Wyclef Jean – From the Hut, to the Projects, to the Mansion

Written By: Giselle Rivera

Label: MRI - Rating:

Exuding positivity and truth through both his music and his lifestyle, Wyclef Jean takes his seat at the head throne of Hip Hop’s conscience. He speaks of the horrid truths that lie within this nation and of the ignored troubles of the nations surrounding, as he is an avid aid for his own homeland; Haiti. Jean is a musician who truly understands the meaning of music. It is through music that we can become successful in tearing down the barriers of ignorance and hate, and reconstructing the separation with the hands of hope and the mind of positivity. Hip Hop’s humanitarian has recently embarked on another solo album, “From the Hut, to the Projects, to the Mansion,” an album revealing much more of the idol.

As Jean collaborates with the infamous mix tape king, DJ Drama, he is attempting to cross the lines in which isolate him from “real” Hip Hop heads. In his track, “The Streets Pronounce me Dead,” he claims that the last time Hip Hop heads “felt” him was when he “rhymed with Big Pun.” Moving along with the latest trend of Alter-Egos, Jean introduces Toussaint St. Jean with this latest compilation; an inspiration from the Haitian liberator Toussaint L'Ouverture. The most noted track, “Slumdog Millionaire,” (with a cameo voice appearance by Cyndi Lauper) revisits the struggle of many, but offers a positive result of it. He speaks of struggle with a happy ending, as he states that we all have talents that can take us beyond our own limited imaginations.

In a breath, this album is a rebirth of Jean’s lyrical talent and powerful and visual story telling. It is a much needed resurrection.

Like Wyclef Jean? Check out: The Fugees, Lauryn Hill, Praz