates, Pras, recently told MTV News not to expect anything from the trio anytime soon.

"Just keep praying," he said at the red carpet at the Maxim Hot 100 party in New York earlier this month. "But right now it doesn't look too good. I would love to see it happen."

[busyboy]

Wyclef
Stronger

Interview: Bill Heinzelman

Wyclef Jean’s got his swagger back. After quietly dropping his Creole/English disc Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101 (Sak Pasé/Koch) in October 2004, the former Fugees frontman has been making some noise as of late. Producing two tracks on T.I.’s upcoming album, T.I. vs. T.I.P. (the two formed a working relationship after ’Clef asked to use Tip’s studio during a recent visit to ATL,) the multifaceted producer/singer/rapper is looking to return to the hip-hop spotlight. For the past three years, the veteran MC has been busy crafting hits for artists such as pop superstar Shakira (“Hips Don’t Lie”), country singers Big & Rich (“Please Man”) and German songstress Sarah Connor [“One Nite Stand (Of Wolves and Sheep)”]. In addition, ’Clef concentrated on promoting humanitarian aid to his homeland through his charitable foundation, Yéle Haiti.

As far as hip-hop, though, ’Clef hasn’t scored a Top 10 Billboard hit of his own since “911,” the 2000 collaboration with Mary J. Blige off his platinum album, The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book. The Haitian born MC looks to change that this September with the release of his sixth solo project, The Carnival 2: Memoirs of an Immigrant. ’Clef, however, claims the album is not an attempt to recreate his classic debut, The Carnival (1997). Instead, he’s injecting some youthful enthusiasm into his music, calling on T.I. to co-executive produce the disc. The LP will also feature appearances by heavyweights such as Lil Wayne, Mary J. Blige, Akon, Chamillionaire, will.i.am, Paul Simon and Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls. XXLMag.com recently caught up with Wyclef during a break from shooting a video for T.I.’s new single, “You Know What It Is.” In between takes, ’Clef reveals the science behind The Carnival 2, his relationship with T.I. and why fans shouldn’t give up on a Fugees reunion.

Tell us a little about The Carnival 2: Memoirs of an Immigrant. Based on the title, it sounds like you’re trying to recapture the vibe of the first Carnival?
No, we move on. You can never reduplicate it. This is 10 years later. The Carnival 2: Memoirs of an Immigrant is a continuation. Remember, on [the original] The Carnival, I said, “If you can get your ticket, you can come along.” So on The Carnival 2, once again, I’ve been traveling to Haiti, Africa, Brazil… I just caught a vibe. When I went to Haiti, I started doing my charity work with [my organization] Yéle Haiti. [There’s] eight million people depending on me, so I felt the relevancy, ya know.

Musically, how would you compare the two albums?
Sonically, I would say [The Carnival 2] is a continuation of where I left off. No one’s gonna hear The Carnival 2 and say, “Man, he fell of sonically.” I would say from those who got The Carnival 1; The Carnival 2 is just a continuation of the sonic [feel] but taking it to the next level.

A lot of artists try to duplicate their previous albums later in their career but most fail. Did that play a part in your mindset going into this album?
Yeah, I think what happens is, as an artist, you gonna have different paintings. One painting can inspire another. But I think if I try to recreate The Carnival 1— bringing back the “bishop” skit—that’s a gimmick. It’s not the ’Clef of today. It’s a different vibe [but] you will feel the inspiration of [the first Carnival].

What role is T.I. playing on the album?
T.I. is one of my co-executive producers. What I’m doing with the album… the mind state I have is sort of like Gershwin presents Porgy and Bess [George Gerswhin’s famous 1930’s opera]. I took artists like T.I. and put ’em over a guitar riff, or Akon and put him over a choir, or Lil Wayne. I wanna combine the young and old, like they’re gettin’ together. So what I did is, when I recorded a lot of stuff, I would play it for T.I. Because I wanted to know his vibe, like how was he feelin’ [about] this? ’Cause I would be singing a straight up song but [he’d] be like, “Man, this is crazy.”

What did you take away from your time working with T.I.?
I would say what I really learned from T.I., working with him and being in the studio with him a lot, is sort of [the] flyness. ’Cause what happened is, sometimes you can come across so deep in the lyrics, [but] saying it more simpler is probably flyer. So I would say T.I. probably put my lingo and swagger up. [Laughs]

Pras recently told MTV News that a Fugees reunion is unlikely. After everything you guys have gone through, the on and off again reunion, is it safe to say it’s never going to happen?
Man, I wouldn’t really say that. I think as long as we keep putting good music out there… I might do a song [and] it might touch The Fugees. Lauryn might do a song and it touches me, ya know. I think The Fugees was something organic. But remember what you said, for The Fugees to do another album, it’s not trying to recreate The Score. It’s about the modern times—what we’ve been through and how people can go past what we’ve been through and still make it happen. So you know me, I never give up hope. I’m like the number one Fugees fan. I would never say I don’t think there will never be a Fugees album.

[Wolfy]

busyboy said:

Title change, please!

LOL, I changed it.

[busyboy]

^ Thanks!

