The Carnival by Wyclef Jean

Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival, better known as The Carnival, was the Fugees guitarist and producer's first solo album, released on 24 June 1997 by Ruffhouse through Columbia. Jean ran the show as executive producer with his bandmates Pras and Lauryn Hill, both of whom keep popping up on the record, and Jerry Duplessis is among the producers.

It's a restless, globe-trotting party of a record, hip-hop at the core but wandering all over the map, with guests as unlikely as Celia Cruz and the Neville Brothers. The hits were "We Trying to Stay Alive" and the top-ten "Gone till November", and "Bubblegoose" made it onto the countdowns. Critics loved it. It peaked at 16 on the Billboard 200 and four on the R&B chart, and picked up three Grammy nominations: Best Rap Album and a duo-or-group nod for "Guantanamera" at the 40th Grammys, then Best Rap Solo Performance for "Gone till November" at the 41st in 1999.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.