on this edition of "our world with black enterprise," we catch up with musicman wyclef jean, known for his music and his humanitarianism. our headliner. in our roundtable discussion, can you really meet your soul mate online? we discuss the rise in internet dating, plus a breast cancer survivor teaches others to fight for their lives. all that, up next.

wyclef jean went solo after the grammy award winning trio the fujis unexpectedly split in 1997, but that was really the start of what has become an exceptional music career. i recently caught up with jean at the black enterprise golf and tennis classic where we discussed the release of his next album and his future plans for his homeland, haiti. >> wyclef, good to see you, man. >> you, too, brother. >> before we get into some of the things you've been doing lately, i want to talk to you about music and one thing. when i think about the fuooch fugees i think about the relatively short time they existed to the world. not in your life. y'all were kicking it before anybody knew it, but the impact you've had with such a short time that, do you ever sit back and think about that? >> no. i mean, for that i don't really think about that, because you

know, like my godfather of the game is like quincy jones. you know? i think when i'm like 50 years into it, i definitely will look back at what i do. you know, i think, like the fugees one impact if i think of the fugee, the record had whitney houston, probably wouldn't have santana, maria, shakira, destiny's child. so for me, it's more like, i look at it like an arc of music. ♪ you know, the fugees are considered the beatles of rap music. like the hip-hop beatles. to be from such pris teaches company is incredible. >> what is it about music that captured your soul so? i mean, there are some musicians

that you can almost feel that it is truly a part of them. i get that from you. >> well, i mean, music for me is survival. it's not like -- you know, i just didn't music to do music. coming from haiti, drums plays very important. i would sit outside and just beat the drum. like all day long, just beat the drum. for me, music has always been a sahrvival for me. you know what i mean? it's part of my life. you know? >> are you surprised at where you have gone in terms of -- not the popularity, but the want for so many people, from so many people to have wyclef connected with them musically? there are a certain number of producers who have their time, and it's their time, and you, though yours is extended are having yours. is that a surprise to you, and i suspect you don't take that for granted? >> i don't take it for granted, and actually, my time actually just started. you know what i'm saying?

so, you know, it's like i'm from haiti, baby. this is the marathon. even when i slow down, baby, i'm just pacing myself. for me, the thing about it is, the music will constantly change. and the pulse is always in the youth. like, you can't fight the youth. the pulse is in the youth. so you have producers and you have artists that believe that it's all about them. once you really think that it's all about you, your time is done. you don't know that yet, because you're still living in the hype, and once your time is finished, it's finished. so for me, my music and has i've done has never been about me. you know? i would say one of my reinventions to the young generation, that's like 16, 15, years old, when i'm like in nebraska and the kids at 16 comes up to me, if i was president, i'd get elected on friday, assassinated on saturday. what? how you learn that song from? that's the coolest song.

i go on youtube and a generation is downloaded it, playing it on guitar. i was like, okay. has if i listened to a record company at a time. like listens, it has to be the radio. okay. jay-z's doing this. follow this it 50 cents dop thinking. follow this. the kid would have never had that record. that's the part of it i don't take for granted. i always study the young generation. i also want to know what the culture is, what are they learning? because there's as a teacher, i have to be able to spin it back to them in a way where it's like, you're not preaching. you noah i'm saying? >> i want to go back to what you've done in your homeland. i have traveled to haiti a couple of times during the coup, et ceteras, and aristide's return. >> you've been in the heaviness. you can talk to me. you the right man, then i. want to get a sense of where you want all of your efforts to culminate

what do you want it to be at the end of the day? >> i think that, you know, that question can't be answered in, like, it can be answered in two parts. one of the parts is, economically. this country needs job creation. we have to find a way to bring back job creation to port-au-prince. you take a situation, over 700,000 people in one area. now, job creation is a problem. the recent job creation is a problem because you've never had a stable government. why would a business group come in and say, man, okay. we'll spend $100 million in port-au-prince. we believe this place is the future. so the thing about it is, unless you come up with job creation, then you are always going to have the same problem in haiti, which falls on the second aspect. and the second aspect of job creation is charity and business development.

and when we say charity, we don't mean like, bringing us food this week. we saying, charity in the sengs of sense of using the charity as micromanagement. where you're actually giving people jobs. where they're not getting it for free. but at the same time, you're actually developing a country. >> let me take you as we wrap up back to music and i asked you what you wanted to do on the building side, the philanthropic side. what do you want to do musically when you look back, as you say, on quincy can do now on a career? what do you want wyclef's career to have said musically? >> i want my music to unite the globe. when you look at wyclef's music it has to be known at unity music. like, yo, this kid took australia, took it to brazil, broughtback to jersey. if it wasn't for this kid, this

side wouldn't have known this side of music. i didn't really make this us. this jazz would have never been around the world if the guys that started jazz never thought like that. so i want to leave a legacy of culture, musically. >> you're on the road to that. always good to see you. >> you, too. >> yes, sir. >> good. wyclef's latest project is due out sometime in 2010. feel like the dating pool is getter smaller? up next, in our round table discussion we'll talk about the rise of internet dating. back in a moment. >> it's not just about us looking for men. it's about us looking for the quality of person that we want to date, whether we choose to make you a friend, or a partner.

welcome back, everyone. in the age of technology and busy schedules, online dating is not so taboo anymore. should you be more comfortable looking for your next date online? assembled a great panel to discuss this subject. host of the radio program "the love zone." ron worthy, vice president of production and business services for people media which runs black people meet dotcom. the largest black meeting site for black singles and dina

phillips, formerly an online dater. we'll get to the that. folks, welcome. greatly appreciate it. let me pick on you first. they told me it's former. you don't do it any longer. is that because you found the love of your life online or it just was not for you? >> i think -- i didn't find the love of my life. the person i met was not online but i think it just changed my purpose, you know, the things that i wanted to do kind of changed my priorities. the time i was working a lot. so the online dating was very effective and helpful. >> how much hesitation, if at all did you have before you actually put's a profile and raep jumped in the water? >> none. i started out more from curiosity. i heard about so many people who had met people, and after four months were engaged and the relationship seemed to be really healthy and they were excited. so i was curious. >> ron, talk to me about, a, the increase, i suspect in traffic you've seen over the years and the feedback you can give us in terms of just pure dating?

>> absolutely. i think the online dating has been around for a while and it's a holdover from the old days of the classifieds, where you may have had a lot of negative baggage. we have an internet, in the early days more mainstream focus. now the biggest growth area is in the targeted niche base. people are looking for a safe affective environment where they can find people also looking for people like themselves. >> what does your company do to safeguard some of that? profile, put up a picture, meet him or her, and that may or may not look like that picture. i tell you that i made $250,000 in oops, zeroing wrong place. mads 25ds,000. how much can you safe guard online? >> the reality, we provide a myriad of options on the back and front end for the user to make sure they have the safest experience possible. just like anything else, it's buyer beware pup ge out and have to exercise caution. meet in a coffeehouse where the

initial date with, make sure you let people know, like you would if you met someone a supermarket and happened to meet them and didn't have information about them. yeah, we have a full staff to make sure that we monitor all of it, communications and make sure that if people have any complaints about a particular user, we address that immediately. we certainly address that meetly. >> you've written books and blogs, host a pop rather radio program in the baltimore area. talk to me about this whole idea of internet dating. there is a generation, mine, greater to looked at this a long time and said, that's for weirdos pup don't go that route. now it is far more common. talk to me about what your listener, and readers are saying somewhere. >> it's interesting. my listener base is 25 to 54, people who say no, never do and people who say this is something i'd do every day. i think it really has changed, because people are tired of

clubs. they're tired of waiting for that aren't dom person to meet them at the grocery store. they really want to take charge of their dating and online dating sites allow you to do that. you can say i want a certain height. certain income level. i want a certain intellectual level. you can really drill it down and get that ideal person for you. >> do you find that there is this want, particularly for women, we're not as discriminating as we go out there on the market, but for women, there is this sense of, you always hear the complaint i can't find, i can't find, a can't fd a good black man, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. they see this as wider net casting on the internet? >> absolutely. literally for the cost of a cup of coffee every day compared to going out to dinner, a very expensive dates and especially in this economy. you become, a paid subscriber, instantly you have access to thousands of people right away. the thing the internet does for you and online dating, with the

