(AllHipHop News) Wyclef Jean’s efforts to help his native Haiti will get an added boost this week when the rapper/producer takes the stage for the Hope for Haiti Now global telethon.
Jean will be among an all-star line-up of performers for the two-hour televised event, which will take place Friday (January 22) in New York City, Los Angeles and London.
Joining the former Fugees member in New York City will be Mary J. Blige, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Shakira and Sting.
R&B songbird Alicia Keys will perform in Los Angeles, along with Christina Aguilera, John Legend, Dave Matthews, Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift.
A group performance featuring Kid Rock, Keith Urban and Sheryl Crow is also slated for the West Coast leg of Hope for Haiti Now.
Rap mogul Jay-Z will hit the stage with U2’s Bono and The Edge and Rihanna for a group performance at the telethon’s London location. Pop/rock collective Coldplay will also perform in London for the event, which will feature testimonials from various entertainers who will be on hand to answer phones.
The Hope for Haiti telethon is the latest in a continuous stream of aid that has arrived in the aftermath of the 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12.
At least 200,000 are feared dead in the country, which was rocked by a 6.1 aftershock this morning (January 20), causing further destruction and hampering aid efforts.
Speaking with CNN, the country’s Prime Minister, Jean-Max Bellerive, said that at least 72,000 bodies had been recovered. The figure does not include the unknown number of bodies buried by families or collected by the United Nation’s peacekeeping mission in Haiti.
The U.N. estimated that 3 million people were in need of food, water, shelter and medical assistance. Despite relief efforts, frustration has surfaced among victims as incidents of violence and looting have been reported.
More help is on the way, said U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who revealed that the United Nations Security Council approved sending an additional 2,000 soldiers and 1,500 police officers to Haiti.
The Hope for Haiti telethon is expected to attract a large viewing audience as the event will air at 8 p.m. ET/PT and 7 p.m. CT Friday on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1, and CMT. Other channels slated to carry the telethon include PBS, TNT, Showtime, Comedy Central, Bravo, E! Entertainment, National Geographic Channel, Oxygen, G4, CENTRIC, Current TV, Fuse, MLB Network, EPIX, Palladia, SoapNet, Style, Discovery Health and Planet Green as well as Canadian networks CBC Television, CTV, Global Television, and MuchMusic.
Beginning Saturday (January 23), all musical performances from Hope for Haiti Now will be available for purchase for 99 cents per song through the Apple® iTunes® Store.
Proceeds from the song purchases will benefit Haiti relief funds managed by “Hope for Haiti Now” charities.
