DJ Equipment Reviews

Wyclef Jean brings DJ Drama in on his From the Hut to the Projects to the Mansion EP

Most every music fan and working DJ out there knows a thing or two about the great hip hop artists who is Wyclef Jean. His fame already went over local or national and he’s s world class musician and producer, but Wyclef Jean has always been consistent with his background and with a set of principles that he supported throughout his career in the business. As many of you also know, the launchpad for Wyclef Jean’s career in music has been the hip hop trio The Fugees, which also made famous another artist, Lauren Hill. And indeed, Wyclef Jean records over 31 million album sales worldwide, including those he had with The Fugees, but that’s an impressive number nonetheless.

Working DJs who studied their history and know a thing or two about the scene will also be aware of Wyclef Jean’s origins, which he promoted over and over again in his tracks. First of all, Wyclef Jean has a very close connection to his home country, Haiti, and especially the years of struggle for independence in the 18th century. Although born in Michigan, Wyclef Jean declared himself a Rasta from a very early age, even before him and his family moved in Brooklyn when he was nine years old, and then once again in northern New Jersey.

The Fugees was the main move for Wyclef Jean, but as far back as 1997, he started a single career for himself, having released 8 albums until 2009 in his own name. His initiative towards helping Haiti in every way he can, from humanitarian to organizing scholarships for youngsters there have been at the forefront of his work, and indeed, the same theme, Haiti’s independence struggle is also the inspiration for his latest EP, named From the Hut to the Projects to the Mansion. Wyclef Jean’s intention for this EP is for it to be a visceral, direct and even aggressive sound that represents the revolutionary spirit of the early days Haiti.

Even his alter ego on the From the Hut to the Projects to the Mansion, Toussaint St. Jean is remarkably more aggressive than you may know Wyclef Jean and his music. As the artist himself says: "Toussaint is more direct,…He aint going to sugarcoat nothing. Whatever he’s thinking, he’s going to tell you. It’s like, I’ve still got this machete–my tonge is sharper than it’s ever been.". Trying to keep the sound and beat of what originally started as a mixtape for Wyclef Jean, he tried to bring in the toughest sound around, so he did some research and came up with DJ Drama: "Then I said, ‘Well, DJ Drama is pretty badass.’ So I called him and asked if he’d be interested in doing a mixtape. He heard what I was up to and he said, ‘We gotta do a book–this is a novel!’ He got excited, and it became more like an EP than a mixtape."

DJ Drama had a great role in turning From the Hut to the Projects to the Mansion from a mixtape into a real EP, and other great names in the music industry were brough on board by Wyclef Jean for collaborations. DJ Drama, whose DJ review you can read here, is the host of the project and will provide his well known direct beat, while other artists will be featured in one track or the other:

• Timbaland
• Lil Kim
• Eve
• and even Cyndi Lauper, credited as Luscious Loo, who will provide vocals on the Slumdog Millionaire track

So if you’re feeling a little revolutionary, or want to hear more from with DJ Drama’s direct style, along with other artists, From the Hut to the Projects to the Mansion is a great EP to consider adding to your library.

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