[busyboy]

SOHH Exclusive: T.I. Helps Wyclef Jean Catch "Second Wind"

T.I. recently revealed to SOHH that he will be executive producing Wyclef Jean's forthcoming album titled The Second Wind.

"It was definitely an honor. I'm pleased to be involved," T.I. said. "The album is outrageous. It's out of here. It's better than the last one. I think it's more of an infusion of one side of the urban market and the worldly market."

"Wyclef has shown time and time again that he can do any kind of music with any kind of artist and he can deliver whatever's necessary to get this project or whatever project from point A to point B, from ground level to superstar status," he added. "He's always kept it real and he's been the same person, so I'm honored to be able to work with him."

Wyclef is featured on T.I.'s fifth album, T.I. vs. T.I.P., which hits shelves today (July 3). The album also features appearances from Jay-Z, Eminem and Busta Rhymes.

[ktos]

The Carnival II : Memoirs Of An Immigrant - Wyclef Jean

The Carnival II : Memoirs Of An Immigrant est le nouvel album de Wyclef Jean.
L’opus comporte de nombreuses collaborations : Akon et Lil Wayne, Paul Simon, Will.i.am des Black Eyed Peas, Mary J Blige, Norah Jones, Nicole Scherzinger des Pussycat Dolls, T.I.,...
Le disque s’annonce donc riche en univers musicaux divers.

Sortie mondiale : le 5 novembre 2007.

Tracklisting :

1. Intro
2. Trouble Again (Feat. Serj Tankian)
3. Sweetes Girl (Dollar Bill) (Feat. Akon & Lil’ Wayne)
4. Welcome to the East (Feat. Farrakhan & Sizzla)
5. Slow Down (Feat. T.I.)
6. King and Queen (Feat. Shakira)
7. Fast Car (Feat. Paul Simon)
8. What about the Baby (Feat. Mary J Blige)
9. Immigration (Feat. Chamillionaire)
10. Any Other Day (Feat. Norah Jones)
11. Heaven’s in New York
12. Selina
13. Touch a Button / Carnival Jam (Feat. Will.i.am)
14. Outro

musique.evous.fr/The-Carnival-II-Memoirs-Of-An,1971.html

[Wolfy]

ktos said:

6. King and Queen (Feat. Shakira)

I can't wait to hear this song!

[**βécky**™]

here is a Snippet of King and Queen Ft. Shgakira!
www.zshare.net/download/386662069656b3

[Wolfy]

I love it :)

[George]

I attended an album listening party for Wyclef and they played these songs:

3. Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill) (Feat. Akon & Lil’ Wayne) *LEAD SINGLE, IT'S COOL*
7. Fast Car (Feat. Paul Simon) *MELLOW JOINT, I LIKED*
9. Immigration (Feat. Chamillionaire) *LOVED THE BEAT, DIDN'T CARE FOR CHAMILLIONAIRE*
12. Selina *UM....SAMPLES SELENA'S "BIDI BIDI BOM BOM", AND HE CALLS IT A TRIBUTE TO HER...*

[WotUNeed]

Tracks currently available on iTunes:

1. "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)"
2. "Fast Car"
3. "Rouge et bleu"

[busyboy]

"Trouble Again", featuring Serj Tankian, has leaked.

[reception]

Nov 12, 9:04 PM EST
Wyclef Jean Gets Hero's Welcome in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) -- Hip-hop star Wyclef Jean was given a hero's welcome in one of Haiti's most destitute slums on Monday, riding the shoulders of his cheering countrymen to the site of a small-business project he helped develop.

On his first trip to Haiti since being named a roving ambassador by President Rene Preval in January, the musician met legislators and accompanied Czech model Petra Nemcova to a school in the neighborhood where he was born.

Jean, who moved to Brooklyn as a young boy, then changed into a pinstriped suit to ask a luncheon crowd of businessmen, the U.N. envoy and nearly every major foreign ambassador for aid.

"We need all your money, we need all y'all's support, but let's put it to programs ... that teach kids how to move the country forward," Jean told dignitaries in the hills above Port-au-Prince.

In the port slum of Cite Soleil, Jean, who had success as a member of the Grammy-winning group The Fugees and as a solo artist, was carried along by a crowd of 1,000 people who yelled his name and danced past bullet-scarred shacks. At one point, Jean bowed his head in silent prayer.

"I asked for benediction upon this place, for all these kids," Jean told The Associated Press.

Nemcova, who founded her own charity after she was injured and her boyfriend killed in a catastrophic Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, joined Jean in visiting an adjacent cooperative sponsored by Jean's charity group, Yele Haiti.

The cooperative restaurant - one of 10 planned for Port-au-Prince - will employ 15 local women when it opens in December, selling meals from about 70 cents to $1.40.

[shaq91]

whats the 2nd single?

[SHOOTER]

I like "Sweetest Girl" more than I thought I would.

[El Chiko Kevo]

IT LEAKED

SOO GOOD

AMAZING ALBUM

SO CREATIVE AND MULTICULTURAL

best song is "Selena" Ft. Melissa Jiminez