"Over the last three decades, Jean has become a key figure in modern pop music. He is one of its greatest cultural coalitionists, fusing Pan-American sounds - hip-hop, Jamaican reggae, Haitian kompa, gospel, salsa, folk - into music that is party-ready and politically alert. He prefigured today's globalized music economy long before it had language for itself, though his influence has often been oddly glossed over."
"Jean has two personalities, he attests: 'the peaceful one here, and the bonkers one onstage.' Right now, the rascal in him slumbers, briefly glimpsed now and again behind dark shades. We are here just days after the death of John Forté, a close friend and collaborator whose role in shaping the Fugees' platinum-selling sound has long been under-credited."
"Lately, memory has become Jean's greatest inspiration. It's the second night of his five-night residency at Blue Note Los Angeles, in which he performs a carnivalesque staging of his life and career, leaping from Haitian rara to boom-bap, from reggae-inflected balladry to rock guitar theatrics."
Wyclef Jean performs a five-night residency at Blue Note Los Angeles, creating a theatrical retrospective of his life and career. The performances span diverse musical genres including Haitian rara, hip-hop, reggae, kompa, gospel, salsa, and rock. Jean describes his dual nature: a peaceful backstage personality contrasting with his energetic onstage presence. The residency occurs shortly after the death of John Forté, a close friend and underrecognized collaborator in shaping the Fugees' platinum-selling sound. Over three decades, Jean has established himself as a pivotal figure in modern pop music, pioneering the fusion of Pan-American sounds and prefiguring today's globalized music economy. His solo career includes nine albums with over 9 million copies sold worldwide.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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