Wyclef Jean

The controversial Trayvon Martin case has inspired protests, PSAs, debate, anger, prayer and vigils for the slain 17-year-old from coast to coast.

Now Wyclef Jean has penned his own musical tribute to Trayvon.

The Fugees musician teamed up with Prescribed and J. Williams to create a track titled "Justice (If You're 17)" in dedication to Martin. Listen:

Wyclef - Justice (Trayvon Martin Tribute)

Some lyrical excerpts from Wyclef's call for "Justice" include:

"If you're 17 / And you're wearing a hoodie / You're on the phone / Talking to your shorty / Make no mistake / There's one like you / In every city / You know the story."

"If you're 17 with a hoodie on / Watch out for the neighborhood watcher / If you're at the right neighborhood at the wrong time / Neighborhood watcher / This might be your last call to your girlfriend / The neighborhood watcher / Man I feel for you if you're 17."

This past week saw George Zimmerman charged with murder in the February 26 shooting of Martin, following more than a month of unrest.

Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain in Sanford, Fla., claims he killed Martin in self-defense and that the teen was the aggressor.

Hip-hop star and activist Wyclef Jean has been released from a hospital in his native Haiti after being treated for a gunshot wound to the hand Saturday.

Joe Mignon, a director of Jean's Yele Foundation, says Jean was shot in the hand after 11 p.m. in Delmas, outside the capital of Port-au-Prince.

Jean's brother, Samuel, confirmed the musician was shot. Neither he nor Mignon had additional details regarding why, but he will recover fully.

Wyclef's shooting comes on the eve of presidential elections in Haiti.

Jean, who planned to run for the presidency before being disallowed due to Haiti's residency requirement, is supporting fellow musician Michel Martelly.

A spokesman for the Haitian National Police could not be immediately reached for comment regarding Wyclef's shooting. But, fortunately, he's alright.

"He is doing well," Jean's publicist Cindy Tanenbaum tells CNN, also describing the wound suffered by the former Fugees member as "superficial."

Trying to run for President of Haiti and feuding with Sean Penn can be really tiring.

The musician has checked into a New Jersey hospital as a result of major stress and fatigue.

“Wyclef Jean has had an extremely grueling three months - truly an exhausting eight months, since the earthquake when he recommitted himself to our homeland and his passion for our people,” his family said in a statement. “He is currently suffering the effects of lack of sleep and stress, global travel, even the endless public eye, and has asked that his fans and supporters bear with him for the next several days as he regains his physical health and stamina. Then he will be back out in front of the crusade to rebuild Haiti and his pledge to make it even better for business.”

Hopefully (wait for it....), the singer will be back by November.

The bid of Wyclef Jean to become the next President of Haiti has officially come to an end.

Following the ruling by country officials that disallowed the singer from entering the election, due to a lack of residency in the nation, Wyclef said he'd challenge the decision and follow through on his political dream.

But he told CBS News today:

“After weeks of quiet but painstaking reflection with my wife and daughter, I have chosen to end my bid for the presidency of Haiti. This was not an easy conclusion to reach; but it is one that was thoughtfully made, taking into account many, many competing factors and weighing the course that will best advance the healing of the country and help it find the quickest path to recovery.

“Though my run for the presidency was cut short, in this way, I feel it was not in vain. It’s something we can use to improve conditions for my Haitian brothers and sisters.”

Now Wyclef will have more time to write mean songs about Sean Penn.

Wyclef Jean saw his hopes to be President of Haiti dashed last month, when officials ruled the artist ineligible for the position.

You'd think the singer would, therefore, concentrate his efforts on other ways in which he could help his native country. Instead, he's chosen to focus on a petty feud with Sean Penn.

At a concert in New York City on Friday, Wyclef remixed his 2004 single "President," as seen below, and included these lyrics: I got a message for Sean Penn/ Maybe he ain’t see me in Haiti because he was too busy sniffing cocaine.

Wyclef Jean Rap

The immature insult is a response to Penn's reasonable questioning of just how involved Jean has actually been in Haiti's recovery process from this year's fatal earthquake.

In a statement issued through his rep, the Oscar winner replied:

He's been called out by Sean Penn and legally denied by Haitian officials.

Still, Wyclef Jean refuses to give up on his bid to become the next President of Haiti.

