menu_open Columnists
We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Wyclef Jean Calls This Surprising Non-Musical Endeavor ‘The Greatest Legacy of My Entire Life’

9 0
08.05.2026

Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

Wyclef Jean Calls This Surprising Non-Musical Endeavor ‘The Greatest Legacy of My Entire Life’

Wyclef Jean had plans to run for president of Haiti in 2010, but his dreams were ultimately dashed.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

In January 2010, Haiti was hit by a catastrophic earthquake, leaving behind devastation and death on a scale that’s difficult to grasp to this day. It remains the deadliest natural disaster to affect a single country in the 21st century. This disaster directly led Wyclef Jean, rapper and Fugees co-founder, to plan a bid for presidential candidacy in Haiti that year.

However, despite an eccentric campaign plan, he never made it to the ballot. Haiti’s election officials ultimately rejected his bid in August 2010. While he expressed disappointment when speaking to The Guardian that December, he was also confident that he would have won if allowed on the ballot.

“If by any remote chance they had let me pass, I would have won the elections,” he said at the time. Jean’s campaign caught attention not just in Haiti, but internationally as........

© Vice