The Fugees
The Fugees are an
American music group, popular during the mid-
1990s, whose repertoire includes primarily
hip hop, with elements of
soul, and
Caribbean music (particularly
reggae). The members of the group are leader/
rapper/
producer Wyclef Jean, rapper/singer
Lauryn Hill, and rapper
Pras Michel. Both Jean and Michel are of
Haitian heritage; Hill is an
African American native of
South Orange, New Jersey. Deriving their name from the term "refugee", the group is noted for the integration of soul and reggae into their work, and recorded two albums—one of which,
The Score, was a
multi-platinum and
Grammy-winning success—before going their separate ways after
1997. Hill and Jean each went on to successful solo recording careers, while Michel focused mainly on soundtrack recordings and acting.
The trio released their first LP,
Blunted on Reality that spawned two underground hits "Nappy Heads" (Mona Lisa) and "Vocab", but the album failed to live up the expectations of fans who attended their concerts. Despite the relative failure of their first album,
The Score became one of the biggest hits of
1996. The Fugees were known for their unusual choice of
covers and sampling sources on both albums;
The Score, for example, included reinterpretations of "
No Woman No Cry" (
Bob Marley & the Wailers) and "
Killing Me Softly (With His Song)" (
Roberta Flack), which was their biggest pop hit. The album also included a re-interpretation of
The Delfonics' "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love)" in their hit single "Ready or Not" which used a sample from
Boadicea by
Enya without her permission. This prompted a lawsuit resulting in a settlement where Enya was given credit and royalties for her sample. The Fugees have continuously thanked and praised Enya for her deep understanding of the situation, for example in the booklet for the album "The Score". The Fugees won two
1997 Grammy Awards:
The Score won for
Best Rap Album, and "Killing Me Softly With His Song" won for
Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.After
1997, the Fugees all began solo projects. Hill started work on her critically acclaimed
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Jean began producing for a number of artists (including
Canibus,
Destiny's Child and
Carlos Santana) and recorded his debut album
The Carnival. Michel, with
Mya and
Ol' Dirty Bastard, recorded the single "Ghetto Supastar" for the soundtrack to the
Warren Beatty/
Halle Berry film
Bulworth. After each member found success in other ventures, the Fugees failed to reform. Though the Fugees remained tight-lipped about the exact reasons, most fans believed that a serious personality conflict between Hill and Jean contributed to the breakup following
The Score.
Incarcerated rapper
John Forté also performed with the Fugees and
Wyclef Jean, even being the co-writer/producer on two of the tracks off of
The Score.
The three Fugees reunited & performed on
September 18, 2004 at the concert featured in the film
Dave Chappelle's Block Party in the
Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of
Brooklyn,
New York City. They headlined a bill that included a star-studded cast of hip hop celebrities, including
Kanye West,
Mos Def,
Jill Scott,
Erykah Badu,
The Roots,
Talib Kweli,
Common,
Big Daddy Kane,
Kool G Rap,
Bilal,
Dead Prez,
Cody ChestnuTT,
John Legend, and the
Central State University Marching Band. The concert received mostly positive reviews, many of which praised Hill's nearly-a capella rendition of "
Killing Me Softly". Chappelle toured several cities in February and March
2006 to promote the film under the moniker "Block Party All-Stars featuring Dave Chappelle."
The Fugees also appeared at
BET's 2005 Music Awards on
June 28, 2005, opening the show with a twelve minute set.
A new album is supposedly in the works. One track, "Take It Easy", was leaked online and eventually released as a single on the internet on
September 27, 2005. It peaked at #40 on the
Billboard R&B Chart. However, the single was given mostly poor reviews by critics.
The Fugees embarked on a European tour from
November 30,
2005 through
December 20,
2005 - their first tour together since 1997. The group played
Finland ,
Austria,
Norway,
Germany,
Italy,
France,
England,
Belgium,
Denmark,
Sweden,
Switzerland and
Slovakia. Not many print reviews exist of these shows, but the consensus among fans on the internet is that many of these concerts were underpromoted, had poor sound and were very disorganized - but the group itself arguably put on some of the best performances of their career.
On
February 6,
2006, the group reunited for a show in Hollywood. Tickets for the free concert in
Hollywood were given away to about 8,000 fans by local radio stations.
Toward the end of
February 2006, a new track called "Foxy" leaked through an unknown source. Not much is known about the track, other than that it is being called as the "REAL return of the Fugees" by several online music
blogs.
Albums
Singles
*
List of best-selling music artists*
Official Fugees Website*
International FUGEES-ONLINE.de (fansite)
*
Message Board The Fugees message board and fan community
*
Fugees at
Discogs*
The Original Unofficial Fugees Page (fansite)
*
Fugees Lyrics* http://www.southflorida.com/news/sns-celebrity-0308wyclefjean,0,1826049.story?coll=sfe-guide-headlines
