Wyclef Jean is no longer concerned about running for the presidency of his native Haiti.
The former Fugees star, who lives primarily in the U.S., made a bid for Haiti’s presidency in 2010 but was ruled out of the political race as he didn’t meet the necessary residency requirements.
At the time, he said he would try again in 2015, but the singer has now admitted to The Associated Pressthat he thinks the current government, which is headed up by President Jovenel Moise, is in a good position and he believes he can make progress by helping in the private sector.
“We ran for the urgency. I felt like the government was absent,” he explained. “We don’t feel like (the) government is absent right now. As the country moves forward, as a social entrepreneur, I’m hoping in the future there’s some form of a school we can build. As a social entrepreneur, my true position with Haiti is to work with the private sector and help to bring jobs.”
The 47-year-old is currently promoting his latest album Carnival III: The Fall and Rise of a Refugee, which was released last month (Sep17). His old work with Santana also had a resurgence over the summer when a sample of the 1999 song Maria Maria, which Wyclef co-produced, was used on DJ Khaled’s hit Wild Thoughts.
“(DJ) Khaled and them called and was like, ‘Yo, you’ve got to clear the sample for me’. A lot of people don’t like it. Santana don’t clear samples. But I’m from a different generation,” he recalled.
“When I sampled the Bee Gees (on We Trying to Stay Alive), my whole thing was, don’t forget if you take a piece of someone’s material, they’re going to listen (to) it. When I create something in my brain, it’s my creation. So, who the hell is going to make it better?… That’s why a lot of times it’s hard to clear it.”
However, he gave Santana a call and eventually helped Khaled clear the track.
By: Hollywood.com – October 2, 2017
