Wyclef Jean may just be the most wide-ranging rapper, producer, performer, and composer of his time. As the lead producer and MC of The Fugees, he helped craft their 1996 landmark album The Score, one of the best-selling hip-hop albums of all time. The following year he released his debut solo album, The Carnival, which included hits like "Guantanamera" featuring Celia Cruz, and the platinum-certified single "Gone Till November."
As a writer and producer for other artists, Wyclef is behind Whitney Houston's "My Love Is Your Love," Santana's chart-dominating "Maria Maria," Shakira's global smash "Hips Don't Lie," and Destiny's Child's breakout single "No, No, No."
This spring, Wyclef is releasing Clef Notes, Volume One of Quantum Leap — an ambitious seven-album solo project that unfolds over the next year. Each installment is seven tracks and zeroes in on a different genre, ranging from country and reggae to jazz, hip-hop, Haitian kompa, and beyond.
Today, we're bringing you a special episode: a live conversation recorded at the On Air Podcast Festival, where Justin Richmond was joined by special guest host Sam Sanders to sit down with Wyclef. They get into what it was really like in the studio with Whitney Houston, how The Fugees shaped their sound while recording The Score, and the wisdom Wyclef would pass on to his younger self about what makes a great creative collaboration.
You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite songs from Wyclef Jean HERE.
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