(AllHipHop News) Wyclef Jean is getting ready to return to music with his first album in 7 years. Carnival III: Road to Clefication is expected to arrive sometime this year.
But what exactly is the 46-year-old former Fugees member hoping to achieve with his latest collection? Wyclef spoke to Billboard, and the 3-time Grammy winner is looking to inspire the current generation of artists and start a dialogue with their followers.
“When people like us from the ’90s decide that we’re gonna come back, we have to be like, ‘You don’t have to change who you are – you can still be you,'” explained Wyclef. “Like on ‘Hendrix,’ dudes like yo, he trappin’ on guitar, Clef sounds like Future with no Auto-Tune or it’s like Future sounds like Clef with Auto-Tune. It opens the conversation for the kids.”
The interview also included Clef discussing his music being a reflection of current events such as the mass shootings that have taken place in America. He shared his thoughts on the call for more gun control legislation in the wake of the recent massacre in Orlando.
“I understand gun control is very important but at the same time, it scares me because I think the mercenaries already have the guns and that they hide them in their basements somewhere,” said Wyclef. “I see so many cowardly acts where so many innocent people are constantly caught out there with no firearms or no nothing. That makes me emotional because what happens if I’m in my crib and somebody just popped up on me, which these days is the number one possibility.”
Another topic concerning the ongoing political conversation in this country came up as well – Donald Trump. Wyclef made it clear he is not a supporter of the presumptive Republican nominee for president.
“The reason the United States of America, the land of immigrants, is so special is because it takes all of us together and we become America,” Clef stated. “Everyone can see at this point that Trump is just an egomaniac. We definitely gotta make sure that we vote.”
Watch Wyclef Jean’s lyric video for “Hendrix” below.