Wyclef Jean Shares How Two Bob Marley Classics Inspired His Career
Haitian-born rapper, musician, and actor Wyclef Jean recently shared how two of Bob Marley’s classics inspired him during his 25+ year career. Jean, 51, originally of Fugees fame, is a passionate student of, and contributor to the music of the region, bringing undeniable prowess to collabs with everyone from Shakira to Carlos Santana.
In a new interview with Variety, the Grammy Award winner spoke on the creative burst brought on by lockdown, his new podcast “Run That Back,” and his groovy cover of Bob Marley’s Is This Love released in February for the Gong’s 76th birthday celebrations.
Though Wyclef has teamed up with two of Marley’s sons – Stephen (Keeper of the Flame) and Ky-Mani (Shottas) – on other projects, it’s their father he particularly reveres, the man he says “represents a revolution.” He’s also famously covered the Reggae King’s material, often performing songs such as No Woman No Cry and Redemption Song at benefit concerts or during live sets. None of these versions had been released as singles, however, until February, when he debuted his rendition of Is This Love on Amazon Music, featured on the site’s Reggae Revolution playlist.
“I chose Is This Love because love is timeless and we must always remember love conquers hate,” the Two Wrongs singer said in a statement. When Jean was asked his earliest Marley memory during the Variety chat, he stated that the Gong’s music gave him great comfort while still a young refugee in America.
“The first time I heard Bob Marley, I felt like someone was taking me back home,” Wyclef said. “I learned there’s something called singing and there’s something called vibration to different things.”
The guitar-wielding crooner who once sported dreadlocs is a third-world hero in his native Haiti, and had always hoped to be the 21st-century version of the Jammin’ megastar. He added that he recognized Marley’s remarkable aura from that initial encounter and never lost the link.
“People that have a vibration are the people that become immortal: Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse. What I heard from Bob Marley was that vibration, and that’s what connected me to him,” he said.
His fascination with the formidable icon also seems to have inspired one of Wyclef’s later utterances – “the secret to eternal life is a good song.” He channeled this with incredible success in his early career with the release of his hip hop trio, The Fugees’ (with Lauryn Hill & Pras) second and final studio album, The Score. The 1996 suite became a hip hop masterpiece and cultural phenomenon, reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums charts.
The LP produced three hit singles, Fu-Gee-La, Killing Me Softly With His Song, and Ready Or Not, and earned two Grammy Awards, Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals (Killing Me Softly With His Song) and Best Rap Album. The Score is now the #1 top-selling hip-hop album of all-time, with more than 15 million copies sold globally.
Jean cited Marley’s classic anthem Exodus when commenting on the album’s stellar impact on its 25 year anniversary. “The Score is timeless. It’s like when you hear Bob Marley’s Exodus,” Wyclef told Variety. “Our thing was let’s not do music, let’s be a movement. Everyone’s doing music, but everyone’s not a movement. Once you become a movement, they could never get rid of you, and the music becomes a part of that movement and it becomes part of every generation’s lifestyle,” he stated.
Noted for their humility and humanitarian efforts, both Jean and the Gong have transcended genres and generations with their art. Wyclef, whose strict Christian upbringing is no secret, has long been a fan of Marley’s 1977 horn-drenched battle cry, and had previously summed up Bob’s diverse range and mass appeal in a family anecdote.
“When I was growing up my father was a missionary and a church minister. We could barely get away with listening to Christian rock and definitely couldn’t get away with any rap. When I was 14, I slipped on Exodus, and my dad, who didn’t speak English very well, asked me, ‘What’s this song about?’ I told him it was biblical, and it was about movement. The minute it reached his ears – the minute Marley’s music reaches anybody’s ears – he was automatically grooving. The vibe goes straight to your brain,” Wyclef said.