It was important to me to go back to the grungy, because all of a sudden you get excited again, 'cause there's another whole dimension of 'Clef that you wasn't expecting to hear.
Wyclef JeanI grew up in a Caribbean family household, so the parents are always right. My father smacked me up til I was 20. It was a strict household.
Wyclef JeanI've known Clinton for probably the last year that he was in office and stuff. The vibe that I always got from Clinton was, you-know, he never gave me a president-vibe.
Wyclef JeanI'm like Cab Calloway: I love the entertainment, and I've loved entertaining people ever since I was little.
Wyclef JeanI hear them playing Elvis, they on they way to Graceland. But they don't scare me, I'm in the trunk.
Wyclef JeanWhen you find the talent, it's always raw, and when you put the talent in the formula, you get the Knocks.
Wyclef JeanOnce we revolutionize the music industry, then we can revolutionize our communities and everything in the world, 'cause what happens is, the communities are listening to the music.
Wyclef JeanI think it's cool to do stuff in a different language. Basically, I learned English through listening to rap. A lot of people think it's funny. But it's true; I used to try to get the accents.
Wyclef JeanThere's not a hip-hop artist that didn't snatch of piece of Bob Marley. It's totally impossible.
Wyclef JeanIn the beginning I had women problems, 'cause you know, I represent for the guys. But I was actin' a fool, whilin' out. I'm not sayin' I don't while out anymore. I'm not gonna lie to you.
Wyclef JeanYou might see a female, and she triggers something, or you see an old lady walking down the street, she triggers something. You go to Africa, you see the vibes, that triggers something.
Wyclef JeanI don't see no more Billie Holidays, no more Marvin Gayes, no more Smokey Robinsons. I don't even see no more Nirvanas.
Wyclef JeanWhat happens is we're all gonna return to dirt, so at the end of the day we're all equal.
Wyclef JeanI was looking for Quincy Jones, that's who I was obsessed with. Watching Mike [Jackson], I always knew that I had to be a showman on stage, because when people come to you live you always want them to come back. You gotta give them something to remember.
Wyclef JeanIt's important, when you see darkness, to understand that there's light ahead of that, and I'm the living testimony of that, you dig?
Wyclef JeanI want people to experience what it's like being from Haiti, coming to America, being Wyclef - multicultural, multilingual.
Wyclef JeanIt was important that I became successful. People say they do it for the love, and yes, you do it for the love, but you want to be successful
Wyclef JeanWhen I rap, I get to express myself in a way where putting words together is like poetry, and sometimes it's better to talk in certain expressions than sing, you know? So I love, I love to rhyme when I want to express certain things.
Wyclef JeanMe and my father went through a war period where we wasn't talking. He wanted me to go to theology school - I didn't want to go. I wanted to do music. I told him I was a minister through music.
Wyclef JeanI know that the nice shines I have on is going to pass. The nice cars will pass. All that will stay is the music and the work. That's where I get the inspiration to help people out and work
Wyclef JeanI was a jazz major in high school, in an all-jazz band. No matter what I do, it features my musical influences.
Wyclef JeanI'm 27 years old. I'm going to go into Hollywood really arrogant. I'll be breaking a lot of rules. It's going to be hot.
Wyclef JeanI always want to know what's wrong with you, why you ain't smiling. That's just my character; I just love people and want to see people having a good time.
Wyclef JeanI decided to do what I do when I was 2 years old. At 2 years old, you know, I heard the sound of a drum playing in the village, and I found my own drum and just picked it up and started playing, the worst song ever written by Wyclef Jean.But it actually started a vibe.
Wyclef JeanMy daddy was a minister, my grandfather was a voodoo priest, my uncle was a mason; I was raised with a lot of studies.
Wyclef JeanNo matter how far you go, if you can't go back to the essence, you're not sayin' nothin'. The essence for me is hip-hop. But the hip-hop community I came up in isn't a loyal community.
Wyclef JeanAmerica is a melting pot of immigrants. So actually, if you took all of the immigrants outside of America, you'd be missing a lot of flavor, starting with the food, with the culture, with the dance, with everything.
Wyclef JeanIf I can't take five years out to serve my country as president, then everything I've been singing about, like equal rights, doesn't mean anything.
Wyclef JeanWhen the Fugees were big, we made a whole lot of money, and what happened was that I saved my money and never spent it.
Wyclef JeanWhat I picked up on Michael Jackson - because I study people when I watch them - the way that he counts his rhythm with his feet and his neck at the same time is crazy... so he's hearing multiple things at once. And I don't know anybody who does that.
Wyclef Jean