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This month we’re so thrilled to welcome three-time Grammy Award® winning musician and producer Wyclef Jean to TSL. Jean formed legendary Hip Hop group the Fugees in the ‘90s, ranked among the top 10 greatest hip-hop groups of all time by MTV. Since then, Wyclef has amassed an impressive catalog of hits such as “Gone Till November,” “911” and “Sweetest Girl.” He just released an EP called J’ouvert, which is currently streaming millions, and his 7th studio album is set to drop in June 2017. So what does Wyclef think is the key to a perfect movie soundtrack?  Read more:  outtake.tribecashortlist.com  

Calling for a "new age of activism," Lava Records CEO Jason Flom joined with friend Wyclef Jean on Wednesday (May 3) at the Collision Conference in New Orleans to discuss wrongful conviction and how to change a criminal justice system he called "a disaster."   Flom, who is on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and hosts the podcast  Wrongful Conviction , noted how attitudes have changed drastically since he started working on criminal justice reform in the '90s. Skeptics once called him "Don Quixote, jousting at that shit," he said, but now more colleagues realize "it's our national disgrace." Read more: billboard.com

Wyclef Jean just dropped a new video for “The Ring” where he shows off his impressive boxing skills. The song is off of his recent February release,  J’ouvert. In the video, Wyclef raps into an announcer microphone before going into full sparring mode. Throwing both jabs, as well as kicks, the Haitian musician makes sure that his haters know not to mess with him. This latest song follows “I Swear” featuring Young Thug. While “The Ring” has more of a trap feel, the Thugger collaboration offers a pop dancehall vibe. Watch here: theboombbox.com  

Wyclef Jean returns to his  J’ouvert  EP to provide some visuals for “The Ring.” The Fugees member goes through a hard sparring session at the gym in the new video, which displays his fighting prowess. “The smile in my face, behind my back, they hate us/But like Bernie Mac said, I ain’t scared of you motherfuckers/Little Haiti to Sicily, Big Pun, he was a friend to me/Fat Joe, he called me literally/Put me on a track instantly/Caribbean connection put me all the way up/What goes up must go down, so Thugga picked me up/Ay, that’s what I call that street cred/Take your chance in the lobby, you gon’ meet those old dreads,” Wyclef raps in between shots of his training. Read more: xxlmag.com

Wyclef Jean makes the most of whatever environment he finds himself in. It’s a skill the singer-producer acquired as a youngster, when he and his family left his native Haiti for Brooklyn and eventually settled in New Jersey. “I was born in a hut. I ate dirt from the floor. I didn’t know what electricity was,” Jean says. “So by the time I got to America, I was like, ‘We made it.’ I just became a sponge wanting to escape, and my escape became culture.” Read full interview: washingtonpost.com