Wyclef Jean February 4, 2008

Born in Haiti, but raised in Brooklyn and New Jersey, singer, rapper and producer Wyclef Jean is best known as a founding member of the influential R&B/rap trio Fugees. For his recent solo effort, 'The Preacher's Son,' Clef draws inspiration from the islands, from the streets, from faraway cultures brought close by the daily news -- from the blues and jazz and myriad strains of songs sung a thousand ways around the planet. During a long prison sentence for arson, the future singer-songwriter got hold of Erykah Badu's neo-soul classic 'Baduizm,' and it inspired him. Two days out of prison he was recording a demo. The next day he played at a club. About a month after his release, he was appearing on Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater, which he won five times in a row. Lyfe's soulful music is a mixture of deep introspection and open-eyed realism.