Africa And Other Developing Countries' Music Publishing Services To get $25 million From Wyclef Jean

As a way of enhancing the growth of the African music countries, The three-time Grammy Award Winner, Wyclef Jean plans to donate an impressive $25 million to Africa music producing companies. Jean, 50 is a native of Haiti who migrated to the United States when he was nine. He currently owns a generous charitable institution through which he intends to fulfill his promise.

Recently, Jean has turned his attention to the African Afro Beats Music, which has had global commercial success in 2018 and 2019. Forbes spoke with Wyclef Jean about his newest venture Carnival World Music Group, which has just raised an impressive $25 million funding.

Jean has shown his love for the region with his generous donation. He is an individual who hopes to see Africa thrive and never forget his descent. The aim of his Carnival World Music Group is to democratize the global music marketplace for African songwriters and producers. Although his dreams focus more on his descent, he is also interested in other developing countries.

In emphasizing his African descent, Jean often refers to Haitians as the “Nigeria of the Caribbean”, in his own word, “he is almost 100% Nigerian” as a result of his ancestry DNA test. His love for AfroBeat is further shown in 2004 when he made his first trip to Africa to perform with the son of the legendary Afro Juju musician Fela Kuti.

His popular song titled “Diallo” was produced in honor of Amadou Diallo, a 23 years old Guinea immigrant who was shot 19 times by four New York City policemen in 1999. While the song did not do well in the USA, Jean was surprised by his fans when he arrived in Lagos Nigeria for his performance with fela kuti’s son. The majority of people who greeted him at the airport were singing “Diallo.’ Not only this, the song was also a hit in Lagos states. This further reassured Jean of how much he was loved and supported by his people.

During the visit, Jean spent some time with other Nigerian musicians such as 2Fce Idibia and D’Banj. In one of his statements, Jean stated that “whether it was Haiti or Nigeria, there is something that connected me to the vibe.” Jean has since then traveled around African countries more than 75 times, soaking himself in the music, culture, and lifestyle of the Africa country he visits.

Jean also stated that although Afro Beat is taking a while to be absorbed in the USA, “like all good things, creating a form of music from its roots takes time” and believes “you can’t talk about Western popular culture today without talking about Africa; from the dance styles to the music, African inspiration is there.”

Carnival World Music Group

The goal of Carnival World Music Group is to enable artists in developing countries to publish and distribute their works. To do this the group aims to provide all the support needed by the artist. Jean states: “the demand for music from Africa and other developing regions is growing and these creatives deserve to be part of the international marketplace.

There is a need for them to have open access to global publishing and distribution options that protect their rights and ensure that they are fairly paid. This initiative not only introduces and launches new talent but helps creatives around the world thrive in their careers.”

To make this dream a reality, Jean has partnered with Sound Royalties. Sound Royalties was founded by CEO Alex Heiche. The company is a specialty finance firm that helps music professionals fund personal and professional projects without ever taking ownership of their copyrights. Their aim is to empower creatives to choose from a variety of available pricing options.