Mercedes G500

If you do not know the name, Wyclef Jean (something you don't want to admit to your friends), then probably you don't follow the music scene intently. He is only one of the top musicians as well as producers in the music industry today. Always on the move, literally and figuratively, he has signed two new groups (City High and the Prodigy & B off the popular Santana album from last summer) to his own label. Not bad for a cat originally from Haiti who moved to the U.S. with his family, settling into the Marlboro Projects on Coney Island.

At that time hip-hop was in its infancy, but you could get a hint of the things to come from the sounds blaring from boom boxes and cars with bone-shaking sound systems. Music was everywhere and Wyclef wanted to be a part of that.

One way to be closer to his passion was to upgrade the audio setup in his first car, an old school '64 Chevy lowrider type (that is, in terms of style, not with the hydraulics, etc.). He remembers his first head unit being a Sony. Growing up with a love of music and having "studio ears" (something we hope to gain more insight on later when we go back to visit him in the studio) Wyclef always liked to hear the full spectrum of the music, no matter the volume; that explains his careful manipulation of EQ controls to get what he calls the "bulletproof system," or the desired clean sound quality. <

Obviously the '64 Chevy isn't Wyclef's main ride anymore. The Mercedes V8 V500 seen here was imported from Germany as a birthday gift from Jerry Wonder (Wyclef's Gemini twin). With the idea of building the MadMax of media systems Wyclef took the vehicle to Will of Unique Autosports (UA) in Uniondale, New York. In the photos you can see there is a satellite bubble on the roof. It's the first we have seen on an SUV. This is a custom-built satellite system by UA and it's not there just for display purposes. Working in the music industry Wyclef spends a lot of his time on the road; with the mobile satellite TV system, he can make sure his groups are getting their proper "spins" or airplay, for instance on BET and MTV. He also has a portable Sony DAT player. And that's because DAT is still the standard format in studio recording -- remember the Alpine car audio DAT player from the late eighties? The portable player allows him to reference new tracks outside the studio and to work on equalization.

Part of the reason why Wyclef is a success has to do with his keeping his ear to the ground, so to speak; as he told us, the streets tell you the truth. In keeping with that he never moved his studio, Bugga' Basement, out of the "hood," and still feeds off the energy of the streets. The studio is right there in East Orange where the Fugee's first album, "The Score" came together. Wyclef takes mixes from the studio and demos new tracks on the DAT, with the use of a bank of MB Quart separates on the back door as reference, listening along with a small group of street critics. They know when "Clef hits the block" when the JL subs start thumping. The street critics gather around and have no compunction about sharing their opinions.

The Alpine mobile video player in the V500 is also for his work; he uses it for viewing rough cuts (un-edited footage) of a group's music video. This way he can make creative directions on the fly, or en-route. About the only thing that isn't essential producer gear would be the Sony PlayStation game console. But that doesn't mean it's absolutely necessary.

When asked what music he is listening to, he informs us MOP is in the CD player right now. He is into the older hip hop stuff, too, like Evil D, Buck Shot Shorty, Smif'n'Wession, and early Digital Underground when Tupac was carrying the record crates and had one verse. And his most classic hip hop vinyl is the battle between Busy B vs. Cool Moe Dee. If you don't know these guys, don't ask, do your history lessons.

His true love is DJ'ing with his Jamaican sound system called "Refugee Assassins." He's into the true Jamaican scene and has competed there. It started in Jamaica and England, where DJ'ing is more than just technique and having the latest records, but rather having exclusive dub plates or one-off vinyl records exclusive for DJs. Wyclef's exclusive dub plate collection that won him first place this past year in Jamaica are from such artists as Bennie Man, King Yellow Man, Whitney Huston, Kenny Rogers, Little Kim and MOP. It's this eclectic collection and his sense of timing (to drop such records on a crowd at the right time) that makes up part of the true science of being a DJ. Maybe Wyclef's skills in that arena probably has something to do with his keen studio ears which probably helps him to monitor the crowd, as well as the sounds.

When asked how he is going to top this vehicle, Wyclef said it's not about topping the car, but about building the collection, much like collecting records for a DJ. He likes his 1958 Cadillac with the shark fins, and the 1991 Bentley Continental Corniche, of which there are only 13 in the world. It's all about the rarity of the car, about being unique. It's fitting that Wyclef went to UA for the multimedia install on the V500. As for future goals: within ten years, Wyclef wants to host the "Wyclef Pebble Beach Classic" or the "Wyclef Hampton Classic" car show. An event couldn't have a better producer behind it.