Wyclef Jean took over 42nd Street in Times Square last night (June 19th.)
The rapper-songwriter-producer brought “The Carnival” at B.B. Kings, giving a lively performance with a little help from a lot of his friends. With DJ Self getting the crowd warmed up, and Clef’s protege Jarina De Marco opening things with her effervescent Latin pop, Jean took the stage armed with his AK-47 guitar, his recent mixtape “April Showers,” a back catalog of beloved hits and a cadre of special guests.
Running through favorites like “Gone Til November,” “We’re Trying To Stay Alive,” “9-1-1,” and a few Fugees cuts like “Ready Or Not,” Clef eventually dismissed doing any more golden oldies. “You can buy my old records,” he said, before devoting most of the night to his “April Showers” mixtape and the newcomers that assisted him on the record. Singers Angelica Salem and Hannah Eggen, as well as rappers Troy Ave, Uncle Murda and Waka Flocka Flame all made appearances to perform tracks from the project.
Clef had the audience in the palm of his hands all night–performing onstage, in the crowd, on tables and everywhere in-between. He had visits from everyone from Prodigy of Mobb Deep to boxer Zab Judah to the Haitian National Soccer Team.
It’s a testament to the respect and success that Jean has garnered as an artist and a philanthropist over the years that such a wide variety of fans and artists all shared in the experience on a warm night at B.B. Kings in Manhattan.
Click for more photos of the show
