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Wyclef Jean From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nelust Wyclef Jean (IPA: /ˈwaɪklɛf ˈʒɑn/) born on October 17, 1972) is a Haitian rapper, guitarist, producer, and member of the hip hop trio The Fugees.

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[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Born in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti as Nelust Wyclef Jean[citation needed], he was renamed Wyclef Jean by his adoptive father. His father was a pastor and re-named him after John Wycliffe[1]. He moved with his family to Brooklyn, New York when he was nine, then to northern New Jersey, where he began playing the guitar and studying jazz in high school. At 14, Jean was shot once.[2]

In 1987, Jean, his friend Prakazrel Michel (whom Jean has called his cousin), and his classmate Lauryn Hill formed a hip hop group called the Tranzlator Crew before becoming The Fugees.

[edit] Marriage and children

In 1994 he married Haitian-American fashion designer Marie Claudinette Pierre-Jean. Pierre-Jean is a former pre-med student at Montclair State University, New Jersey turned fashion designer. Named after Haitian beauty queen Claudinette Fouchard, Pierre-Jean launched her design collection "Fusha".[3]

The couple have one daughter, Angelina Claudinelle, whom they adopted from Haiti in March 2005 at three months old.[4] Angelina was not named after their good friend, actress Angelina Jolie. He mentioned on his appearance on the Tyra Banks show that she was named Angelina simply for the fact that she was an angel.