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The eclectic singer-songwriter Wyclef Jean has been a driving artistic force in pop music, first with his groundbreaking hip hop band The Fugees and then as a respected solo artist and sought-after collaborator and producer. Born in Croix-de-Bouquets, Haiti, Jean's childhood experiences on the poverty-stricken, war-torn island would have a profound impact on his music. At 9, he moved to Brooklyn, then to New Jersey, and eventually began studying jazz guitar and worked as a cab drive to get by. Along with fellow Haitians Prakazrel Michel (stage name "Pras") and classmate Lauryn Hill they formed a group called Tranzlator Crew, then eventually changed it to The Fugees as a tribute to their shared heritage. The Fugees' debut Blunted On Reality was an amateur recording effort but hinted at what was to come. They cleaned up for 1996's groundbreaking hip hop epic The Score, which went on to sell over 17 million copies. Hit singles like their remake of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly," "Ready Or Not" and "The Score" make the disc an absolute classic. On the strength of The Fugees' success, Wyclef Jean dropped 1997's The Carnival Featuring the Refugee All-Stars, an exciting blend of classic Haitian rhythms, deep reggae, progressive hip hop and accomplished rock guitar work. Wyclef had hits with the warm melody of "Gone Til November" which he recorded with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bee Gee's-sampling "We're Trying to Stay Alive." Wyclef Jean's follow-up, The Ecleftic, saw him calling in favors from a truly surprising list of collaborators including Mary J. Blige, Kenny Rogers, The Rock and Youssou N'Dour.

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