Who

Once one-third of the Fugees, Wyclef is now a solo artist, music producer, party fixture, and globe-trotting do-gooder.

Backstory

Wyclef Jean immigrated to Brooklyn from Haiti when he was nine—he got his start in music playing in the band at the Nazarene church where his dad was a preacher. In 1987, he formed the Fugees with high school pal Lauryn Hill and his cousin Pras, but the group plugged along in obscurity until 1996's The Score. With a style that was more in the mold of "conscious" hip-hop acts like Arrested Development—as opposed to the thuggy stance most rappers were taking at the time—the group became a hit with audiences and The Score went on to sell more than 18 million copies. Drunk on their success, the Fugees dissolved a year later so that each could pursue solo projects (especially Hill, who'd been circled by shark-like record label execs for years). Jean was the first to release a solo effort—his Caribbean-influenced 1997 album The Carnival went triple-platinum. Since then, he's released several solo records, including 2004's Sak Pase Presents, on which he sings almost entirely in Haitian Creole. None, though, has eclipsed the success of his debut solo release, and lately Jean has stepped behind the scenes somewhat, producing and collaborating with other musicians, including Mick Jagger, Destiny's Child, Carlos Santana, and, oddly, Kenny Rogers.

On screen

Jean's popped up occasionally on the big and small screens. He guest-starred on the series Third Watch (as a villainous gang leader) and filmed a pilot for an HBO comedy series based on his life, Wyclef Jean in America, which has yet to get picked up. For the comedy/concert film Dave Chappelle's Block Party, Jean and the Fugees reunited for their first public performance in seven years.

Pet causes

Jean was arrested at a 2002 protest concert, held in response to the city's proposal to cut funding for public schools. He only spent three hours in the clink, though, and was released with a summons. He also founded the non-profit Yele Haiti organization in 2005, and in early 2007, Haiti's president named Jean the "roving ambassador" for the country. What that title actually means is anyone's guess, but don't expect to see Jean with diplomat plates on his Bentley anytime soon.

Personal

Jean and his fashion designer wife, Marie Claudinette, have an adopted daughter, Angelina Jean. For a time, he was romantically linked to Lauryn Hill—a handful of her songs are supposedly about him, but she's tight-lipped about which ones. The Jeans live in a Saddle River, NJ, mansion they bought for $1.85 million in 1998.

Obsessions

Jean loves him some expensive cars. He owns a Bentley Arnage T, a Ferrari 360 Spider and used to own a F1 McLaren, which Jean claimed was worth $1.8 million. But Wyclef's main preoccupation? Pornos. He estimates he has some 5,000 dirty videos tucked away in his basement. To those who might sneer at him for his trove, Wyclef has this to say: "I know people who say they don't have a porn collection, but when they get up in hotels they run them bills wild!"

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