Jalylah Burrell

Hello, Babar

Seattle-bred, Brooklyn-based cultural critic Jalylah Burrell riffs on anything and everything.

Contemplating 'Clef

Posted 11/29/2007 at 10:43 AM | Comment?

* Wyclef

Once Fugee Wyclef Jean has been doing a lot of press in support of his new solo album, The Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant, to be released Tuesday December 4th. Here are my thoughts on the the forthcoming album and Clef's junketeering as someone who is fully aware of the immense breadth of Clef's pop sensibilities the finite limitations to his creativity. Clef's music is derivative at best, mimetic, at worst but fun and appealing and presented live with dexterity and extraordinary aplomb. I'm not a hater just not quite convinced his enduring success is a product of artistic greatness.

+Is it that difficult to name an album? Clef joins a list of prominent hip hop artists (T.I., Lil' Wayne, Jay-Z) who tack on a roman numeral when times comes to title a new release. This strikes of laziness and vacuity.

+Why is Lauryn's name still coming out his mouth? The frequency with which Wyclef mentions Lauryn Hill is appalling. What an embarrassingly transparent way to keep your name in the paper knowing full well that despite all the tardy show starts and hoarse sets and Marley heirs, plenty people (chiefly me) are still obsessed with the chocolate girl genius and any mention of her is still news. And stop with this foolishness that you are trying to help her. You don't put people on blast you're trying to help. You approach them thoughtfully and discreetly.

+Why must you perpetuate this thuggish ruggish foolishness?

From a recent Q&A in Entertainment Weekly:

I was sort of intrigued by the split personality theme of his new album: There's T.I., the social commentator, and T.I.P. who's more of a thug. Do you think there's a parallel there with the hip-hop community where on the one hand you have to be hard, but on the other you want to be the humanitarian?

You know, Clef was born in the hut. I used to go to school on a donkey. I'm from Haiti. Check the news. I'm from a place that's beyond thug, so like, I never had to pose nothing. You never hear, Oh Clef had his jewelry taken [or] Clef was on the block, he got smacked. Clef got jumped in the club. That don't exist because I'm a man.

You never had to pose!? You're posing right there. And 'men' don't get robbed or jumped? Come on. Robbery is an unfortunate threat and getting got should not be seen as an emasculating gesture. When it is, you get unnecessary escalation, you get cases of 'when keeping it real goes wrong."

Now that I got that off my chess, I'll add that some of the most fun I've had is at Wyclef-helmed concerts and me and my sis gig mighty hard to this song right here: