Purpose
An Immigrant's Story
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Narrated by:
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Sam Jean
About this listen
Wyclef Jean is one of the most influential voices in hip-hop. He rocketed to fame in the 1990s with the Fugees, whose multiplatinum album, The Score, would prove a landmark in music history, winning two Grammys and going on to become one of the best-selling hip-hop albums of all time. In Purpose, Wyclef recounts his path to fame from his impoverished childhood in "Baby Doc" Duvalier's Haiti and the mean streets of Brooklyn and Newark to the bright lights of the world stage.
The son of a pastor and grandson of a Vodou priest, Wyclef was born and raised in the slums of Haiti, moving with his family to New York when he was nine. He lived in Brooklyn's notorious Marlboro projects until his father, Gesner Jean, took them to Newark, where he converted a burnt-out funeral home into a house for his family and a church for his congregation. But life in New Jersey was no easier for Wyclef, who found it hard to shake his refugee status. Forced to act as a literal and cultural translator for his parents while still trying to master English himself, Wyclef soon learned that fitting in would be a constant struggle. He made his way by competing in "freestyle" rap battles, eventually becoming the best MC in his school. At the same time, Wyclef was singing in his father's choir and learning multiple instruments while also avidly exploring funk, rock, reggae, and jazz - an experience that would forever shape his sound. When Wyclef chose to pursue a career in music over attending theological school, Gesner, who hated rap, nearly disowned him, creating a gulf between father and son that would take nearly a decade to bridge.
Within a few short years, Wyclef would catapult to international renown with the Fugees. In Purpose he details for the first time ever the inside story of the group: their rise and fall, and his relationships with Pras and Lauryn Hill.
Wyclef also looks back with candor at the catastrophic earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010 and his efforts to help rebuild his homeland, including the controversy surrounding YÉle, his aid organization, and his exploratory bid for president of the island nation. The story revealed in Purpose is one of inspiration, full of drama and humor, told in compelling detail, about the incredible life of one of our most revered musical icons.
©2012 Wyclef Jean (P)2012 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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Surviving the Minor Keys in Life - Love Overcomes
- By Russell on 12-01-16
By: Brian Wilson, and others
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Hit Hard
- By: Joey Kramer
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1997, amid Aerosmith's sold-out world tour and number one album release, Joey revealed in an interview his ongoing struggles with depression. The response from fans and people battling those same internal demons was overwhelming. Joey now tells the complete story: the early days of the band, glamorous drug-addled events leading up to their eventual sobriety, battles within his family and among bandmates, and the explosive internal dynamics in Aerosmith.
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The things we never knew
- By bluestar on 08-22-18
By: Joey Kramer
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The Gospel According to Luke
- By: Steve Lukather
- Narrated by: Steve Lukather
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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In this incisive memoir, Steve Lukather tells the complete Toto story. He also lifts the lid on what went on behind the closed studio doors, shedding light on the unique creative processes of some of the most legendary names in music: from Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, and Elton John to Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, and Aretha Franklin. Lukather’s extraordinary tale also encompasses the dark side of stardom and the American Dream. Frank, engaging, and often hilarious, The Gospel According to Luke is no ordinary rock memoir.
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Wow Best Rock Biography Ever
- By Hercules on 09-29-18
By: Steve Lukather
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Luck or Something Like It
- A Memoir
- By: Kenny Rogers
- Narrated by: Taber Burns
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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A remarkable story of a boy who couldn't stop singing, and a man who knew how to hold 'em. For more than half a century, Kenny Rogers has been recording some of the most revered and beloved music in America and around the world. In that time, he has become a living legend by combining everything from R&B to country and gospel to folk in his unique voice to create a sound that's both wholly original and instantly recognizable.
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Fun to listen to.
- By b.sea on 07-25-19
By: Kenny Rogers
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The One
- The Life and Music of James Brown
- By: R. J. Smith
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Senior editor at L.A. Magazine RJ Smith saw his first book, The Great Black Way, win the coveted California Book Award. With The One, Smith profiles one of the 20th century’s most innovative musical icons, the Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown. Drawing on extensive research and captivating interviews, Smith chronicles Brown’s rise from abject poverty to the pinnacle of fame, while also detailing Brown’s work as a civil rights activist and entrepreneur.
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pitiable, lovable, despicable,understandable
- By Anonymous User on 01-06-13
By: R. J. Smith
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Bare Bones
- I'm Not Lonely If You're Reading This Book
- By: Bobby Bones
- Narrated by: Bobby Bones
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Growing up poor in Mountain Pine, Arkansas, with a young, addicted mom, Bobby Estell fell in love with country music. Abandoned by his father at the age of five, Bobby saw the radio as his way out - a dream that came true in college when he went on air at the Henderson State University campus station broadcasting as Bobby Bones while simultaneously starting The Bobby Bones Show at 105.9 KLAZ.
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A look inside the narcissist life of Bobby Bones.
