Jean moved to Brooklyn, New York when he was nine, then to Northern New Jersey, where he began playing the guitar and studying jazz in his high school. In 1987, Jean, his friend (so close they told people they were cousins growing up) Prakazrel Michel (Pras) and his classmate, Lauryn Hill, formed a group called the Tranzlator Crew before becoming The Fugees. Wyclef worked as a cabdriver.
Recently he has been finding success as a collaborator - with his turn on Shakira's 2006 track 'Hips Don't Lie' hitting number one in many countries around the world.
In August of 2010, Jean announced his intent to seek the presidency of Haiti. This move came after his increasingly-high profile humanitarian work in the wake of the earthquake that devastated that nation.
Class Reunion
Wyclef Jean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Monica you ready, oh yeah
Man she look so good
Rolling through the hood
God bless the dead (bless the dead)
Jerry Wonder knock on wood
She was a ghetto queen, yeah
Night I heard her scream
Similar to a nightmare dream, oh yeah (oh)
She was rock, she was pop
She was hip, she was hot
She was too fly for the block
It was her time, her time
So much dope on the streets
That I'm praying for peace
But the poor gotta eat
Talking bout my time
Everybody say it's my time, oh yeah
Baby girl, the world is yours, just look through
That open door, I'll be there for you
If you ever feeling blue (oh), it's a beautiful world
Baby boy, the world is yours, when you're sad
I'll be your joy, I'm still your friend
And I'm a love you till the end
Said he looks so real
When he was running on the football field
I love the cheerleader scream his name
Even in B-ball he had game
But didn't show up at the class reunion
And when I asked one of my girls what happened
That's when they told me he got life in prison
Caught up in the system
Trying to be a kingpin
The story never ever ends
He was rock, he was pop
He was hip, he was hop
He was too fly for the block
It was his time, it was his time (oh why, oh why, oh why)
So much dope on the streets
And I'm praying for peace
But the poor gotta eat
Talking bout my time, my time
Everybody say my time, oh
Baby boy, the world is yours, when you're sad
I'll be your joy, I'm still your friend
And I'm a love you till the end (it's a beautiful world)
Baby girl, the world is yours, just look through
That open door, I'll be there for you
If you ever feeling blue (oh), it's a beautiful world
And I don't know much about English class
Math I didn't pass
Biology and chemistry
Was all a dream to me
I patiently wait for the bell
So I can see you after class
But now it's all in my pass
She was rock, she was pop
She was hip, she was hot
She was too fly for the block
It was her time, her time
So much dope on the streets
That I'm praying for peace
But the poor gotta eat
Talking bout my time
Everybody say it's my time, oh yeah
Baby girl, the world is yours, just look through
That open door, I'll be there for you
If you ever feeling blue it's a beautiful world
Baby boy, the world is yours, when you're sad
I'll be your joy, I'm still your friend
And I'm a love you till the end
Baby girl, the world is yours, just look through
That open door, I'll be there for you
If you ever feeling blue it's a beautiful world
Baby boy, the world is yours, when you're sad
I'll be your joy, I'm still your friend
And I'm a love you till the end
She was rock, she was pop
She was hip, she was hop
She was too fly for the block
It was her time, her time
It was her time, her time (let's go)
This is the class reunion
Reminisce on the high school days
The song "Class Reunion" by Wyclef Jean is a reflection on the aftermath of high school life of his friends growing up in the ghetto. The song talks mainly about two people: a girl named Mo from Atlanta and a boy who was a football and basketball player. Wyclef begins the song describing Mo as a ghetto queen who turned into a fiend. He then reminisces about how she used to be a versatile person, trying her hand at different music genres – rock, pop, hip, and hop. The song also talks about the boy who was a star athlete in football and basketball but chose a different path and ended up in prison. Throughout the song, Wyclef repeatedly emphasizes how much he cares for them both and how he will always be there for them as he sings about how the world belongs to them, regardless of their current struggles.
In the first verse, Wyclef highlights Mo's transformation from a ghetto queen to a fiend. The verse may be a sad reflection of how some of the people they grew up with got sucked into the bad side of society. Wyclef then sings about the street violence that plagues their community, hoping for peace. In the second verse, Wyclef mentions the boy who was a star athlete but is currently in prison, a familiar story to those who grew up in low-income areas. Wyclef emphasizes that the boy was too fly for the block, meaning he had too much potential to be stuck in the ghetto for life.
