Wyclef Jean, former member of Hip-Hop group Fugees, has officially announced on Thursday night (August 5) that he will run for President of Haiti, his home land. The singer was guest of CNN’s show “Larry King Live,” where he confirmed the rumors of his candidacy.
Although young people in Haiti have joyfully welcomed Wyclef’s candidacy, his run is surrounded by rumors that want him having problems with IRS and with issues of stealing money from his own charitable organization, Yele Haiti, which was originally supposed to be used towards helping his country.
Why Is Wyclef Jean Running for President?
Wyclef Jean was born in Haiti, in 1972. At the age of nine he moved with his family to the United States, where he grew up. When an earthquake in January 12 of this year hit Haiti, over 220,000 people died and more than 60% of the entire infrastructure system of the country was destroyed. One of the main reasons why this Hip-Hop icon has decided to run for the presidential chair of Haiti is to help rebuild his home country after the natural disaster that caused so much damage.
In fact, Wyclef Jean became immediately active, after the earthquake, by founding a charitable organization named Yele Haiti. In an interview for People Magazine, the former member of Hip-Hop group Fugees said “The suffering of the people of Haiti, the youth of Haiti – which is the majority of the population – can't take another five years of the corruption that's been going on for the past 200 years. This is why I'm running” (Marisa Laudadio, “Wyclef Jean: Why I’m Running for President of Haiti.” People Magazine, 4 August 2010).
Wyclef Jean’s Political Campaign
Wyclef Jean will base his political campaign on five main pillars: education, health care, agriculture, security and most of all he will focus on creating new job opportunities. He has already started to work on these goals through his Yele Haiti foundation, with which he has created over 3.000 jobs and sent almost 7.000 children to school (“About Us” Yele-Haiti.org).
Controversy Over Mishandled Funds for Yele Haiti
Wyclef Jean is former Yele Haiti CEO. He recently resigned after recurring rumors of him misusing money for his own business that was supposed to go towards helping Haiti. The actor Sean Penn has been very vocal in expressing his opposition to Jean’s Presidential run because of the singer’s dubious ability in managing a high budget like the one he will find himself to balance if he is elected.
Wyclef Jean Problems with IRS
The new candidate for the chair of Haitian President has been having severe problems with the Internal Revenue Service. The rapper owes IRS more than 2 million dollars. In fact, IRS has filed several tax liens at the Bergen County clerk’s office in New Jersey against Wyclef Jean in the past few years, starting from 2006 until May 2010 (“IRS Hits Wyclef With $2.1 Million in Tax Liens.” The Smoking Gun, 4 August 2010).
Wyclef Jean’s Future: Music or Politics?
Wyclef Jean reached fame with his Hip-Hop group Fugees, along with Lauren Hill and Pras Michael, who is also an Haitian American rapper. Their Hip-Hop style mixed with reggae sound has been the key to the success of some of their most famous hits, such as Fu-Gee-La, Killing Me Softly and Ready or Not, from The Score Album.
The trio won a Grammy Award in 1997 for their cover of Killing Me Softly. The same year, the group split up and Wyclef and Lauren Hill started a successful solo career. Wyclef Jean is currently working on his new album, titled The Haitian Experience, scheduled for release in December 2010.
However, Jean’s political involvement will affect his music career, which he is willing to put on hold for the moment and concentrate on his campaign that will end November 28, the day the new President of Haiti will be announced. Jean claimed that "Automatically, when people first see me they’re going to say, ‘Isn’t that the guy from the Fugees?' But I'm hoping that next they'll say, 'Okay. He knows what he’s talking about’” (Marisa Laudadio, “Wyclef Jean: Why I’m Running for President of Haiti.” People Magazine, 4 August 2010).
Meanwhile, Pras Michael has decided to support Wycleaf Jean's opposition, as he announced on his Twitter account, where he clearly states he will vote for Michel Martelly. The ex-Fugees rapper also claims he agrees with the critics moved by Sean Penn towards Wyclef.
Wyclef Jean: Next President of Haiti?
After giving the first official interview as a presidential candidate last night (August 5) at CNN’s program “Larry King Live,” Wyclef Jean has definitely few financial issues to clarify before moving on with his political campaign. Statistics, however, favour the rapper because of his respected and celebrated status of famous musician that make him popular among Haitian youth.
Works Cited
- “About Us” Yele-Haiti.org. Accessed 6 August 2010.
- “IRS Hits Wyclef With $2.1 Million in Tax Liens.” The Smoking Gun, 4 August 2010.
- Laudadio, Marisa. “Wyclef Jean: Why I’m Running for President of Haiti.” People Magazine, 4 August 2010
Album Cited
- Fugees, The Score Album, 1996.
Brunella Irma Costagliola - Brunella Irma Costagliola is a full-time writer and a published author. Her book is titled "Gangster Movies in Gangsta Rap"
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