Wyclef performed at the Hot 97 On Da Reggae Tip 2010 concert on Sept. 3 at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. Shaggy and Lady Saw were also on the bill. During "If I Was President," Wyclef chided Penn and former Fugee, Pras, who also opposed his candidacy.
"I got a message for Praswell," Wyclef stated. "Even though you don't want to support me, I got love for you - even though you only kicked eight bars in the Fugees."
Oh snap, but not very Presidential.
Penn's rep fired back: "Mr. Jean is clearly unfamiliar with the physical demands put upon volunteers in Haiti. As aid workers there, the notion of depleting the body's immune system thru the use of illicit drugs is ludicrous. More specifically, J/P Haitian Relief Organization (a.k.a. JPHRO) has a ZERO tolerance policy for any and all illegal drugs. As the leader of this organization, Sean Penn has not only set this policy, but adheres to it. That Mr. Jean would make such a false accusation is reckless and saddening, but not surprising."
The rift between Jean and Penn focuses on Penn's role as a camp manager at a sprawling tent city in Port-au-Prince. Penn claims Jean has never visited the camp and has been a "non-presence" in Haiti since the January earthquake.
"I don't have to live inside a tent to prove I am for the Haitian people," Wyclef previously said about Penn. "My country is not a city of tents."
The elections council in Haiti disqualified Jean's application on the basis that he has not lived in Haiti consecutively for the last five years (if at all). Wyclef says he's challenging that decision.
