Purpose: An Immigrant's Story
Category: Books,Biographies & Memoirs,Arts & Literature,Composers & Musicians
Purpose: An Immigrant's Story Details
Wyclef Jean is one of the most influential voices in hip-hop. He rocketed to fame in the 1990s with the Fugees, whose multiplatinum album, The Score, would prove a landmark in music history, winning two Grammys and going on to become one of the best-selling hip-hop albums of all time. In Purpose, Wyclef recounts his path to fame from his impoverished childhood in "Baby Doc" Duvalier's Haiti and the mean streets of Brooklyn and Newark to the bright lights of the world stage. The son of a pastor and grandson of a Vodou priest, Wyclef was born and raised in the slums of Haiti, moving with his family to New York when he was nine. He lived in Brooklyn's notorious Marlboro projects until his father, Gesner Jean, took them to Newark, where he converted a burnt-out funeral home into a house for his family and a church for his congregation. But life in New Jersey was no easier for Wyclef, who found it hard to shake his refugee status. Forced to act as a literal and cultural translator for his parents while still trying to master English himself, Wyclef soon learned that fitting in would be a constant struggle. He made his way by competing in "freestyle" rap battles, eventually becoming the best MC in his school. At the same time, Wyclef was singing in his father's choir and learning multiple instruments while also avidly exploring funk, rock, reggae, and jazz - an experience that would forever shape his sound. When Wyclef chose to pursue a career in music over attending theological school, Gesner, who hated rap, nearly disowned him, creating a gulf between father and son that would take nearly a decade to bridge. Within a few short years, Wyclef would catapult to international renown with the Fugees. In Purpose he details for the first time ever the inside story of the group: their rise and fall, and his relationships with Pras and Lauryn Hill. Wyclef also looks back with candor at the catastrophic earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010 and his efforts to help rebuild his homeland, including the controversy surrounding YÉle, his aid organization, and his exploratory bid for president of the island nation. The story revealed in Purpose is one of inspiration, full of drama and humor, told in compelling detail, about the incredible life of one of our most revered musical icons.
Reviews
i know what you're thinking: here comes another throw-poor-lauryn-hill-under-the-bus, trashy tell all. i mean, let's face it. clef has been scrambling 2 do damage control on his relationship with lauryn since The Ecleftic -2 Sides II A Book, which, not coincidentally, is the album he released after the scathing The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. considering the definitive skill with which that album eviscerated a then anonymous (but suspect) mr. jean, it's quite understandable that clef has for years been attempting to defend his side of the story. but does he succeed with Purpose?well first, it's important to note that the entire book is not about lauryn (thank the most high!). there are some pretty hilarious anecdotes involving the short-lived fugees mascot and using Haitian "voodoo" methods to get respect. at the forefront of wyclef the man is his contentious relationship with his father, a strict Haitian preacher, the discrimination he faced simply from being a Haitian immigrant, as well as his initiation & evolution into music & hip hop. not 2 mention his deep love for Haitian culture, best illustrated in the opening chapter's account of his involvement with Haiti's 2010 earthquake. with these stories, you get a very real sense of where his passion lies, what drives him the most. all of which, btw, is already apparent in any wyclef interview.that said, when you get to the meat of his other high profile, not so apparent stuff, his bid for the haitian presidency, getting "shot" while in haiti, the true nature of his relationship with his wife, all of those aren't delved into in too great a detail. for example, as his reason for backing the current haitian president, Michel Martelly, he tells a story of liking him since Martelly was cool enough let him go joyriding in his expensive car when wyclef was still an unknown. is that enough of a qualification for head of state?? for his wife still being with him despite him cheating and @ 1 point telling her point blank that he was in love with another woman, his explanation is that they're friends before all. a bit one-sided, as i'd be curious to know if claudinette could cheat and still claim friendship as the reason why they should still b a "solid" couple. hell, i couldn't even get a proper handle on how old the man is. he starts the book off by stating his birthday as october 17, 1972, yet in a much later chapter refers to his 42 years (which, at the time of this book's release, would mean he was born in 1969.). hunh???as for the fugees years, it's pretty impossible, as a fan, to read these chapters and not want to go back and listen to some of the records & interviews from the periods referenced. despite the wendy williams' & devout lauryn penitents, and aside from a couple of interesting details, there isn't really too much to indict lauryn here that isn't already known. everything he recounts, while true, only serves to bring up more questions, questions whose answers, considering they'd need to come from an increasingly aloof ms. hill, doesn't seem likely 2 b coming any time soon. the one that comes off looking the worst is claudinette, his wife. these passages also suffered from a just-tell-enough-to-put-me-in-a-better-light POV. being that this is essentially a hip hop tome, there's almost a braggadocio element to the proceedings, especially considering that the only true fallout clef suffers from are the deaths of his father and his protege, Jimmy O. could the story of the fugees have been told without including the Wyclauryn part, arguably not. however, the question then becomes whether or not the entire fugees story needed to be told at all. and, if so, maybe the best person to tell it would be the neutral Pras.all in all, a very quick read. conclusion? while wyclef's musical skills & humanitarian efforts are evident, i'm not sure if this particular book was the right idea at this time. also not sure if anthony bozza was the right co-writer to go with. being used to penning rockstar accounts (Slash,INXS: Story to Story,Tommyland,Whatever You Say I Am: The Life and Times of Eminem, etc.) probably lent to the somewhat boastful tone in some of the passages, which goes against the deeper, emotional sentiments clef was trying to convey. still a very amusing, somewhat eye-opening read. definitely recommended to any fugees fan as well any interested in the (Haitian) immigrant experience.