Wyclef Jean was overawed by Michael Jackson

I think the subtext here is that we're meant to read the words "even I, the mighty Wyclef Jean, out the Fugees and so on, felt this way" at the start of every sentence:

"When I knew he was coming, I went to the bathroom, put some water on my face and I was rehearsing how I would be talking to Mike," he said. "When I was in the presence of Michael Jackson, I go to shake his hand — and my whole voice box goes out. This is the kind of effect that this man had on me!"

That must have been an awkward meeting - one man unable to get his voicebox to work, the other having trouble keeping his nose in place.