If I Were President: My Haitian Experience, the New Six Song EP From Wyclef Jean, Available on the iTunes Store


Video for First Single, "Election Time," Filmed in Haiti

NEW YORK, Dec. 7, 2010 -- Columbia Records will release If I Were President: My Haitian Experience, the new six song EP from Wyclef Jean, available on the iTunes store today.

If I Were President: My Haitian Experience, includes "Election Time," a provocative new universal song written in the wake of Wyclef's recent attempt to run for president in Haiti.  The track is currently streaming here.

"This song is inspired by Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick In The Wall,' with the chant, 'We don't need no education,'" says Wyclef Jean.  "It is also inspired by Fela Kuti's  'Zombie.'  It's the voice of the youth.  It is the voice of this generation.  It's the artist once again doing what the politicians should be doing.  This is about inspiring the voice of this generation."

"Election Time" arrives with an extraordinarily powerful and beautiful video lensed in Haiti.  Wyclef teams up with Haitian director, Steve Halloun to co-direct the clip.  Halloun, a former student of the University of Miami Film School, like Wyclef, is deeply concerned with helping Haiti on all fronts.  The video created jobs for local residents, including the actors and technical staff, while showing the world unfamiliar pictures of his native country.  

"I have to show all the sides of Haiti," Wyclef Jean says.  "There is still beauty in Haiti and I have to show the beauty and the ugly reality that is going to change.  It will change."

November was "Election Time" in many countries around the world including in both of Wyclef's countries--the United States andHaiti, where the November 28th general election holds great historic import.  "It means the rebirth of my country.  It means that the young people can bring about change," said Wyclef prior to the Haitian general election.  "I would want to tell the youth ofHaiti to go out and vote.  We have had a long history of dictatorship in Haiti.  It's not a Haitian right to vote that we are talking about.  We are talking about a world right.  Take your right.  Your true weapon is your voting card.  Use your weapon and use it wisely."

If I Were President: My Haitian Experience is a family affair, co- executive produced by Wyclef and his brother, Sedeck Jean.  The two started together and then went separate ways in their careers until the Earthquake of January 2010 reunited them musically.  Sedeck Jean is also featured in the "Election Time" video.

Wyclef describes If I Were President: My Haitian Experience as "The life story of an immigrant.  It's for everyone who has had to leave one place and adapt to another.  It's about the refugee in all of us trying to fit in.  But it's not all sorrowful.  In life, there is love and hate, war and peace.  It's both sides. This is the continuation of my music and it represents both sides.  It's for all my fans.  It's for those who love me for 'Gone 'Til November' and 'Hips Don't Lie,' too.

"Every great album to me is inspired by real events.  It's about what you've seen and experienced.  They were done by the greats who came before me: Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, Fela Kuti.  The music has to be real.  Fela Kuti used his music as a tool for development of his people.  You need to relate to the culture.  If I Were President: My Haitian Experience is about relating to the culture of Haiti which translate to the world."

Wyclef Jean plans a world tour in 2011.  "The Haitian Experience " tour will include, "The music, the art, the culture and definitely the carnival," says Jean.

Haitian-born Wyclef Jean is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter/musician/producer, humanitarian, Goodwill Ambassador toHaiti, and founder of Yele Haiti.  A founding member of the pioneering hip-hop group Fugees and prolific solo artist, Wyclef has effortlessly crossed genres, generations and geographic boundaries with his music.  

In 2005, Wyclef Jean created Yele Haiti to provide aid and assistance to his native Haiti.  Yele Haiti is a grassroots movement inspiring change in Haiti through programs in education, sports, the arts and environment.  Their community service programs include food distribution and mobilizing emergency relief.  Wyclef coined Yele in a song and means "a cry for freedom."  The organization has been garnering international attention for its work including being featured in the Associated Press, USA Today, CNN, Fox News, NBC's Today show, and on 60 Minutes. After the devastating earthquake in January 2010, all programs now focus on the relief and reconstruction of the island nation.

Wyclef Jean

 Election Time Lyrics

My generation like we’re O.K.
As long as we got music we can dance all day
…… ……………………….
Election time is coming!
Come on!
We’re O.K.!
As long as we got music we can party all day!
…… you tube, we will rock all day, day, day…
Election time is coming!

Immigration, socialism, capitalism,
Racism, health care, welfare,
Seems that nobody cares.
E-business, corporation, small business, taxation,
Unemployment, education, my generation.
Go to space station,
So when you go …….
You can see all the natives,
As they rebuild the nation.
With fair trade everybody trades!
You trade, I trade and everybody trades!

Chorus:
Election is right around the corner,
Who you’re gonna vote for?
We’re O.K.!
Election is right around the corner,
What you’re gonna fight for?
We’re O.K.!
Election is right around the corner,
Who you’re gonna vote for?
We’re O.K.!
Election time is coming,
Do you wanna peace in the Lord?

Alternative energy or oil in the SUV,
Tell me what you’re waiting for,
We’re about to have it all!
Birth control, infrastructure,
Agriculture, manufacture,
Hip-hop, emo culture,
Tell me what you think about it!
Technology, you’re following the policy
I………………….. to stimulate eternally.
Raise our family, my life an my testimony,
The King had a dreaming,
He chose to be the President.

Chorus:

But the kids are:
My generation like we’re O.K.
As long as we got music we can dance all day
…… you tube, we will rock all day, day, day…
Election time is coming!
But the kids are:
We’re O.K.!
As long as we got music we can party all day!
http://www.elyricsworld.com/election_time_lyrics_wyclef_jean.html
…… you tube, we will rock all day, day, day…
Election time is coming!

You know what?
What?
Why don’t you take some of the stuff I grew up on?
You know what I’m talking about?
Grams was a voodoo priest,
Dad was a preacher,
My uncle was a mason I was raised Christian
My best friend was Islam: Salam Maleikum,
My manager was Jewish,
He talked me about Shalom,
………………… he talked me about The Scripture,
………………………
Saint …………………a revolution,
Napoleon’s army got spanked by the…….
Two…………..Saint John with a ………..
Did you know that a Haitian was found in Chicago?
If I was President the first thing I would do
Is get my people out of sense.

Chorus:
We’re O.K.!
As long as we got music we can party all day!
…… you tube, we will rock all day, day, day…
Election time is coming

I wanna thank you all for coming to see me here!
You could have been anywhere, but you’ve chosen to come to the Asian Experience to see us.
I go by the name of Wyclef Jean,
Straight from Haiti
And that’s my brother Steph at the drums.

 

Notes to Editors

SOURCE Columbia Records

December 7, 2010 5:18am ET by Pressparty   Comments (0)

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