Wyclef Jean with Pantonic Steel Orchestra

Hip-hop recording superstar Wyclef Jean recently joined New York's Pantonic Steel Orchestra in their Brooklyn practice facility known as the "pan yard."  The two musical giants came together as part of Wyclef's preparation for his upcoming release entitled The Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant.  Pantonic, renowned throughout the steelband music community, is currently in the midst of preparing for the upcoming annual steelband music competition.  Known as 'Panorama', the competition is the most prestigious and largest of its kind in North America.  Pantonic is looking forward to capturing what would be their sixth title in eight years.  The orchestra provided an authentic musical and visual component for the videographers and photographers present, and was a backdrop for Wyclef.

Wyclef Jean is one of the most important personalities in the world in hip-hop music.  The Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant has a Fall 2007 release timeframe and will be on the Sony label.  This will be Wyclef's sixth solo CD release.  Guest artists on this project include T.I., Chamillionaire, Paul Simon, Akon and Mary J. Blige.

The coming together of Wyclef and Pantonic showcases the growing acceptance, awareness, popularity and the role of steelbands with the youth, and within the global urban music culture.  The rising popularity of the steelpan music phenomenon is a direct result of the youth movement in pan music, which continues to birth generations of players who are equally comfortable listening to hip-hop, as they are to the native music of their immigrant parents.

The Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant is considered a sequel to Wyclef's 1997 solo debut "The Carnival".

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