- By Selena on 05-20-16
By: Bobby Bones
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Hurt Road
- The Music, the Memories, and the Miles Between
- By: Mark Lee
- Narrated by: Mark Lee
- Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Third Day guitarist Mark Lee is no stranger to heartache and hopes deferred; the road to success is never traveled without missteps along the way. Life is messy and uncertain and full of surprises. And one of the best things he's ever done is let go of his expectations about how life should be in order to embrace life as it is: a moment-by-moment walk with God. Hurt Road is the engaging true story of a man who, as a teen, found in music a refuge from the uncertainties of life.
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Good Story
- By Scott guidry on 07-28-22
By: Mark Lee
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Anger Is an Energy
- My Life Uncensored
- By: John Lydon
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 18 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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John Lydon is an icon - one of the most recognizable and influential cultural figures of the last 40 years. As Johnny Rotten, he was the lead singer of the Sex Pistols, the world's most notorious band. The Pistols shot to fame in the mid-1970s with songs such as "Anarchy in the U.K." and "God Save the Queen". So incendiary was their impact at the time that in their native England, the Houses of Parliament questioned whether they violated the Traitors and Treasons Act.
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I Just Can't
- By notamatopoeia on 12-30-15
By: John Lydon
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Deal
- My Three Decades of Drumming, Dreams, and Drugs with the Grateful Dead
- By: Bill Kreutzmann, Benjy Eisen
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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On their 50th anniversary comes a groundbreaking rock-and-roll memoir by one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead. The Grateful Dead are perhaps the most legendary American rock band of all time. For 30 years, beginning in the hippie scene of San Francisco in 1965, they were a musical institution, the original jam band that broke new ground in so many ways.
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Decent but not great
- By Monty S on 03-02-16
By: Bill Kreutzmann, and others
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God, Family, Country
- A Memoir
- By: Craig Morgan, Jim DeFelice
- Narrated by: Craig Morgan
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
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In 1989, as US news outlets declared an end to Operation Just Cause, Craig Morgan was part of an elite group of military operatives jumping into the jungle along the Panamanian border on a covert operation. Fans know the country music star from his hit songs and acclaimed albums, but there’s a lot more to him—a soldier who worked with the CIA in Panama, an undercover agent who fought sex traffickers in Thailand, and a dedicated family man who lives the values he sings.
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A Lesson on Life, Love and Sustaining Faith.
- By Timothy Sidwell on 10-04-22
By: Craig Morgan, and others
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Born to Run
- By: Bruce Springsteen
- Narrated by: Bruce Springsteen
- Length: 18 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2009, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed at the Super Bowl's halftime show. The experience was so exhilarating that Bruce decided to write about it. That's how this extraordinary autobiography began. Over the past seven years, Bruce Springsteen has privately devoted himself to writing the story of his life, bringing to this audio the same honesty, humor, and originality found in his songs.
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Me Springsteen's book moved me beyond words...
- By Ellen O'Brien on 12-12-16
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No one was prepared for the massive earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010, taking over a quarter-million lives, and leaving millions of others homeless. Three thousand miles away, Jacqueline Florestant mourns the presumed death of her parents, while her husband, a former US marine and combat veteran, cares for their three-year-old daughter as he fights his own battles with acute PTSD. Horrified and guilt-ridden, Jacqueline returns to Haiti in search of the proverbial “closure”.
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A lot to unpack
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Sure, I'll Be Your Black Friend
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In an era in which “I have many black friends” is often a medal of Wokeness, Ben hilariously chronicles the experience of being on the receiving end of those fist bumps. He takes us through his immigrant childhood, from wanting nothing more than friends to sit with at lunch, to his awkward teenage years, to college in the age of Obama, and adulthood in the Trump administration - two sides of the same American coin.
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Simply amazing
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Genevieve, a single mother, flies from New York to Port-au-Prince with her teenage son, Miles. The trip is meant to be an education for fifteen-year-old Miles—a chance to learn about his family’s roots while coming to terms with his father’s departure—but it’s also an excuse for Genevieve to escape the city, where her life is dominated by her failed marriage and the daily pressures of raising Black children in America.
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Most political origin stories reinforce the feeling that politics is a closed system: If you weren’t participating in debate club, the Young Democrats, and Model UN, you have no chance. Karine Jean-Pierre’s story breaks the mold. Karine Jean-Pierre’s story breaks the mold. In Moving Forward, she tells how she got involved, showing how politics can be accessible to anyone, no matter their background. In today’s political climate, the need for all of us to participate has never been more crucial.
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Loved it!
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Truly, Madly, Royally
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Zora's not expecting to vibe with any of her super-privileged classmates. So she's shocked to find she's got chemistry with Owen Whittelsey, who is charming, funny, undeniably cute...and turns out to literally be a prince. As in, his parents are the king and queen of a small European country. What? Suddenly, Zora's summer is looking a lot more complicated - especially when Owen asks her to be his date at his older brother's wedding. Can her feelings for Owen, not to mention her sense of self, survive the royal chaos?
