wyclef jean

P+P @ The DNC: Wyclef Gets The Unity Thing

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008


Photography by Chris Nelson – click on slideshow to view larger images

DENVER — “I’ll be gone ‘til November,” sang Haitian national and former Fugees member, Wyclef Jean, softly crooning the lyric to one of his most popular songs —as he has at many concerts before last night.

But then a pause: “And why is November so important?” And with that simple question, the mostly young and raucous crowd roared back a response, shouts of “Obama!” mixed in with exuberant acknowledgment of what is at stake in the political world for young Democrats.

With a rousing blend of political activism and musical mastery, Wyclef Jean brought the house down at local bar, Theorie, in front of revelers that included Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr., but who were mostly young, ethnic, and all on the same partisan page.

Aside from providing an astoundingly good musical experience, the palpable energy between performer and party-goers proved that unity of thought among today’s young liberals comes easier than within the Democratic Party itself, as Wyclef himself has noted and tried to change.

White, black, Latino…everyone jumped up on stage at the end as Wyclef climbed the speaker stack and wrapped the show with a twenty plus jam session, chanting Obama and whipping the crowd into a frenzy over and over again with alternating tempos before finally walking out the front door.

It was the singular event of the weekend thus far in terms of raw energy. 2012 Host Committee: take note.

P+P @ The DNC: Wyclef Jean on Obama and the Latino vote

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

When Sen. Hillary Clinton asks her supporters to back Sen. Barack Obama tonight as the party’s presidential nominee, it will be more than just her strong band of female supporters she’s addressing.

Clinton outperformed Obama two to one in the primaries among Latino voters, a voting constituency that is expected to play a significant role in this election, especially with turnout up 24 percent from the 2004 primaries. So it’s not surprising that for some preaching unity on behalf of the party, bridging the remaining Latino-Obama divide is exactly what coming together is all about.

In the midst of an electrifying nearly two-hour set, Wyclef Jean brought the historical racial tension between blacks and Latinos that narrative that has been quietly at play this election to center stage.

“All my Latinos and Latinas, let’s see you vote for Obama,” he told the crowd at his performance at the Party with a Purpose bash at Denver’s Theorie restaurant and bar.

(more…)

Wyclef riot

Tuesday, November 20th, 2007

Granted the Yahoo player looks like hell. We don’t like it any more than you do. We also hate watching Nissan commercials. But, yo, if anybody, hip-hop elder statesman and roving Haitian ambassador Wyclef makes it all worth it. As much as ever, man is shining out the great value of our multicultural reality, singing songs of freedom, a star citizen of the planet. Give thanks with us for Wyclef-Jean, a holiday-week (r)evolutionary, brought to you by Yahoo and Nissan. Damn.

If you can bear the commercials and the fact that the bosses at Yahoo are in cahoots with Chinese government jailers, then you can catch the whole short Wyclef concert, including Q&As from the fans, here. It’s a crazy mixed up world.