Wyclef Jean’s newest album, From the Hut, to the Projects, to the Mansion, is Jean’s self-proclaimed return to hip-hop. Over a decade after the breakup of the Fugees, Jean has admittedly become somewhat unknown as an artist, and it is clear that he is anxious to change this. The first few songs, with all the bravado that has come to be expected of rappers, are sanctimonious odes to Jean’s own cred: “50 million records sold straight from the basement / How you gonna tell me Wyclef is irrelevant?”

Indulging further in some hip-hop and pop music clichés, the album also features one Auto-Tuned track, one track entitled “More Bottles,” some hate for other hip-hop artists and guest appearances by everyone from Lil’ Kim to Cyndi Lauper.

Perhaps it was out of insecurity, or out of the very fear of becoming “irrelevant,” that Jean resorted to such clichés … Ironically though, what ultimately makes From the Hut a solid and refreshing album are not the songs that indulge in Auto-Tune or the get-money-get-bitches narrative that has made some of the rappers Jean mentions famous, but instead, those that tackle heaver themes. Songs like “We Made It,” “Toussaint v. Bishop,” “Walk Away” and “Letter from the Penn” that talk about the respective struggles of the refugee, the young man trying to achieve the American dream and the prisoner are poignant, excellent.

An infusion of world inspired beats and rhythms, and Jean’s versatile and sometimes reggae-inspired vocals also add to the album’s uniqueness, and make even the least inspired tracks highly listenable.

In the end, From the Hut is a good album, but in the future Jean would do better just being himself, instead of trying to imitate superstars like Timbaland, who raps on one of the worst songs of the album.