Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Trailblazers in Black History: Wyclef Jean


This video was published on YouTube on October 1, 2012. 

Video from a Live Talks Los Angeles event with Wyclef Jean, on September 23, 2012 at The Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, CA. The performance followed a conversation with journalist Geoff Boucher discussing Jean's memoir, Purpose: An Immigrant's Story. To learn more about Live Talks Los Angeles, visit livetalksla.org

The Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum musician, producer and actor talks candidly about his life as an immigrant and the inside story of the Fugees. The son of a pastor and grandson of a priest, Wyclef Jean was born and raised in the slums of Haiti. His family migrated to the US when he was nine, eventually settling in Newark, where his father converted a burnt down funeral parlor into a home and church.

In his memoir, Purpose, Wyclef reveals how music--rap in particular-- helped him to cope and adjust to life in a new country. How his passion became a wedge between him and his father. About his work in his native country after the devastating earthquake there, including his exploratory bid for president.

Geoff Boucher recently joined Entertainment Weekly. He is a veteran journalist with more than 2,800 stories published in the Los Angeles Times, where he most recently covered entertainment. He also created the award-winning website, Hero Complex, and is the author of Two Badges, the biography of a gang member turned cop.

Warning: This video contains strong language. Viewer discretion is advised. 

Source: LiveTalksLA

No comments: