Wyclef Jean, The Carnival (Columbia)
Like Arto Lindsay, Wyclef Jean is revisiting his roots. The Carnival is a multicultural history of the roots of hip-hop, using the annual Caribbean Carnival as the theme. Haitian-born Wyclef, with the help of Jamaica's I Threes, New Orleans' Neville Brothers, Funkmaster Flex and the Fugees, runs through a blur of hip-hop, roots reggae, gospel & soul-inflected slow jams, a folk ballad and Haitian rara pop song sung in Creole, and a Spanish-sung cover of an old Cuban hit. Plus, a kick-ass cover of the Bee Gees in "We Tryin' To Stay Alive." The video is a must-see, featuring the all-time baddest pimp-strut dance ever (or at least in the 90s) by Refgee Allstar guest Pras Michel, and a "Beat It" inspired street dance/fight with some kung fu thrown in. This album should have dominated hip-hop in '97 the way former Ultramagnetic MC Kool Keith should have in '96 with his one-two knockouts Ecologyst (under his pseudonym Dr. Octagon) and on his indie Funky Ass Records label, Sex Style. It's a safe bet we can depend on Kool Keith, Wyclef Jean and the Refugee Allstars (an album by Fugees' Lauryn Hill is expected soon) to push the envelope in hip-hop when everyone else is letting the genre down.