One interesting fact about Class Reunion is that it has an old-school R&B vibe which was a 90s trend among hip-hop artists. The song's music video was set in a classroom and featured a number of Wyclef Jean's friends and family. The music video also features a cameo from DJ Khaled, who was not yet a household name at the time. The song was released in 2003 as part of Wyclef's The Preacher's Son album. The Preacher's Son album was built around the storyline of a child growing up in a Pentecostal family in Haiti.
Another interesting fact is that Wyclef's smooth flow and powerful delivery gives the song a personal touch. The song features a haunting melody that perfectly matches the introspective nature of the lyrics. In the lyrics, Wyclef imagines the different paths life could have taken for Mo and the former football player. Class Reunion provides a poignant social commentary on the difficulties that some people from low-income communities face in life.
In conclusion, Class Reunion is a profound song that takes an honest look into the lives of people who grow up in impoverished areas. It is a reflection on the joys, struggles, and losses that come with moving on from high school life. The track provides a uniquely honest and sometimes painful glimpse into the life of underprivileged youth.
Chords: unavailable.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a class reunion, your girl Mo from the ATL (oh yeah)
Greetings to my high school friends, I see that Monica from Atlanta is present
Monica you ready, oh yeah
Are you ready to have fun, Monica?
Man she look so good
She looks amazing
Rolling through the hood
Cruising through the neighborhood
God bless the dead (bless the dead)
May God rest the souls of the deceased
Jerry Wonder knock on wood
Jerry Wonder, please knock on wood to avoid bad luck
She was a ghetto queen, yeah
She used to be a queen in the ghetto
Turned into a fiend, yeah
But she ended up becoming addicted to drugs
Night I heard her scream
One night I heard her scream
Similar to a nightmare dream, oh yeah (oh)
Like a bad dream or a nightmare
She was rock, she was pop
She was versatile in different music genres
She was hip, she was hot
She was also trendy and popular
She was too fly for the block
She was too cool for the neighborhood
It was her time, her time
It was her time to shine
So much dope on the streets
There are a lot of drugs being sold on the streets
That I'm praying for peace
I hope for peace despite the drug problems
But the poor gotta eat
But unfortunately, the poor have to sell drugs to survive
Talking bout my time
I'm talking about my own experience
Everybody say it's my time, oh yeah
Everyone says that it's my turn to succeed
Baby girl, the world is yours, just look through
That open door, I'll be there for you
If you ever feeling blue (oh), it's a beautiful world
Girl, you can achieve anything in life. Just take a look through that open door of opportunities. I will always be there to support you, and don't worry if you're feeling sad, life is still beautiful
Baby boy, the world is yours, when you're sad
I'll be your joy, I'm still your friend
And I'm a love you till the end
Boy, you can also achieve anything in life. If you're feeling down, I'll be your happiness, and I'll always be your true friend. I will love you forever.
Said he looks so real
When he was running on the football field
I love the cheerleader scream his name
Even in B-ball he had game
But didn't show up at the class reunion
And when I asked one of my girls what happened
That's when they told me he got life in prison
Caught up in the system
Trying to be a kingpin
The story never ever ends
There was a guy in our school who was great at sports, especially football and basketball. However, he didn't attend the school reunion. After inquiring about him, I found out that he's serving a life sentence after getting caught up in the criminal system, trying to become a drug lord. It's a sad story that repeats itself all too often.
It was his time, it was his time (oh why, oh why, oh why)
It was his expected time to succeed, but unfortunately, he fell into the wrong path
Baby boy, the world is yours, when you're sad
I'll be your joy, I'm still your friend
And I'm a love you till the end (it's a beautiful world)
Even if you make mistakes or face hardships in life, boy, you can still succeed, and I will always be there as a reason to smile and a friend. I will always support you.
And I don't know much about English class
Math I didn't pass
Biology and chemistry
Was all a dream to me
To be honest, I'm not the best with language Arts or Mathematics. Biology and Chemistry I only dreamt of mastering
I patiently wait for the bell
So I can see you after class
But now it's all in my pass
I used to wait for the bell to ring after lessons so I could see someone special but now those times are long gone
It was her time, her time (let's go)
This is the class reunion
Reminisce on the high school days
It was her epoch of glory, this is the class reunion, let's go! Let's remember the enjoyable times of our high school days.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DEVON GARNETT, JERRY DUPLESSIS, LATAVIA CHUFON PARKER, WYCLEF JEAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind