Why Wyclef Jean just dropped a single with a century-old insurance giant

Hip-hop has always been a bit of a Peter Pan musical genre—constantly evolving, pushing into new sounds, new voices, new concepts, but rarely aging. Aging artists, until recently, have simply faded into the background.

At 54, award-winning artist Wyclef Jean just isn’t interested in making music without a message. His new track “Paper Right,” debuting today, revolves around prioritizing generational wealth and the power of saving money. Not exactly the most obvious topic for a club anthem or radio hit, but along with collaborating artists Pusha T, Lola Brooke, Capella Grey, and Flau’jae, Jean has made it a multigenerational message.

“I’ve always put policy in my music,” says Jean. “You can dance and party and then realize I’m saying something. So here the idea was, How do you make a song about financial literacy sound cool?”

As an added creative challenge, the track is the result of a partnership with century-old insurance and retirement services giant TIAA, ad agency The Martin Agency, in collaboration with Hero Collective and music PR partner J Sharpe Agency PR. TIAA’s long-running “#RetireInequality” campaign, created with The Martin Agency, has used various tactics to draw attention to inequity in retirement. Back in 2022, to address the retirement gender gap, the brand partnered with designer Felicia Noel to create “The Dre$$,” a couture gown made of $1.6 million of fake dollar bills to represent the potential $1.6 million that women lose out on in retirement savings. It earned 1.3 billion media and social impressions in 24 hours.

Danny Robinson, chief creative officer at The Martin Agency, says TIAA is exponentially outspent by bigger players in the category such as Fidelity and Charles Schwab, but by creating work with cultural relevance, it’s been able to achieve a share of voice far beyond its share of ad spending. “We’re doubling down on keeping culture at the core of creativity and not the sidelines, particularly after witnessing the success that came from The Dre$$,” says Robinson. “The world has witnessed how Black culture can inspire creativity, and this series in the #RetireInequality campaign keeps that dialogue going to help drive meaningful change.”

Original music created with brands is still relatively rare. In 2021, for example, Kacey Musgraves covered Coldplay’s “Fix You” for Chipotle, and the track was available for streaming and sales.

This new TIAA partnership with Jean is designed to shine a spotlight on the 54% of Black Americans who do not have enough money saved to maintain their standard of living in retirement. Robinson says that raising awareness, driving conversation, and sparking action isn’t just aimed at those in the middle of their careers. “The primary goal was to get those just starting their careers to start thinking about their retirement plans,” says Robinson. “Which is obviously easier said than done.”

Jean certainly agrees, but had a plan. “I know the message has to start with the Gen Zs and then on to my generation,” he says. “So [I] reached out to Flau’jae, who is Gen Z and an amazing human, as well as the first millionaire in her family. So she’s explaining her point of view, then we have Lola Brooke who is a young rap sensation, talking about Section 8, which is another approach. And we have Capella Grey, who adds his perspective. Then you have two OGs in Pusha T and me. He’s got so much credibility. We know his story and where he’s from. He’s got kids, so how does he see financial literacy? How is he thinking about generational wealth?” 

All streaming proceeds of the new track will be donated to First Generation Investors (FGI), a not-for-profit dedicated to empowering underserved high school students with investing literacy.