Wyclef Jean on 15 Years Apart from The Fugees, Meeting Lauryn Hill & Dropping 7 Albums

Well, you've achieved so many great things in your career.

I mean, you've worked with the most incredible artists of all time.

Um, who would you say or what would you say feels to you like your biggest accomplishment? Like, because you've had so many.

Like, you've had so many.

Like, what, what moment would you want to relive one more time if you could?

Well, I mean, really, [clears throat] the best moment for me is when my daughter is, like, four or five and, you know, she was going to sleep and she's calling me and she's like, "Dad, father, can you play Fast Car for me?" And Fast Car is a record that I have with Paul Simon.

And she's, like, four or five.

And to me, you know, that probably was one of the biggest moments, 'cause to do music and for you to see it, like, touch your child, like my girl, there was, like, nothing, like, for me, more emotional than that.

You feel what I'm saying? Because we always said that it would be bigger than music.

In terms of, like, artists, um, the moment that I would relive again [clears throat] is in the studio with Whitney Houston.

Um, I would definitely relive that if I could, um, because it was all of them in the studio.

Bobby was in the studio.

Her b- beautiful daughter was in the studio.

Um, and in that record you can hear her daughter saying, "Sing, sing, Mommy." I sampled that, um, her daughter's voice without Whitney even knowing, 'cause, uh, her daughter was on, on my side in the studio in Jersey while we was recording, and Whitney was in the booth.

And while Whitney started the song, her daughter was just like, "Sing, Mommy." And then I looked back at her and I winked at the engineer, meaning like, "Get a microphone [laughs] and just get that." And then, and then I said, "What did you say?" She was like, "Sing, Mommy." [laughs] And then, um, and then, uh, Bobby Brown, I had him, like, on, on background vocals.

Like, you know what I'm saying? My love's your love, I had him there.

So for me, it was a moment, right? Because it just reminded me, like, [clears throat] people don't understand, like, when we come in, man, as, like, kid stars in this game, it's a vicious game, homie.

Like, it's the devil's playground, 'cause you come in and, I mean, you're barely, like, 21 or 22.

Like, you're still ...

That's, you know what I mean? So then the entire world judge you as if somehow, like, you're like Zeus or Isis, like the Greek gods or whatever, like you can't make a mistake.

And I would say that moment when I saw them, man, all three together, it was like ...

That, that's, that was Black love.

Like, when people talk about Black love, to me, that was, the way homie was playing with, with his daughter, playing with his wife, that energy.

I was like, man, if I could freeze that moment in time, uh, it would give, like, our communities, like, more hope.

You get what I'm saying? Because, [clears throat] like, where we come from, man, it's like the father's already in prison, man, before they get a certain age.

Well, you've achieved so many great things in your career.

I mean, you've worked with the most incredible artists of all time.

Um, who would you say or what would you say feels to you like your biggest accomplishment? Like, because you've had so many.

Like, you've had so many.

Like, what, what moment would you want to relive one more time if you could?

Well, I mean, really, [clears throat] the best moment for me is when my daughter is, like, four or five and, you know, she was going to sleep and she's calling me and she's like, "Dad, father, can you play Fast Car for me?" And Fast Car is a record that I have with Paul Simon.

And she's, like, four or five.

And to me, you know, that probably was one of the biggest moments, 'cause to do music and for you to see it, like, touch your child, like my girl, there was, like, nothing, like, for me, more emotional than that.

You feel what I'm saying? Because we always said that it would be bigger than music.

In terms of, like, artists, um, the moment that I would relive again [clears throat] is in the studio with Whitney Houston.

Um, I would definitely relive that if I could, um, because it was all of them in the studio.

Bobby was in the studio.

Her b- beautiful daughter was in the studio.

Um, and in that record you can hear her daughter saying, "Sing, sing, Mommy." I sampled that, um, her daughter's voice without Whitney even knowing, 'cause, uh, her daughter was on, on my side in the studio in Jersey while we was recording, and Whitney was in the booth.

And while Whitney started the song, her daughter was just like, "Sing, Mommy." And then I looked back at her and I winked at the engineer, meaning like, "Get a microphone [laughs] and just get that." And then, and then I said, "What did you say?" She was like, "Sing, Mommy." [laughs] And then, um, and then, uh, Bobby Brown, I had him, like, on, on background vocals.

Like, you know what I'm saying? My love's your love, I had him there.

So for me, it was a moment, right? Because it just reminded me, like, [clears throat] people don't understand, like, when we come in, man, as, like, kid stars in this game, it's a vicious game, homie.

Like, it's the devil's playground, 'cause you come in and, I mean, you're barely, like, 21 or 22.

Like, you're still ...

That's, you know what I mean? So then the entire world judge you as if somehow, like, you're like Zeus or Isis, like the Greek gods or whatever, like you can't make a mistake.

And I would say that moment when I saw them, man, all three together, it was like ...

That, that's, that was Black love.

Like, when people talk about Black love, to me, that was, the way homie was playing with, with his daughter, playing with his wife, that energy.

I was like, man, if I could freeze that moment in time, uh, it would give, like, our communities, like, more hope.

You get what I'm saying? Because, [clears throat] like, where we come from, man, it's like the father's already in prison, man, before they get a certain age.