Event Review: Wyclef Jean Spectacularly Draws The Curtain On Bank Holiday Weekend

Wyclef Jean provided a pretty special nightcap to Carnival Sunday for his first solo UK show in 15 years. The support DJ provided a lulled energy that gently eased everyone round from spending the day on the streets of Notting Hill, before Wyclef opened with the sombre ‘If I Were President’; a tune that was released alongside his 2010 attempt to run for Haitian office. Wyclef then went straight into ‘No Woman No Cry’ with an eruption of cheers from the crowd as the first few chords were played. Firstly, he adopted a stylistic perspective much closer to the original, before wheeling it up and playing the R&B version he is known for. His gruff vocals outperformed the recorded version and drove the tune well.  

We then got a freestyle over a stripped-back UK drill beat with the Haitian shouting out the likes of Cench, Dave, and Stormzy alongside Jay Z. He seemed to be highlighting the transatlantic commonalities between the UK and US, a cousinship that is slowly getting less and less one-sided musically. After this he did a version of Diallo with more pronounced low frequencies which he gave an impassioned performance of whilst, at times, spitting in Creole. We then were treated to a two-person percussion interlude and then a beautiful duet for ‘Two Wrongs’ and as well as ‘Gone Till November’, which drew a lot of phones to the air.

He then bizarrely played some Whitney Houston and Kenny Rodgers dubplates followed by a cover of Santana’s ‘Maria Maria’, complete with Hendrix-style teeth guitar solo. Wyclef then displayed his commercial songwriting prowess with the double header of ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ and ‘Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)’ before premiering an unreleased tune ‘Back from Abu Dhabi’ supposedly featuring French Montana and Rick Ross. The new release sounded fresh – an organic boom-bap beat underpinned some vocal chopping with what sounded like great verses from all involved. 

At the time, it seemed the energetic peak had been reached with ‘Carnival’, but the real highlight came at the end. There had suspiciously been no Fugees songs thus far, and for good reason as the Lauryn Hill emerged for the last four songs: ‘How Many Mics’, ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song’, ‘Ready Or Not’, and ‘Fu-Gee-La’. 

This was astounding in light of Wyclef and Pras’ public slating of Hill previously and the failed US Fugees reunion tour. But the synergy between the two, and Lauryn’s mind-blowing stage presence and vocals was more than enough to display that the Fugees need to return again. This reunion was something you felt honoured to be in the presence of. 

Saying that, Wyclef was mesmerizing even without Lauryn. What was striking on the night and is possibly the overarching notion of his musical career, is the permeation and cultural dialogue between the circum-Caribbean and the diaspora at large. We get treated kaleidoscopically to the polished pop-rap of the 2000s, nostalgic R&B, UK drill beats, exuberant dancehall, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and squealing guitar solos. It paralleled the rich and complex cultures of the Caribbean that Notting Hill Carnival celebrates, and Wyclef’s set was a perfect complement to it.

Words by Charlie Edmondson