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Wyclef Jean music biography continued...

and "911". Also an acclaimed producer, Wyclef has worked with artists Whitney Houston, Santana, Canibus, The Black Eyed Peas, and Destiny's Child. Born Nelust Wyclef Jean on October 17, 1972 in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, he moved to Brooklyn, New York with his family when he was nine years old. In high school, he learned to play the guitar and studied jazz. In 1987, Jean along with his friend Pras and classmate Lauryn Hill formed the rap group The Tranzlator Crew, later renaming themselves the Fugees. Delivering the hits "Fugee-La", "Killing Me Softly", and "Ready or Not", the group sold over 17 million copies of their sophomore album The Score.

Following the major commercial success of the Fugees, Wyclef issued his solo debut album Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival Featuring the Refugee All-Stars (simply known as The Carnival) in 1997. Featuring guest appearances by Lauryn Hill, Pras, the Neville Brothers, the I Threes (Bob Marley's female backing vocalists), and Cuban singer Celia Cruz, the unique album peaked at number sixteen on the Billboard 200 and at number four on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book followed in 2000 debuting at number nine on the Billboard 200. Although not as critically praised as his first solo record, The Ecleftic proved to be a second commercial triumph for Wyclef. His third album, Masquerade saw release in 2002 featuring the single "Two Wrongs". The Preacher's Son, issued the following year included the high energy single "Party to Damascus" featuring Missy Elliott. In 2004, he returned to his Caribbean roots releasing the Creole album Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101. Wyclef was most recently featured on Shakira's smash hit "Hips Don't Lie" which is a cover of his 2004 original "Dance Like This".