Five Questions with Wyclef Jean

NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Five Questions With …" runs every Tuesday. We talk to key figures and ask them questions to gain insight into their lives, careers and the latest news.
The latest edition features singer/songwriter, Newark, New Jersey-raised, and New Jersey Devils fan Wyclef Jean:

NEWARK, N.J. -- Wyclef Jean, a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, is inspired by the growth of hockey fueled by the New Jersey Devils in the city he calls home.
Jean was born in Haiti, raised in Newark after immigrating to the United States when he was 9 years old and now lives in Bergen County, New Jersey. He returned to the area and Prudential Center in celebration of Black History Month for the Devils' 4-0 win against the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 21.
"I fell in love with how the Devils embrace the community and how much the team contributes to the city and inner cities of Newark," Jean said. "Seeing all the kids from Newark and the surrounding New Jersey cities out here and knowing what the Devils do for those kids in learning and understanding hockey, is just great."
Jean not only hosted a concert on the concourse level for fans during intermission, he had interviewed Devils goalie Cory Schneider, did conditioning training with the team and dropped the ceremonial face-off alongside former Devils captain Bryce Salvador.

A story inspired by his teacher while attending Vailsburg High School here on Ivy Street meant everything to Jean.
"I won't tell you the name (of the teacher) because the story sounded a bit terrifying at the time," Jean said. "But I remember her saying, 'In the next eight years, seven of y'all are going to make it. Seven are going to be on crack. Five of y'all are going to get locked up, and six are going to be dead, unless y'all listen to what I just told you.'
"I remember saying that day, 'I'm not going to be on crack, and I'm not going to be dead.' I wanted to be somebody."
Jean said he's never spoken to Hockey Hall of Famer and NHL diversity ambassador Willie O'Ree but hopes to meet him one day.
"It all starts with our ancestors because our ancestors could have never seen this day (of Black History Month)," Jean said. "The idea in their suffering and sacrifice was all for this day. Now we can look each other in the eye and say, 'Hockey is for Everyone' and understand the meaning behind those who sacrificed. I always look at Black History Month as a celebration and giving the ancestors back what they gave to us."
Here are Five Questions with … Wyclef Jean:

How big of a hockey fan are you?

"I went to school in Newark and have the Devils jersey, but you know what's crazy with my relationship with hockey ... I didn't know black folks played hockey. The first time I learned this was when I was in Canada touring with the Fugees. In Canada, I was amazed because you're watching hockey almost every day and of course after some time you start to learn the history of the sport. The way I do music, I don't see colors, because I'm the guy who covers Pink Floyd. For me, it's natural to mix it with Run DMC or Drake, it's all natural, but that's the thing about sports. At one point, segregation was so high in this country that it even segregated our minds to the point we eliminated that portion of the thinking because you don't have an open mind. For me, it's great to see how far the sport has come, how far networks have come, how far broadcasters have come, and the shareholders. They've all played an important part."

Who are your musical influences?

"Bob Marley and Bob Dylan. My father was a Nazarene minister and he built the first bilingual church on South Orange Avenue in Newark, where the congregation speaks English, French and Creole ... that was his vision. For me, I've always loved poets and Bob Marley and Bob Dylan were that to me. I used to read a lot of the Bible and those two singers influenced me and a lot of my writing."

Do you have a favorite hockey player?

"I have to be real. I interviewed the nicest guy in the world (Schneider) when I was in the Devils locker room. I'm not saying that just because he's Irish and I happen to be Haitian, but he gave me that Haitian-Irish vibe. We connected, personally. I asked him when he started out on the ice and he told me he was 4 years old. I was definitely amazed by him, and after watching him, you become a fan of the person. Coming from Haiti, I was heavily influenced by fútbol. To me, fútbol could get gritty and dirty. In fútbol and hockey, it can really go down. So one of my questions to Cory was, 'Is the fighting legal?' He explained that if there's a problem and you mess with a teammate, I'm going to look at you, bro. And if I put the stick down and you put your stick down, that means we are with it. If you don't, then we keep working."

What impact did Michael Jackson have on your career?

"I got to tell you; I hung up on Michael Jackson. When he first called I figured it was one of my friends playing because we used to prank each other all the time. Then he called me back and I'm like 'Holy [smokes], it's really Michael.' I got to spend a lot of time with him. He was in Asia and reached out to me after hearing my song, 'Gone Till November' and wanted to meet. I always thought I was crazy because I heard music in my sleep and could never get to sleep. Even if I couldn't play the instrument, I heard the part in my head. The greatest thing about being in a studio with Michael Jackson was watching how he listened to music. It changed my life because he heard all the parts coming through his brain. He's like, 'Here's the drum, here comes the bass, the trumpet' and he's doing this live and you're like, 'Is this person human?' He told me I did the same thing so, for me, I got so many great lessons. He told me I reminded him of the guy from Jamaica (Bob Marley) ... and this is Michael Jackson saying that. The greatest lesson from Michael was not to do what's popular all the time, but to do what's right. When you do what's right, you're going to be challenged but you got to face it, even if you're the one sacrificing so that the next generation is bigger."

What message does a Grammy-Award winning artist have for inner-city kids?

"The first thing I always tell the kids is Bob Marley never won a Grammy and he's the biggest artist in the entire world. Success and determination is based on if you have an inner peace and a consciousness with yourself. If someone has time to tell you how bad you're doing, how ugly you look, how short you are, how fat you are, man you're already on the right track because nine times out of 10 there's something interesting about you to make them talk. At the end of the day you got to believe in yourself. I used to work at a fast-food restaurant and I was a security guard and people made fun of me; it didn't matter. I just want the kids to know that there's nothing you're going through that I haven't been through. I wasn't born in the USA, but I believed in the USA. When I got here, I believed in the immigrant story while helping my father clean those bathrooms and wash those dishes. I believed that, at the end of the day, I could be anything that I wanted to be in the USA."