"Later, Jean came to understand this man was a missionary, bringing rice and beans to his village. "When he's leaving, I look at my grandma, and I'm like, 'Yo, how come Jesus didn't leave us the seed?'" Even at that young age, Jean knew the visit may have meant a meal for one day, but without the seeds to build a farming practice, little could change for him and his community. Ever since, Jean has been looking for opportunities to leave the seeds, not just the rice and beans, as a way to cultivate creativity."
"While he's best known as a founding member of the iconic hip hop group the Fugees, Jean has an extensive resume: He's produced music for Shakira, Whitney Houston, and Santana; composed music for movies like Hotel Rwanda; won multiple Grammys; ran and lost a remittance business; launched a music publishing company in Africa; and even made a run for president of Haiti. Jean is boundlessly curious, and his career is a mashup of hustle and hunches. He isn't afraid to name what he doesn't know, or fumble in the process of sorting it out."
"Here, he shares how he frames his relationship to music, when he feels most inspired, and the value of nerding out. When I'm creating, I create in two spaces. Sometimes I like it super loud. I like people coming in and out while I'm vibing. Creation is like the pulse of the human. Humans don't hear music. They just feel music. So that's one part. The other part of me: When I've gotta nerd out, I want complete sil"
Wyclef Jean grew up in Haiti with his grandmother and learned that meaningful change requires both agency and preparation. A missionary’s temporary aid revealed the difference between immediate relief and supplying seeds to build lasting capacity. Jean has built a diverse career across performance, production, composition, entrepreneurship, and public engagement, characterized by curiosity and experimentation. He focuses on cultivating creativity through lasting investments rather than one-off gifts. Jean creates in two complementary modes: energetic, communal sessions that emphasize feeling, and quiet, nerding-out sessions that emphasize technical focus and craft.
Read at Fast Company
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