Wyclef Jean (born October 17, 1972 in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haïti) is an Amer… Read Full Bio ↴Wyclef Jean (born October 17, 1972 in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haïti) is an American rapper, producer, and member of the superstar hip hop trio The Fugees, known now for a series of high-profile hit singles.

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.

Industry
Wyclef Jean Lyrics

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Yeah I wanna dedicate this to everybody that love hip hop music
Cause without hip hop music I wouldn't be here today
Preacher's son, yeah

Imagine if biggie and pac never got shot
And they both still were rulers of hip hop
And puffy and suge was roomates from college
And big l never got found in the alley

Nas and jay-z they were still homies
Squash the beef with ja rule and 50
Benzino shook hands with eminem
And on the same record I heard eve, fox and kim
And sometimes when I dream, that's when I wake up
I kinda hoped that the fugees didn't break up
And when they walked into the studio I prayed they didn't spray
Cause I miss that scratch from jam master jay (whoa oh oh!!!)

Shots go off, mother's cry
Death since rise, homicide
Black on black crime needs to stop
Y'all can't blame it on hip hop
Cause what we say is what we see
What we see is reality
The ghetto's the ghetto you got them livin in sorrow
Soon they won't live to see tomorrow

Imagine if big pun was still alive
I could see fat joe screamin terror squad
Imagine if there were still four survivors still in destiny's child
And tlc never lost they left eye
Imagine refugees never needin a passport
And john forte never at newark airport
Million man march, man, that was a start
Now I need a million more to meet me at central park
When the revolution start y'all 'gon have to play this
Imagine slick rick not gettin deported (whoa oh oh!)

Shots go off, mother's cry
Death since rise, homicide
Black on black crime needs to stop
Y'all can't blame it on hip hop
Cause what we say is what we see
What we see is reality
The ghetto's the ghetto you got them livin in sorrow
Soon they won't live to see tomorrow

In the club never though shyne shot the gun
But in the limosine jlo had to run
Paparazzi snappin shots through the mirror
That's when I saw a smile from princess diana
Back and forth and forth and back
Like miss aaliyah man do I miss her
The war goes on with the roc and the lox
Murder inc, g- unit it's a fight to the top
Stop! we lost too many soldiers like freaky tah
While they get the cover of a magazine who got to die

Shots go off, mother's cry
Death since rise, homicide
Black on black crime needs to stop
Y'all can't blame it on hip hop
Cause what we say is what we see
What we see is reality
The ghetto's the ghetto you got them livin in sorrow
Soon they won't live to see tomorrow

Yeah, peace be with y'all

Overall Meaning

The song "Industry" by Wyclef Jean is a tribute to hip hop and the influential figures who have shaped the genre. As a preacher's son, Wyclef recognizes the power of music and its impact on people's lives. The song imagines a world in which legendary hip hop figures like Biggie, Pac, Nas, and Jay-Z are still alive and collaborating, and hip hop feuds are a thing of the past. Wyclef also reflects on the violence and crime that is prevalent in the ghetto and how it affects the lives of its inhabitants. The lyrics call for an end to black on black crime while rejecting the notion that hip hop is to blame for the violence.

The song highlights the importance of unity and peace. Wyclef wants to see more collaboration within the hip hop industry and a sense of brotherhood among its members. He also acknowledges the loss of influential figures who were taken too soon, such as Jam Master Jay, Aaliyah, and Princess Diana. Through his lyrics, Wyclef shows a deep understanding of the power and influence that music has on society.

Line by Line Meaning

Yeah I wanna dedicate this to everybody that love hip hop music
This song is dedicated to all the people who love hip hop music.

Cause without hip hop music I wouldn't be here today
Hip hop music has had a profound impact on my life and without it, I wouldn't be where I am today.

Preacher's son, yeah
I am the son of a preacher and have a deep appreciation for music.

Imagine if biggie and pac never got shot
What if Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur had not been killed?

And they both still were rulers of hip hop
What if Biggie and Tupac were still at the top of the hip hop game?

And puffy and suge was roomates from college
What if Sean "Puffy" Combs and Suge Knight had been college roommates?

And big l never got found in the alley
What if Big L had never been killed in the tragic incident in the alley?

Nas and jay-z they were still homies
What if Nas and Jay-Z were still close friends?

Squash the beef with ja rule and 50
What if Ja Rule and 50 Cent had resolved their issues?

Benzino shook hands with eminem
What if Benzino had made peace with Eminem?

And on the same record I heard eve, fox and kim
What if Eve, Foxy Brown, and Lil' Kim had collaborated on a song together?

And sometimes when I dream, that's when I wake up
Sometimes when I dream about what could have been, it's a harsh reminder of reality.

I kinda hoped that the fugees didn't break up
I wish The Fugees had not disbanded.

And when they walked into the studio I prayed they didn't spray
I was anxious that The Fugees would argue or fight while recording in the studio.

Cause I miss that scratch from jam master jay (whoa oh oh!!!)
I miss the sound of Jam Master Jay's turntable scratches.

Shots go off, mother's cry
Gunshots ring out and mothers are left weeping.

Death since rise, homicide
There has been an increase in deaths and homicides.

Black on black crime needs to stop
There is a problem with black on black crime that must be addressed.

Y'all can't blame it on hip hop
Hip hop music is not to blame for the violence and crime that is happening.

Cause what we say is what we see
The things we say and write about in our music are often reflections of what we see in our communities.

What we see is reality
The things we see around us in our communities are a reflection of reality.

The ghetto's the ghetto you got them livin in sorrow
People in the ghetto are forced to live in a state of sorrow and despair.

Soon they won't live to see tomorrow
If the violence and crime in the ghetto continue, people won't live to see another day.

Imagine if big pun was still alive
What if Big Pun had not died?

I could see fat joe screamin terror squad
Fat Joe would still be leading Terror Squad.

Imagine if there were still four survivors still in destiny's child
What if Destiny's Child still had all four members?

And tlc never lost they left eye
What if Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes had not died?

Imagine refugees never needin a passport
What if refugees didn't need a passport to flee their country?

And john forte never at newark airport
What if John Forte had not been arrested at Newark Airport?

Million man march, man, that was a start
The Million Man March was a good start to change things.

Now I need a million more to meet me at central park
I need a million more people to join me in this fight at Central Park.

When the revolution start y'all 'gon have to play this
When the revolution starts, this song will have to be played.

Imagine slick rick not gettin deported (whoa oh oh!)
What if Slick Rick had not been deported?

In the club never though shyne shot the gun
When we were in the club, we never thought that Shyne would shoot the gun.

But in the limosine jlo had to run
But when they were in the limo, Jennifer Lopez had to run for her life.

Paparazzi snappin shots through the mirror
The paparazzi were taking pictures of the scene through the mirror.

That's when I saw a smile from princess diana
That's when I saw a smile from Princess Diana.

Back and forth and forth and back
There is a lot of conflict and tension between different groups.

Like miss aaliyah man do I miss her
I really miss Aaliyah.

The war goes on with the roc and the lox
The war between Roc-A-Fella Records and The LOX continues.

Murder inc, g- unit it's a fight to the top
Murder Inc and G-Unit are fighting for dominance in the music industry.

Stop! we lost too many soldiers like freaky tah
We have lost too many people like Freaky Tah.

While they get the cover of a magazine who got to die
While some people get magazine covers, others are dying.