inbox you can continue to have conversations online with them until they go over a threshold you realize maybe i want to meet this person in person. and we have enough to tools either through our chat or through actual megging people where you can actually get to that before you actually see them in person. >> dawn, what about the idea, i don't care what anybody says, there is stigmas for women men don't have. >> right. >> so it seems to me that because you have this wider net, can you conceivably go out with a lot more people through internet dating than going to a club. >> right. >> how -- how much of a stigma can that be for women, if you've got -- when you get home, 25, 30 men who are in you're in box. i like 10 of these, 20, and there is a sense of, come on, now. >> i understand what you're saying. women, we do have that perception. thinking we have to deal with, seeing a lot of men. what that really says about us, but you have to see online

dating as dating. i think a lot of times we've forgotten about what dating truly is. that is trying a lot of people out. it doesn't mean you're sleeping with everyone you try out. you're having conversation, going out for coffee and getting to know people. if i come home at the day and there's 25 messages in my in box, yeah. it's a good day. let's have conversations. that 25 drops to 10, then 5 it may drop to 2, but it's all about playing a numbers game. i really think it's important for women to get into the game. >> i know we're talking about the facts and fictions, i had a blast. to be honest, the interin et is world of resources. you have your facebooks, all the different places can you go to meet people socially networking. and i will tell you, it is just not just applied to women. it applies to men. there is a stigma associated with men who are going into their 40s and are not married and don't have children and because women have an option

careerwise, moneywise, we're not settling these days. you know, so it's not just about us looking for men. it's about u.s. looking for the quality of person that we want to date, whether we choose to make awe friend, or a partner. >> guys, thanks so much. greatly appreciate it. take a break here. up next, she says knowing your body can save your life's we'll see how this woman saved her own in this week's "slice of life." >> i'm able to show them in living color and proof, standing here alive and well over 20 years. uh-oh.

(announcer) when diarrhea hits... kaopectate stops it fast. kaopectate stops it fast. kaopectate stops it fast. powerful liquid relief speeds to the source. fast. (announcer) stop the uh-oh fast with kao. october is breast cancer awareness month, and today we bring you a story that focuses on the importance of knowing your body. the denise roberts foundation is a community of minority women and men fighting breast cancer through education and early detection. diagnosed at the age of 34, denise focuses on those under the age of 40 who do not have the proper insurance, but it's also sharing her personal struggle that has truly allowed her to help others.

>> reporter: two years ago during a self-breast examination, darlene smith found a lump. >> when you first get diagnosed and that information is given to you, you're in, i call it, a fog. >> reporter: and like other women in the community, darlene called on denise. >> so you talk to another woman that has gone through what you're going through, and have been there, the most comfort that you can get out of anything that happens to you, other than standing on your feet. >> reporter: denise roberts is a two-time cancer survivor. first diagnosed at the age of 34 with breast cancer which she thought was her hardest test, but 11 years later, he reality was rocked again by a diagnosis of uterine cancer. >> it was detected early, as the breast cancer, but both of them were the same. same, meaning that they were not

regular symptoms. so i had to know my body. i had to know that something was wrong. >> reporter: and after staring cancer in the face twice, denise decided it was time to help other black women and men. she founded the denise roberts breast cancer foundation in the greater los angeles area. >> so you go bac to that dark place of fear. even though you have the support. that is why this foundation is so hard but yet it's so needed. >> reporter: since 1999, the foundation has been providing free counseling and breast screenings for thousands of uninsured minority women under 40 years old. this demographic is particularly denise' focus, because without early detection, she would not be here. >> women are working in jobs as hair-stylists, their own businesses, and they have no insurance. so, therefore, finances become

the reason for them dying. >> reporter: her daughter, heaven roberts, has also seen firsthand how the organization can impact lives. >> i stand behind her, because she is literally the strength of and the backbone of this foundation, and it's important for me to be involved as young person, because there is no age to breast cancer. as we know now. >> i'm able to show them in living color and proof denise is standing here alive and well over 20 years. so that goes into helping me to continue this fight. fight for the cure. we'll be back right after this. [ crew guy hi...welcome to mcdonald's. what can i get you guys? derek, did you forget something? ♪ ♪ a happy meal, please. you got it. [ mom my derek loves his mcdonald's happy meal.

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that does it for this edition of "our world with black

enterprise." thanks for joining us. until next time, i'm ed gordon, and thanks for making "our world" your world. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com i get to sleep faster, stay asleep and wake refreshed. melt to sleep fast. unisom sleep melts. get new gold bond pain relieving foot roll-on for maximum-strength, mess-free relief. gold bond. fast relief for painful feet.