Wyclef Jean has announced the release of his first full-length album in eight years, Carnival III: The Fall and Rise of a Refugee, out September 15 via legacy recordings. The album features contributions from Emeli Sandé, Supah Mario, The Knocks, and Lunch Money Lewis. The release coincides with the 20th anniversary of Wyclef’s critically acclaimed debut album The Carnival.
In addition, Wyclef Jean has released two new tracks “What Happened To Love” produced by The Knocks via CNN and “Fela Kuti” produced by Supah Mario via XXL today. Listen to “What Happened To Love” and “Fela Kuti” and pre-order the album here.
Ahead of the Carnival III rollout, Wyclef partnered with Certified Classics, an extension of Legacy Recordings, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Carnival and the 10th anniversary of the Carnival II. Certified highlights the impact of key anniversaries of classic Hip Hip and R&B albums, all in an effort to preserve the culture. Learn more at: www.thisiscertified.com
“My Carnival albums have always been about celebrating music culture from all parts of the world and Carnival III is no different,” says Wyclef. “It’s outside the box. There’s genre-bending. There’s new talent on there. Carnival III is more than just an album. It’s a celebration of what I love about music: discovery, diversity and artistry for art’s sake… It’s about putting music together that will outlive me and live on for generations to come that is full of emotion, vibration and fun. Get ready.”
In 2016, Wyclef was back yet again with another hit, “Hendrix,” the first single off of his EP, J’Ouvert. “Hendrix” garnered over 20 million streams worldwide. Wyclef’s influence on the new generation is evident with the creative connection with Young Thug, who named a track on mixtape, JEFFERY, “Wyclef Jean.” The two musicians teamed up to record the Caribbean-inspired “I Swear,” the third single off of J’Ouvert.
As big a comeback as “Hendrix” and “I Swear” have proven to be, one should not count on Fall and Rise of a Refugee as being an entire album full of mid-tempo tracks. “Do I have anything for the clubs?” he asks. “You’re talking to The Carnival Man! I’ve done the biggest dance records of all time! I plan to put them on the dancefloor more so than ever. I know people want that dancefloor bounce from me — that hip hop music thing.”
The music that Wyclef Jean has written, performed, and produced — both as a solo superstar and as founder and guiding member of the Fugees — has been a consistently powerful, pop cultural force for over two decades. In 1996, the Fugees released their monumental album The Score. As a solo artist, he has released six albums that have sold nearly nine million copies worldwide, including his 1997 debut The Carnival and 2000’s aptly titled The Eclectic: 2 Sides II a Book.
Carnival III: The Fall and Rise of a Refugee Tracklist:
1. Slums
2. Turn Me Good
3. Borrowed Time
4. Fela Kuti
5. Warrior
6. Shotta Boys
7. Double Dutch
8. What Happened To Love
9. Carry On
10. Concrete Rose
11. Trapicabana
12. Thank God For The Culture
