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Wyclef Jean, born Nelust Wyclef Jean, is a Haitian American musician, actor, producer and member of the hip hop trio The Fugees.

Born in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, he was named Wyclef Jean by his foster father, a pastor who re-named him after John Wycliffe. He moved with his family to Brooklyn, New York when he was nine, then to northern New Jersey.

The Fugees signed to Ruffhouse Records, which released the group's debut album, Blunted on Reality. It sold poorly, but follow-up album, The Score, sold over 18 million copies worldwide. Jean announced plans to begin a solo career with 1997's Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival Featuring the Refugee All-Stars (generally called The Carnival). The album's guests included Hill and Pras along with Jean's siblings Melky Sedeck and Farel Sedeck Guerschom Jean, the I Threes (back-up vocals for Bob Marley, The Neville Brothers and Celia Cruz. The album was a hit, as were two singles: "We Trying to Stay Alive" (adapted from The Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive") and "Gone Till November" (recorded with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra).

The Fugees remained in limbo during this time, with the follow-up to The Score being continually postponed as all three members cultivated solo careers.

Jean's second solo album, released in 2000, was The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book. T.i.was recorded with guests including Youssou N'Dour, Earth, Wind & Fire, Kenny Rogers, The Rock and Mary J. Blige With Blige he released "911" as a single. He was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Act at the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards.

Jean's third album, Masquerade, was released in 2002. His fourth album, The Preacher's Son, was released in November 2003 as the follow-up to his first solo album, the Carnival.

In 2004, he released his fifth album, entitled Sak Pasé Presents: Welcome to Haïti (Creole 101) (released in the United States by Koch Records). Most of its songs are in his native language of Haitian Creole. He also covered Creedence Clearwater Revival's song "Fortunate Son" for the soundtrack of the 2004 film remake of The Manchurian Candidate and wrote the song Million Voices for the film Hotel Rwanda.

Jean also produced and wrote songs for the soundtrack to Jonathan Demme's 2003 documentary The Agronomist, about the Haitian activist and radio personality Jean Dominique. With Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis, Jean also composed the score of the documentary Ghosts of Cité Soleil.

Jean announced he would release an album in September 2007 that he recorded in Atlanta, Georgia with the help of T.I.. Recently, Wyclef released a new song called Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill) featuring Lil' Wayne, Niia and Akon which references the song C.R.E.A.M. by the Wu-Tang Clan. The chorus was inspired by Wyclef's old Scarberian friend, Iain Brooks who coined the popular phrase "Dolla, Dolla Bills y'all!".

In 1994, Wyclef Jean married Haitian-American fashion designer Marie Claudinette Pierre-Jean. The couple have one daughter, Angelina Claudinelle, whom they adopted from the United States in March 2005 at three days old. She is half Haitian and half Guyanese.

In 2005, Jean established the Yéle Haiti foundation. In its first year of operation, the foundation, with funding by Comcel, provided scholarships to 3,600 children in Gonaives after the devastation by Hurricane Jeane. In its second year of operation, it is almost doubling the amount of the scholarships and spreading them throughout Haiti, providing tuition in 5 regions.

Created in response to the current food shortages and rioting in Haiti, Together for Haiti is a Wyclef Jean partnership, in cooperation with Yéle Haiti, the UN World Food Programme and the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF). Both a fundraising and awareness campaign, its mission is to provide much needed resources for three crucial programs in Haiti.