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Writer's Envy: Wyclef On Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On"
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Why Didn't I Think Of That: 5 Songs Wyclef Wishes He Wrote

December 7, 2010 - 10:54 pm by Vibe

“You can start with the lyrics, which still matter today. But I also like Marvin Gaye because we have the same hairline [laughs]. Usually, I’m not the type to tell you if a guy is fly or not. I’m a hater. But I have to tell you that Marvin Gaye was a cool dude. It was his soul and swag. He was at a commercial peak, but at the same time he wanted to talk about world issues. He was the dude that the girls would come out to see but he could lay it on you in terms of what was happening in the world. When Marvin was recording ‘What’s Going On,’ he was challenged by the commercial side of Motown. They were like, ‘Marvin, what are you doing??? You can’t talk about Vietnam and everything that’s going on.’ To be that’s why he’s one of the greatest.”

Writer's Envy: Wyclef On Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On"
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Writer's Envy: Wyclef On Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On"

Writer's Envy: Wyclef On Bob Marley's "Exodus"
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Writer's Envy: Wyclef On Bob Marley's "Exodus"

“I wish I wrote ‘Exodus’ because it’s a movement. Bob could have made it about Haiti. The idea of a race of people saying, ‘Yo, it’s time for us to get out of this slavery under Pharaoh’s hand and to find the promise land.’ The story of Exodus to me always reminds me of the African story. I’ve been to Ethiopia a few times. I’ve talked to the Jews in Ethiopia. That song is a reflection of the original man.”
Writer's Envy: Wyclef On Kanye West's "Jesus Walks"
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Writer's Envy: Wyclef On Kanye West's "Jesus Walks"

“The song is just a testimony to everything Kanye went through in his life…dude could have died in that car accident. It’s all about the style of the production. It’s very cinematic. When you listen to the words he saying he’s also giving testimony to Jesus. It’s just an incredible song.”
Writer's Envy: Wyclef On Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe"
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Writer's Envy: Wyclef On Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe"

“I love ‘Hey Joe’ because that song got cut down from the original version. Jimi wasn’t even sure about the song. But it was a time in his career when another producer had to come in and produce him. It reminds me when Salaam Remi had to come in a produce the Fugees. That shows you that no matter how talented you are if you can put that trust in another producer big things can come out of it. ‘Hey Joe’ reminds me you can be as great of a producer as you want to be, but you can always be produced.”
Writer's Envy: Wyclef On Lauryn Hill's "Ex Factor"
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Writer's Envy: Wyclef On Lauryn Hill's "Ex Factor"

“This is like my ‘911’ song. There’s a real purity about it. I always like the boldness of an artist to just say what they are going through.”
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