Wyclef Jean( born Wyclef Neluset Jean on October 17, 1972) is a multi-platinum Haitian-American musician, actor, producer and former-member of the hip hop trio The Fugees. Wyclef has sold more than 31 million albums throughout his career together with his album sales with The Fugees.

Wyclef is the son of a Nazarene pastor. His younger brother, Samuel Jean, graduated from Eastern Nazarene College before graduating from Boston University School of Law, and has worked to manage and produce some of Wyclef’s work in the music business.

Wyclef moved with his family to Brooklyn, New York, when he was nine before they moved again to northern New Jersey. Jean has been a resident of Saddle River, New Jersey and South Orange, New Jersey.

The Fugees signed to Ruffhouse Records, which released the group’s debut album, Blunted on Reality. It sold poorly, but follow-up album The Score sold over 18 million copies worldwide. Jean announced plans to begin a solo career with 1997’s Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival Featuring the Refugee All-Stars. The album’s guests included Hill and Pras along with Jean’s siblings Melky Sedeck and Farel Sedeck Guerschom Jean, the I Threes, The Neville Brothers and Celia Cruz. The album was a hit, as were two singles: "We Trying to Stay Alive".

The Fugees remained in limbo during this time, with the follow-up to The Score being continually postponed as all three members cultivated solo careers.

At the concert Woodstock 1999, Jean paid homage to 1969 Woodstock performer Jimi Hendrix by setting fire to his guitar after playing "The Star Spangled Banner", and burnt his fingers while doing so.

Jean’s second solo album, released in 2000, was The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book. This was recorded with guests including Youssou N’Dour, Earth, Wind & Fire, Kenny Rogers, The Rock and Mary J. Blige. With Blige he released "911" as a single. He was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Act at the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards.

Jean’s third album, Masquerade, was released in 2002. His fourth album, The Preacher’s Son, was released in November 2003 as the follow-up to his first solo album, the Carnival

In 2004, he released his fifth album, entitled Sak Pasé Presents: Welcome to Haïti. Most of its songs are in his native language of Haitian Creole. He also covered Creedence Clearwater Revival’s song "Fortunate Son" for the soundtrack of the 2004 film remake of The Manchurian Candidate and wrote the song Million Voices for the film Hotel Rwanda.

Jean also produced and wrote songs for the soundtrack to Jonathan Demme’s 2003 documentary The Agronomist, about the Haitian activist and radio personality Jean Dominique. With Jerry ‘Wonder’ Duplessis, Jean also composed the score of the documentary Ghosts of Cité Soleil, in which he appears onscreen speaking by telephone in 2004 to a "chimere" gang-leader and aspiring rapper, Winston "2Pac" Jean.

During a period between 2004 and 2006 and fueled by a reunion performance in Dave Chappelle’s Block Party, it appeared that the Fugees were on track to record a new album, however Fugees member Pras claims to Billboard "To put it nicely, it’s dead."

Jean released an album in September 2007 that he recorded in Atlanta, Georgia with the help of T.I.. Recently, Wyclef released a new song called Sweetest Girl featuring Lil’ Wayne, Niia and Akon, which references the song C.R.E.A.M. by the Wu-Tang Clan. The album also features a single, "Fast Car" whose video was made with the assistance of video game Burnout Paradise.