Res. No. 624
Resolution designating October 17 annually as Wyclef Jean Day in the City of New York to honor his musical and philanthropic contributions as a globally recognized artist and proud son of Haiti whose impact resonates deeply in New York City and beyond
By Council Members Louis, Joseph and Narcisse
Whereas, Wyclef Jean was born on October 17, 1969, in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, and, after his early years living in poverty, moved to Brooklyn with his family, later relocating to New Jersey to avoid bullying and the fighting and bad behavior of his peer group; and
Whereas, Wyclef Jean said in an interview that his “mom took a gun out of [his] hand and replaced it with a guitar” and that he learned to “to read and listen to a crowd” when he performed music in church; and
Whereas, Having arrived in the United States (U.S.) speaking no English, Wyclef Jean now speaks five languages-French, English, German, Spanish, and Japanese-and was playing seven instruments by his teenage years while exploring rap, rock, funk, reggae, and jazz; and
Whereas, He became a fierce competitor in freestyle rap battles and eventually the best MC in his high school; and
Whereas, Wyclef Jean studied music at Five Towns College and later at the Berklee College of Music; and
Whereas, Along with musicians Lauryn Hill and Prakazrel Samuel Michel, known as Pras, in the late 1980s, Wyclef Jean founded the seminal hip-hop group that would become the Fugees, whose name came from a play on the word “refugees” and was used as an insult to Haitian immigrants; and
Whereas, The Fugees’ second and final album, The Score, which was produced in the basement of Wyclef Jean’s uncle, became a seven-time platinum record, selling 22 million copies and launching the group to international fame; and
Whereas, Billboard places The Score at number 25 on its list of the 100 greatest rap albums of all time, calling the album “nothing short of a revelation” and explaining that the album, “[r]ichly and expertly rapped and produced,” “is as heady as it is accessible, with the group creating a gorgeous blend of hip-hop, reggae, soul and R&B, while touching on everything from romantic relationship drama to Black liberation”; and
Whereas, Nominated for 10 GRAMMY Awards during his career, Wyclef Jean won GRAMMY Awards for best rap album for 1996 for The Score and for best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals for “Killing Me Softly with His Song” from the album as well as a GRAMMY Award as a producer for Supernatural, legendary Santana’s album of the year for 1999; and
Whereas, While Wyclef Jean made 13 solo albums, he also collaborated with and produced hits for other artists, including Whitney Houston, Destiny’s Child, Michael Jackson, Mary J Blige, T.I., Paul Simon, and Shakira, whose “Hips Don’t Lie” number 1 hit featured him and for which he was nominated for a GRAMMY Award for best pop collaboration with vocals for 2006; and
Whereas, Wyclef Jean collaborated with many young musicians he met during his master class teaching tour of U.S. colleges, which was designed to find and support new talent and which yielded his 2019 album Wyclef Goes Back to School; and
Whereas, Wyclef Jean has used his platform to elevate youth through music education by partnering with Music Will to deliver instruments, curriculum, and training to schools across Brooklyn and New Jersey, ensuring students from underserved communities gain access to creative opportunities; and
Whereas, Wyclef Jean published Purpose: An Immigrant’s Story in 2012 to tell his own story, detailing his love for music, his family, and his native country, including his aid organization, Yéle, which worked in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake; and
Whereas, In 2021, Wyclef Jean collaborated with rapper MC Jin on “Stop the Hatred,” an anti-violence song and video filmed in Chinatown in response to hate crimes against Asians, and he noted that “[r]acism and hatred against underrepresented communities can only be fought with unity”; and
Whereas, Wyclef Jean, who served as Grand Marshal of the Haitian Day Parade in Central Park in 2024 symbolizing the deep bond between Haiti and those of Haitian descent in New York City (NYC), remarked that the parade served as a “unifying uplift for our spirits, as brothers and sisters of the Diaspora connect[ing] and honor[ing] the 220th anniversary of our nation’s independence”; and
Whereas, In 2018, Wyclef Jean was awarded the key to the borough of Brooklyn in recognition not only of his musical achievements, but also of his immigrant perseverance and cultural pride in the borough; and
Whereas, Wyclef Jean has enriched the cultural fabric of New York City and demonstrated how artists can mobilize music, mentorship, and representation to nurture hope, leadership, and cross-cultural connections among NYC residents; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York designates October 17 annually as Wyclef Jean Day in the City of New York to honor his musical and philanthropic contributions as a globally recognized artist and proud son of Haiti whose impact resonates deeply in New York City and beyond.
LS #20224 and #25649
9/8/26
RHP