A few days after an electoral board disqualified his nomination, the singer has released a statement saying he plans on fighting the ruling.

"After careful consideration and much soul-searching, I have made the decision to contest Haiti's board of elections' pronouncement stating that I am ineligible to run for the presidency of the country," Wyclef said. "I will be seeking a solution through legal channels, and I urge my countrymen to be patient through this process."

The former Fugees member confirmed he'll send a lawyer to a Haitian court Monday with documentation proving he's eligible to be a candidate.

Among the problems the country's electoral board have with his inclusion on the list of nominees is the fact that Wyclef's permanent address is listed as New Jersey. But Wyclef Tweeted yesterday:

"We have met all the requirements set by the laws. And the law must be respected."

The latter is certainly true. But the singer is in danger of making this election more about himself than about the ravaged nation from which he hails. He can do a great deal of good without running for President.

Wyclef Jean will not be the next President of Haiti. His bid for this office has ended before it really began.

Sources tell The Los Angeles Times that the artist has NOT been included on the list of approved candidates who satisfy legal requirements to run in the country's November 28 election.

According to an electoral official, Wyclef does not meet all the legal requirements for the position, which include a home in Haiti; Jean primarily resides in New Jersey.

The singer was born in Haiti and moved to Brooklyn at the age of nine, later joining The Fugees and launching a music career in the United State.

He was among 34 contenders for the Haitian presidency who filed the proper documents this month, but "he is not on the list as I speak," a member of the country's provisional electoral council told the newspaper.

Wyclef's initial bid was met with skepticism by many, including a former Fugees group member and most notably, Sean Penn.

Earlier today, Wyclef Jean officially kicked off his campaign to be the next President of Haiti.

But the singer already faces opposition from an Oscar winner and well-known activist in the region: Sean Penn.

Asked by Larry King for his take on Jean's political ambitions, Penn cited allegations that Wyclef mishandled $400,000 in earthquake-relief donations and said the artist has been absent from his native country.

"This is somebody who's going to receive an enormous amount of support from the United States, and I have to say I'm very suspicious of it," said Penn, who runs a 55,000-person tent camp via his J/P Haitian Relief Organization, adding:

"I'm not accusing Wyclef Jean of being an opportunist; I don't know the man. One of the reasons I don't know very much about Wyclef Jean is that I haven't seen or heard anything of him in these last six months that I've been in Haiti."

Wyclef didn't respond by claiming he's been active in the nation itself, but instead says he's perfect for the position because he understands "the psychology of the Haitian people."

"What I want Sean Penn to know is, if I was not in Haiti after [former president] Jean-Bertrand Aristide left, if I did not create [my charity] Yéle Haiti to start stopping the violence, even him coming to Haiti would not have been possible today," replied the Grammy-winning musician.

Hopefully, these two will sit down at some point and hash out their points of view.

Known as much for his humanitarian efforts as his musical career, Wyclef Jean has announced his plans to run for the Haitian presidency.

Said the social activist, confirming the news to Time magazine and referencing January's natural disaster in the region:

“If not for the earthquake, I probably would have waited another 10 years before doing this... If I can’t take five years out to serve my country as President, then everything I’ve been singing about, like equal rights, doesn’t mean anything.”

Wycleff, who was born in Haiti and moved to Brooklyn when he was nine, added: “I want to be part of a different kind of celebrity, one that thinks not just about charity but policy.”

In 2005, Jean established the Yéle Haiti Foundation, which hands out scholarships to children in the country.

We admire his dedication and have a few campaign slogans in mind:

• If you're Gone Til November, vote for me when you get home!
• Wyclef: Down to Earth, not down with earthquakes.
• Wyclef? Why not!

Wyclef Jean of the Fugees fame and the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am can never be described as conventional - both in terms of their music and respective fashion sense.

Back in the spotlight lately as he pushes relief efforts in his native Haiti, Wyclef wore a black suit with thick pinstripes to last night's Grammys. Thumbs up from us.

Meanwhile, will.i.am and his bandmates delivered a kick-ass performance, but while Fergie's dress was a huge hit last night, her band mate's camo suit? Not so sure.

But you tell us in the poll below. Can will.i.am's alternative effort top Wyclef's more traditional ensemble? It would be an upset, but it's for you style critics to decide.

Vote in our celebrity fashion survey and decide the winner:

Whose Grammy style wins in your book?