Wyclef Jean is dropping a new album.
The Haitian singer is looking set to drop new music as he follows up his last album, 2019’s Wyclef Goes Back to School Volume 1. The new album is going to be called 2097, and he revealed in a recent interview with HipHopDX that the first single from the album, also called 2097, should drop in the next couple of weeks.
He added that he wanted to take fans back with him to “AfriCali.”
“This is four years before the Fugees, so the first song I ever put out were the house music records. It was a house song because back then, we used to dance a lot and we loved house music because of how it made people feel in the clubs,” he added.
The confirmation came as the publication interviewed him in New Orleans yesterday, July 1, before his set at the 2022 Essence Festival. A set that he also revealed would be historical, and he came good on that claim as he also brought Lauryn Hill on stage.
The two veterans, who rocked the 90s with their own brand of hip-hop, did a live rendition of “Killing Me Softly” from the group’s critically acclaimed sophomore album, The Score. They also had fans dancing to other classics like “Ready Or Not,” “How Many Mics,” and “Fu-Gee-La.”
It was truly an iconic moment for fans who probably never thought they would ever see the two back together on stage following their nasty and public fallout after The Score. At that time, the entire Fugees trio broke up and Wyclef and Hill admitted to having an affair while he was married to designer Marie Claudinette.
Since then, the Fugees have never been on stage together again and even their planned The Scores’ 25th-anniversary reunion tour was canceled last year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Before the concert was canceled, Hill explained that the Fugees had a complex relationship and that they had decided to honor the significant project, its 25th anniversary, and the fans who appreciated the music by creating a peaceful platform where they could unite.
Wyclef is very optimistic about the upcoming album as he also said during the interview. “All I can do is tell you I was very inspired and y’all know my music is all about the journey,” he said. “So, get ready, because we got 2097. Prince had ‘1999,’ right? We have 2097.”
Wyclef is looking forward to his reemergence on the scene and also revealed that he is excited to perform at the forthcoming The Big Easy’s Toulouse Theatre as he gives fans a reimagining of his debut solo album. The show will be called Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival.
The Carnival was released in June 1997 and was a significant hit for the Haitian-born artist. It opened many rap fans’ eyes to the diverse culture that permeates hip-hop culture as it blended different languages and a spectrum of genres, including reggae, disco, soul, and kompa.
It received high praise from critics and went on to peak at No. 16 on the Billboard 200. Not only that, but it gave him three Grammy nominations and has since been certified 2x-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
