Post by sybille on Feb 27, 2006 20:23:05 GMT 1
I wanted to post it in the wyclef section. but he mentions the fugees so. Here we go :
Too much talent’ for Wyclef
by amy benfer / metro new york
FEB 24, 2006
The thing about Wyclef,” says Cuba Gooding Jr., who co-stars with Wyclef Jean in “Dirty.” “is people don’t realize how funny he is.”
In particular, Gooding remembers the python incident. “Anytime you have animals on a set, you have, like 15 trainers involved,” says Gooding. “And Wyclef goes, ‘Give to me the animal. Let me show you what we do in Haiti.’ And he’s doing this backflip roll with the thing wrapping around him — and he stands back up and we’re all like, ‘Ah!’”
Gooding also tells me I have to ask about the “lion story.” So when we meet in Wyclef’s hotel room a few minutes later for our interview (he’s accompanied by his wife, Marie Claudinette), I do.
‘I love lions!’
“Oh,” says Wyclef, “the lion story. Well, I performed with a lion onstage in ’98. Then, one night, the lion got loose. I’m going to Haiti in two weeks, and I’ll be bringing a lion to Carnival. I plan to take him out of the cage three times.”
“I won’t be standing close, though,” says Marie Claudinette, shaking her head.
“I love lions!” exclaims Wyclef, then looks at his wife, “And she says, ‘Yeah, until they take your arm off.’”
Wyclef is wearing jeans and a t-shirt emblazoned with the words, “Yele Haiti.” It’s the name of his foundation. The singer relocated from Haiti to Brooklyn at age 10, and flew back to vote in the island’s most recent election several weeks ago. “It was hard, because the airport was closed,” says Wyclef. “I had a big show with the Fugees on Hollywood and Vine. I took the red eye to Miami, then a plane from Miami to the Dominican Republic, then a chopper from the Dominican Republic to Haiti. It was a long day.”
The foundation focuses mostly on kids. “When I left Haiti,” says Wyclef, “it was all about the American Dream. What a great thing to bring it back to Haiti and let them have their Haitian dreams.”
‘This is rock ’n’ roll’
With the success of his group, the Fugees, it’s quite the norm for young Haitian kids to dream of being the next Wyclef, Pras or Lauryn Hill — minus the drama. “This is rock n’ roll,” Wyclef shrugs. “When you talk about rock n’ roll, you talk about the Fugees — minus the drugs,” he adds of the rumors circulating the group’s break-up and recent reunion.
After previewing new music at a surprise pre-Grammy concert, and appearing in the documentary “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party” (out March 3), the Fugees are moving forward with plans to release their next album. “I think there’s too much talent in the group. Everyone has their own mind. I think Fugees, the brand, is worth a lot. So why try to devalue that brand by putting out garbage?”
As for the acting, Wyclef wants to make it clear that he knows his stuff. “I’ve done off-Broadway plays before. When I came to the set, Cuba was like, ‘Yo, you don’t have a coach?’ I said, ‘Growing up and being from where I’m from, a Third World Country, I’ve seen a lot.’”
The fugee has three faces
Wyclef breaks down three of his roles.
Fugee: “We’re working on another album that’s scheduled to come out in the fall. We got one joint on the underground right now called ‘Take it Easy,’ and another joint you can download called ‘Foxy Foxy.’ Back in the days, people used to put out 45s constantly. Until we’re ready to put out another album, we’re circulating on the Net.
Solo artist: “I just produced Shakira’s single, ‘Hips Don’t Lie.’ I also just started working on Part Two to ‘Carnival.’”
Activist: “I tell people with five dollars you can feed a whole family. But what we are talking about is not a money thing — it instills pride. I want to see Haiti bloom and flourish.”
ny.metro.us/metro/entertainment/article/Too_much_talent_for_Wyclef/1256.html
Too much talent’ for Wyclef
by amy benfer / metro new york
FEB 24, 2006
The thing about Wyclef,” says Cuba Gooding Jr., who co-stars with Wyclef Jean in “Dirty.” “is people don’t realize how funny he is.”
In particular, Gooding remembers the python incident. “Anytime you have animals on a set, you have, like 15 trainers involved,” says Gooding. “And Wyclef goes, ‘Give to me the animal. Let me show you what we do in Haiti.’ And he’s doing this backflip roll with the thing wrapping around him — and he stands back up and we’re all like, ‘Ah!’”
Gooding also tells me I have to ask about the “lion story.” So when we meet in Wyclef’s hotel room a few minutes later for our interview (he’s accompanied by his wife, Marie Claudinette), I do.
‘I love lions!’
“Oh,” says Wyclef, “the lion story. Well, I performed with a lion onstage in ’98. Then, one night, the lion got loose. I’m going to Haiti in two weeks, and I’ll be bringing a lion to Carnival. I plan to take him out of the cage three times.”
“I won’t be standing close, though,” says Marie Claudinette, shaking her head.
“I love lions!” exclaims Wyclef, then looks at his wife, “And she says, ‘Yeah, until they take your arm off.’”
Wyclef is wearing jeans and a t-shirt emblazoned with the words, “Yele Haiti.” It’s the name of his foundation. The singer relocated from Haiti to Brooklyn at age 10, and flew back to vote in the island’s most recent election several weeks ago. “It was hard, because the airport was closed,” says Wyclef. “I had a big show with the Fugees on Hollywood and Vine. I took the red eye to Miami, then a plane from Miami to the Dominican Republic, then a chopper from the Dominican Republic to Haiti. It was a long day.”
The foundation focuses mostly on kids. “When I left Haiti,” says Wyclef, “it was all about the American Dream. What a great thing to bring it back to Haiti and let them have their Haitian dreams.”
‘This is rock ’n’ roll’
With the success of his group, the Fugees, it’s quite the norm for young Haitian kids to dream of being the next Wyclef, Pras or Lauryn Hill — minus the drama. “This is rock n’ roll,” Wyclef shrugs. “When you talk about rock n’ roll, you talk about the Fugees — minus the drugs,” he adds of the rumors circulating the group’s break-up and recent reunion.
After previewing new music at a surprise pre-Grammy concert, and appearing in the documentary “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party” (out March 3), the Fugees are moving forward with plans to release their next album. “I think there’s too much talent in the group. Everyone has their own mind. I think Fugees, the brand, is worth a lot. So why try to devalue that brand by putting out garbage?”
As for the acting, Wyclef wants to make it clear that he knows his stuff. “I’ve done off-Broadway plays before. When I came to the set, Cuba was like, ‘Yo, you don’t have a coach?’ I said, ‘Growing up and being from where I’m from, a Third World Country, I’ve seen a lot.’”
The fugee has three faces
Wyclef breaks down three of his roles.
Fugee: “We’re working on another album that’s scheduled to come out in the fall. We got one joint on the underground right now called ‘Take it Easy,’ and another joint you can download called ‘Foxy Foxy.’ Back in the days, people used to put out 45s constantly. Until we’re ready to put out another album, we’re circulating on the Net.
Solo artist: “I just produced Shakira’s single, ‘Hips Don’t Lie.’ I also just started working on Part Two to ‘Carnival.’”
Activist: “I tell people with five dollars you can feed a whole family. But what we are talking about is not a money thing — it instills pride. I want to see Haiti bloom and flourish.”
ny.metro.us/metro/entertainment/article/Too_much_talent_for_Wyclef/1256.html