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No one was prepared for the massive earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010, taking over a quarter-million lives, and leaving millions of others homeless. Three thousand miles away, Jacqueline Florestant mourns the presumed death of her parents, while her husband, a former US marine and combat veteran, cares for their three-year-old daughter as he fights his own battles with acute PTSD. Horrified and guilt-ridden, Jacqueline returns to Haiti in search of the proverbial “closure”.
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Genevieve, a single mother, flies from New York to Port-au-Prince with her teenage son, Miles. The trip is meant to be an education for fifteen-year-old Miles—a chance to learn about his family’s roots while coming to terms with his father’s departure—but it’s also an excuse for Genevieve to escape the city, where her life is dominated by her failed marriage and the daily pressures of raising Black children in America.
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What listeners say about Purpose
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Blou
- 10-29-12
Eye Opening Bio Story!
Would you consider the audio edition of Purpose to be better than the print version?
Being on my feet for 7 hours while i work and being a full time student, having the audio version of this book gave me an awesome way to listen to this book!!
What was one of the most memorable moments of Purpose?
My most memorable moment in the book Purpose was when wyclef's dad came to one of his shows for the first time and defined the word "Success". Due to the fact that he had a variety of race as fans at his show wyclef's was the word success.
Which scene was your favorite?
favorite scene was wyclef rapping during lunch in high school with the golden mic.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
If i was able to YES!!
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- Gbenga Ogunjimi
- 04-10-24
Great, great, great read!
it's not a an autobiography. it's a book filled with insights and wisdom for anyone forging their path in a new country, industry or world.
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- Nephtie F
- 04-21-19
Ayisyen
I just see Wyclef as an artist who is proud to wear his Haitian flag everywhere. Now I understand what he has been through and how he makes it clear to people who listen to all of the negativities. I wish he reads his own book, but the narrator did a good job. I am touched by his sincerity.
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- Mustafa
- 11-20-12
The man behind the man!
What made the experience of listening to Purpose the most enjoyable?
Learning more and more details about a person that gives you an in depth look into what created the artist. The fact of how Wyclef was shaped due to being left behind in Haiti without his parent. I had no idea about he and Lauren Hill's relationship. The explanation of why he chose his wife as his life mate, beautiful. Now I see why their will probably never be another Refuge's project. I'm so glad I purchased the book.
What other book might you compare Purpose to and why?
'The Measure of a Man,' Sidney Poitier and 'Callus on My Soul,' Dick Gregory
Which scene was your favorite?
Too many to name. The book really opened my eyes to how Wyclef was shaped. I think I can say the scene of His father at Carnegie Hall when Wyclef directed the spotlight on him.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Both.
Any additional comments?
Wyclef, I love your book.
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- Tracy
- 10-22-12
Good Listen
Any additional comments?
Overall a good story and an easy listen. There were some entertaining parts. Wyclef Jean's personal arrogance, which is on full display, is a definite turn off. At a number of points, I questioned if I would listen to the end. The perception he portrays is the one that he truly believes. I'd bet my last however, that many who really know him may not see him in the same light.
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- Reginald
- 10-08-12
Great listen....
What made the experience of listening to Purpose the most enjoyable?
Great story...bring back alot of memories growing up not privilged (even though it was in the A versus NJ) and overcoming it....but besides that, no matter where you from its still vey interesting, funny, and moving story of a person's Journey to success. I would tell anyway to check it out....hard to stop lisening...reaaly good listen.
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- Joseph
- 12-30-23
The raw honesty
Wyclef will always have a special place in my heart. The way he always represents Haiti even when it wasn’t cool to do so. The raw honesty in this book was incredible. But I also saw a man that was a bit selfish. I don’t know how it feels to be famous, but he seems to have been a very bad and selfish husband. His relationship with Lauren added fuel to their creative fire but also caused the Fugees to burn out quickly. The Fugees had at least one more great album together; but their relationship seemed extremely toxic.
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- Tynika
- 09-13-19
Amazingly Written!!
I am amazed at this life story. And I will forever listen to The Score with differently now that I have read the making of that album. I was a fan of Wyclef Jean before reading the book but now I feel like I know more about him now that ever before. His story was so necessary and needed for the culture. I am also relieved that he has set the record straight but his and Lauren Hill’s relationship. His story is raw and gritty but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Haiti should be proud of their native Wyclef Jean!!
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- Sweet
- 12-26-20
Good Book
It was very interesting and very relevant to the struggle that remains to this day. he was truthful and honest.
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- Nikki
- 01-25-14
Deep!!!!
Would you consider the audio edition of Purpose to be better than the print version?
Yes the narrator was his brother so it sounded just as if he was telling the story.
Any additional comments?
I loved loved this book.... I can't imagine going through what he went through as a child. However I would have beat his butt too after all his parents sacraficed, he comes here and do the things he did...Try to kill his grandma oh my god I was stunned lol.. But his rise to fame was that of a man with AMBITION! I applaud him for that. His relationship with Lauren was the best part ever because everyone speculated back then but it wasn't a big story. Great book thanks for sharing
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