Wyclef Jean is impressed with the sound from his Haitian native and mixes it in his new album to see what happens when it 'lands' in West.
- May 31, 2007
AceShowbiz - Gaining reputation through duet with Shakira in "Hips Don't Lie" and penning T.I.'s new single, Wyclef Jean is back concentrating on his solo career. A seventh album titled "The Carnival 2: Memoirs of an Immigrant" will be out after three long hiatus.
The album that is due September will see him working with Paul Simon, Mary J. Blige, Chamillionaire and Akon among some. The ex- member of The Fugees also got the partnership of The Pussycat Dolls' Nicole Scherzinger out of coincidence. He said he was working on a new sound when "Nicole happens to be there. Like, ain't nothing rehearsed because we went in on a vibe." Nicole will be featured in his first single with the help from Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am.
Regarding the new sound that he produced, Wyclef is keen on his native country's Compa vibe. "My cousin came with ... an old sample from Haiti. 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."
While none of his ex-fellow members in The Fugees is featured in the album, the Haitian singer told fans to keep their hope high for the group's reunion. He said, "It's not like any Fugee member said, 'I denounce myself from this group. I no longer want to be part of this group.'" However, he further sparked rumor to create a group just like The Fugees with Akon and an unnamed female singer.
