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.
Hollywood Meets Bollywood
Wyclef Jean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wanna welcome y'all to Egypt, the land of the pyramids, yeah
We got the UK in the house, U.S., India
Jerusalem, people in Israel, shalom!
In the New Jerusalem, Jersey, ya heard me
China, Africa, South America
My people in Russia, I see y'all in Brooklyn
Canada, Asia, okay, let's go - yeah
Get ready India, I'm coming!
Wyclef, Chamillionaire, talk to them
[Chorus: Wyclef (Chamillionaire)]
Bounce (when you hear the sound of them si-rens)
Bounce (when they pull them guns cause they fi-ring)
Whoahhhh, mucho trabajo
Poquito di-ne-ro, I can't take this no more
I've got to BOUNCE! Ah-ma-na-mahh, na-ma-na-mahh-ya-lalee
(When you're on the run you'll get numb see)
Whoahhhh, let me help you a-mi-go
Hollywood meet Bollywood and Brooklyn on the drums
[Wyclef Jean]
Marco Polo was an immigrant (yes he was)
Columbus was an immigrant (yes he was)
Even America was named after an immigrant...
Yes he was!
People in the East (right here)
People in the West (right here)
People in the North (right here)
Let me tell you 'bout the South
Harriet Tubman, Underground, Underground Railroad
ReFugees, in de seas, see them in they sailboats
I got love for Miami all day
But if my Cubans get to stay, why y'all turn my Haitians away?
Immigration knockin at my do'
I don't know what they knockin fo'
It's so hard to live as illegal aliens
Talk to 'em!
Ladies and gents, Bollywood meet Hollywood
You in the middle
Back to Cairo
[Chorus: Wyclef (Chamillionaire)]
Bounce (when you hear the sound of them si-rens)
Bounce (when they pull them guns cause they fi-ring)
Whoahhhh, mucho trabajo
Poquito di-ne-ro, I can't take this no more
I've got to BOUNCE! Ah-ma-na-mahh, na-ma-na-mahh-ya-lalee
(When you're on the run you'll get numb see)
Whoahhhh, let me help you a-mi-go
Hollywood meet Bollywood, Chamillionaire Texas go
[Chamillionaire]
Partner named True, did you say he was next?
Tell him let's better, rally aimin to get
No green card but he made it to Tex-as
Yes, they evadin arrest
You need one he can get you three
Never gettin caught was his specialty
Livin life like he was a ReFugee
Didn't like him, give a F-U-C
K, ay man he had to chase it
Clock kept tickin so he had to race it
Had to make it, back to basics
Followin the law, naw, had to break it
Can't get a job, no applications
Need money now, no havin patience
Now they got him runnin in faster paces
You lookin through the water - hey, that's The Matrix
[Wyclef]
Immigration knockin at my do'
I don't know what they knockin fo'
It's so hard to live as illegal aliens
[Chorus: Wyclef (Chamillionaire)]
Bounce (when you hear the sound of them si-rens)
Bounce (when they pull them guns cause they fi-ring)
Whoahhhh, mucho trabajo
Poquito di-ne-ro, I can't take this no more
I've got to BOUNCE! Ah-ma-na-mahh, na-ma-na-mahh-ya-lalee
(When you're on the run you'll get numb see)
Whoahhhh, let me help you a-mi-go
Hollywood meet Bollywood and Brooklyn on the drums
[Wyclef Jean]
Ladies and gentlemen, straight from Bombay
You experiencin the great composer Ab'dish
When Wyclef show up for the first time
Bollywood meet Hollywood
Over 250 violins, let's go Haiti!
We everywhere, geyeah
Carribeans stand up, bring me my elephant~!
You wanna hear me speak Punjabi, okay
(Punjabi) Okay (Punjabi) What's next?
(Punjabi) Okay (Punjabi) Okay
(Punjabi) Okay (Punjabi) Yeah
(Punjabi)
The lyrics of Wyclef Jean's Hollywood Meets Bollywood song express the unity and diversity of cultures around the world. Wyclef mentions different places such as Egypt, the UK, the US, Israel, Russia, Africa, South America, Canada, and Asia. He also references historical figures such as Marco Polo and Columbus as immigrants. He goes on to highlight the plight of immigrants and the difficulties of living as an illegal alien. The chorus talks about Bouncing when you hear the sound of the police sirens and when they pull them guns because they are firing.
The song is a fusion of different musical genres such as hip-hop, R&B and Bollywood music. The lyrics and the music video create a positive, party atmosphere that celebrates cultural exchange and diversity. The music video includes dancers and musicians from both Hollywood and Bollywood and incorporates Indian dance elements like Bhangra and Kathak.
Line by Line Meaning
Good morning America
Greetings to the people of America
I wanna welcome y'all to Egypt, the land of the pyramids, yeah
Welcome everyone to Egypt, the land of the pyramids
We got the UK in the house, U.S., India
We have representatives from the UK, US, and India
Jerusalem, people in Israel, shalom!
Greetings to the people of Jerusalem, Israel
In the New Jerusalem, Jersey, ya heard me
Greetings to the people of New Jerusalem, Jersey
China, Africa, South America
We also have representatives from China, Africa, and South America
My people in Russia, I see y'all in Brooklyn
Greetings to the Russian people, especially those residing in Brooklyn
Canada, Asia, okay, let's go - yeah
We also have representatives from Canada and Asia here with us, and we're ready to proceed
Hollywood to Bollywood
We're bridging the gap between Hollywood and Bollywood
Get ready India, I'm coming!
