Wyclef Jean Talks “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali & Why He And Ms. Lauryn Hill Are Superheroes

Wyclef Jean has never played it safe. He draped a Haitian flag over his shoulder on the Grammys stage, ran for president of his home country and spent three decades blending genres the industry worked hard to keep apart. So when Prime Video needed a theme for its Muhammad Ali series, it makes sense the call went to the Fugees’ resident rebel.

“Gladiator,” which Jean co-wrote with series creator Ben Watkins and performs with Ghanaian-Jamaican singer Kofi Black, is the theme for “The Greatest,” the eight-episode limited series on Ali that premiered Nov. 4. Jean wasn’t chasing a soundtrack placement. He wanted a real theme, the kind Quincy Jones taught him to write, a record that sticks with you long after the credits roll.

For Jean, Ali isn’t just a subject. He’s a blueprint. The two first crossed paths in the ’90s, when the Fugees jumped on “Rumble in the Jungle,” and Jean says Ali’s willingness to take unpopular stands shaped everything from “If I Was President” to his own run for office in Haiti. In his eyes, Ali was a gladiator, someone who bled for his people in and out of the ring. Or as Jean puts it, “Death is scared of the gladiator.”

The timing matters, too. It’s been 30 years since the Fugees cooked up “The Score” in a basement in the hood and changed the sound of the decade. Jean is fresh off a London run celebrating the album, midway through his plan to drop seven albums this year and, he says, back on the same wavelength as Lauryn Hill.

AllHipHop caught up with Jean the day before “The Greatest” premiered to talk Ali, the Quincy Jones lesson behind “Gladiator,” the night he turned the Grammys into a moment of Haitian pride and why nobody gets to put him in a box.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

‘He’s a true gladiator’

AllHipHop: How did “Gladiator” come about?

Wyclef Jean: I have a heavy background in composing for film. I did the score for “Life” with Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence and wrote the theme for “Hotel Rwanda.” And my relationship with Muhammad Ali goes back to the Fugees doing “Rumble in the Jungle.” I don’t think I could have written “If I Was President,” or run for president of my country, if it wasn’t for Ali. So when I got the call, I felt like I had a cheat code.

AllHipHop: How do you capture someone as larger than life as Ali in one song?

Wyclef Jean: The word gladiator captures it. A gladiator sacrifices himself for the arena. There’s no greater sacrifice than saying, “I’ll take the fall for another human.” A gladiator is defiant. Death is scared of the gladiator. Ali could have been comfortable, and he decided, nah, I’ve got to fight for my people. Not just in words, but in action. He’s a true gladiator.

AllHipHop: You ran for president of Haiti. Did you see parallels between your journey and his?

Wyclef Jean: I would never have done some of the things I did without seeing a man like Ali do it first. When I was running, they were trying to give me a modern-day lynching. All I was trying to do was fight for a group of people that was voiceless. That’s what Ali did. And that’s what the Fugees stood for. We said we’re not going to just do music, we’re going to be a movement.

How do you keep going and not give up on people?

Wyclef Jean: No good deed goes unpunished. Nobody is telling you to do this. You make a commitment to the universe and to yourself. You keep going because you don’t expect anything in return. If you expect something in return, you’re not doing it for the right reasons.

Jay-Z, Kofi Black and the Quincy Jones rule

AllHipHop: Jay-Z is an executive producer on this, and you were just in London with him celebrating 30 years of “The Score.” How did it come together?

Wyclef Jean: We brought Jay-Z to London 30-something years ago, and one thing I love about Jay is you could do the littlest thing for him and he ain’t going to forget. When we were going off the stage, he looked at me and said, “Yo, keep going.” But my conversations on this were more with the director. You’re writing a theme that’s going to outlive you.

My biggest challenge was I did not want to sing it. I needed that David Ruffin voice, but young for today. I turned down a lot of people, some very famous. Then I remembered Kofi Black, a kid from the crew who’s half Ghanaian, half Jamaican. He does this crazy rendition of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” I woke him up out of his sleep and said, “Yo, I need you to sing this.”

AllHipHop: We don’t get theme songs like we used to. Think “Boomerang.” What’s happening?

Wyclef Jean: One of my greatest mentors is Quincy Jones. What I learned from Quincy is you have to write a theme song like a jam everybody is going to sing. So maybe with “Gladiator,” I’m bringing that swag back. You might be in the shower like, “I’m a gladiator.” I ran through “Sanford and Son,” “Good Times” and “Cheers” in my head. This is a family series, so I asked myself, if a 6-year-old is sitting there, what’s that melody?

The flag, family and staying curious

AllHipHop: What are two moments that make you proud?

Wyclef Jean: The first is 1996, when we won the Grammy and I put my Haitian flag over my shoulder. The world had never seen a Haitian flag like that on television. The next day, every Haitian kid who felt voiceless had a flag over their head.

In 2026, it’s having a daughter who’s 21, who walks into a room and shakes everyone’s hand. And a wife who’s still with me through thick and thin, and now we can smoke a cigar and laugh about it. Family and peace is the greatest thing for me.

AllHipHop: You’re still trending on social media in 2026. Did you ever think you’d still be talked about like this?

Wyclef Jean: I don’t think about it. If I did, maybe I wouldn’t be trending. I always tell the youth: Never lose your sense of curiosity. “The Score” was made in my uncle’s basement while people were going to the Hit Factory. Whether it’s Whitney Houston, Shakira or Beyoncé, I’m always the fan and the student in the room. That’s my secret sauce. I’m a forever curious student.

Seven albums, no boxes

AllHipHop: You promised seven albums this year. What’s next?

Wyclef Jean: Y’all thought I was capping. These are seven legacy pictures, my version of Quincy Jones’ “Back on the Block,” the seven genres I’ve touched. We’ve got “One Night in Kingston” coming next, the reggae album. My mama is still alive, and every time she sees me, she asks why I’m not singing gospel anymore. So No. 4 is Caribbean gospel, coming around Christmastime. And next year is the 30th anniversary of “The Carnival,” so look out for tours.

AllHipHop: What do you say to artists who feel boxed in, who only do R&B and feel like they can’t switch to country or gospel?

Wyclef Jean: The industry is playing a big game on everybody. They break music into categories, and when you break it into categories, you separate communities. When I played Kenny Rogers for people in the projects, they said, “This is hard.” I’m like, yeah, it’s country, but it’s really blues. Go back further, it’s Negro spirituals. There have always been Black people singing country music. The internet just showed everybody.

So don’t let nobody define you. No one can tell you who you are. If you like country but you’re scared because you’re doing trap right now, you’re not innovating. To be an innovator, you can’t keep the crowd comfortable.

AllHipHop: Do the Fugees have anything we can look forward to?

Wyclef Jean: Me and my sis are like two superheroes. We’re in a new era, and we’ve aligned spiritually and mentally. Whatever comes out is going to be enjoyable to y’all. But we’re not trying to do another “Score.” Many times people tried to put something together, and we never did that to y’all, because we know what “The Score” represents. It’s the new energy we’re on.

Thirty years after “The Score,” Jean is still doing what he says Ali taught him: following his gut, even when the crowd isn’t comfortable. Whether that’s a gospel album for his mother, a reggae record or a theme song built for a 6-year-old to sing, he’s not waiting for permission.

“Gladiator” by Wyclef Jean and Kofi Black is out now on Milan Records. “The Greatest” is streaming now on Prime Video.