India, be prepared, as I'm on my way
Wyclef, Chamillionaire, talk to them
Wyclef and Chamillionaire are ready to address the audience
Bounce (when you hear the sound of them si-rens)
Bounce when you hear the sound of sirens
Bounce (when they pull them guns cause they fi-ring)
Bounce when you see them fire their guns
Whoahhhh, mucho trabajo
So much work to do
Poquito di-ne-ro, I can't take this no more
Little money, I can't take it anymore
I've got to BOUNCE! Ah-ma-na-mahh, na-ma-na-mahh-ya-lalee
I have to leave now! Let's go!
(When you're on the run you'll get numb see)
Running makes you feel numb
Whoahhhh, let me help you a-mi-go
Let me assist you, my friend
Hollywood meet Bollywood and Brooklyn on the drums
Hollywood is going to meet Bollywood and Brooklyn on the drums
Marco Polo was an immigrant (yes he was)
Marco Polo was an immigrant, and that's a fact
Columbus was an immigrant (yes he was)
Columbus was also an immigrant
Even America was named after an immigrant...
Yes he was!
America was named after an immigrant, that's true
People in the East (right here)
People in the West (right here)
People in the North (right here)
Let me tell you 'bout the South
We have people from the East, West, and North, and let me now talk about the South
Harriet Tubman, Underground, Underground Railroad
Let's not forget Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
ReFugees, in de seas, see them in they sailboats
Refugees are crossing the sea in sailboats
I got love for Miami all day
I have love for Miami all day
But if my Cubans get to stay, why y'all turn my Haitians away?
Why are my Haitian friends being turned away when Cubans are allowed to stay?
Immigration knockin at my do'
I don't know what they knockin fo'
Immigration is knocking on my door, I don't know what they want
It's so hard to live as illegal aliens
Talk to 'em!
Living as an illegal alien is difficult, let's talk about it
You in the middle
Back to Cairo
India, you're in the middle, let's go back to Cairo
Partners named True, did you say he was next?
You mentioned True was next?
Tell him let's better, rally aimin to get
Let's improve and aim for something better
No green card but he made it to Tex-as
Yes, they evadin arrest
He made it to Texas without a green card, and yes, he's evading arrest
You need one he can get you three
Never gettin caught was his specialty
Livin life like he was a ReFugee
Didn't like him, give a F-U-C
K, ay man he had to chase it
Clock kept tickin so he had to race it
Had to make it, back to basics
Followin the law, naw, had to break it
If you needed one, he can get you three. He never gets caught, it's his specialty. He lived life like a refugee, didn't care if you didn't like it (f$%&k you!). He had to chase after his dreams, and the clock was ticking, so he raced after them. He had to strip things down and start over. He didn't follow the law, but had to break it.
Can't get a job, no applications
Need money now, no havin patience
Now they got him runnin in faster paces
You lookin through the water - hey, that's The Matrix
He can't get a job, no one will even take his applications. He needs money now, he has no patience. Now they have him running at a faster pace. You see him through the water - hey, it's The Matrix
Ladies and gentlemen, straight from Bombay
You experiencin the great composer Ab'dish
When Wyclef show up for the first time
Bollywood meet Hollywood
Ladies and gentlemen, we have the great composer Ab'dish straight from Bombay. And when Wyclef shows up for the first time, Bollywood is going to meet Hollywood
Over 250 violins, let's go Haiti!
We everywhere, geyeah
Carribeans stand up, bring me my elephant~!
Over 250 violins, let's go Haiti! We're everywhere, yeah! The Caribbean people, let's stand up and bring me my elephant!
You wanna hear me speak Punjabi, okay
(Punjabi) Okay (Punjabi) What's next?
(Punjabi) Okay (Punjabi) Okay
(Punjabi) Okay (Punjabi) Yeah
(Punjabi)
You want to hear me speak Punjabi? Okay. What's next? Okay, okay. Yeah, Punjabi.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JERRY DUPLESSIS, MOHAMED ABDEL WAHAB, NEL WYCLEF JEAN, HAKEEM SEDIKI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nima V.
This song is awesome... I love how Wyclef incorporates a little bit of every culture... Indian, Punjabi/Bhangra, Middle Eastern belly dancing, Spanish, a little reggae, rap, hip-hop, etc.... Thanks Wyclef for giving people a taste of Eastern/South Asian flavor!! =)
Aftab Hussain
Wyclef is a diverse and talented artist. How he's incorporated various cultures. Charmillionaire lyrics is a brilliant touch too. I would love to see if there is a video to this track.
sylo diablo
Clef is genius! can literally make music from absolutely anything
Benny Sachdev
i can't wait 4 this song to release. this will b a rave all over india. i was at hard rock cafe in mumbai @ the wyclef jean concert where he performed this song n the crowd went INSANE/MAD!!!!
Vhaegarknaerkegaard
That song just came to my mind today, I loved listen to this while I was like 11-12 year old.
sbarwen
love this mix of different styles of music love the lyrics excellent song
Nightlord
Man what a classic
Madnan
thi is my second favorite song on the album & Wyclef stay doin his thing!Big up to all my caribbean artists & of course I almost forgot,Chamillitary Mayne!
Ashangulit
This song is amazing!! I can't wait her release this song.
Atit Shah
i loveeeeeeeeee this song!!! the violin part is amazing