The Fugees (pronounced /'fu?d?i?z/) were an American hip hop group
who rose to fame in the mid-1990s. Their repertoire included elements
of Hip hop, soul and Caribbean music, particularly reggae. The members
of the group are rapper/singer/producer Wyclef Jean, rapper/singer/producer
Lauryn Hill, and rapper Pras Michel. Deriving their name from the
term refugee, Jean and Pras are Haitian, while Hill is American.
The group recorded two albums—one of which, The Score (1996),
was a multi-platinum and Grammy-winning success—before disbanding
in 1997. Hill and Jean each went on to successful solo recording
careers; Michel focused on soundtrack recordings and acting, though
he found commercial success with his song "Ghetto Supastar".
In 2007, MTV ranked them the 9th greatest Hip-hop group of all time.[1]
The trio formed in the early nineties, originally as a Bee Gees
tribute act (needs citation,) but changed direction and released
their first hip-hop LP, Blunted on Reality, in 1994 under the guidance
of legendary Kool and the Gang's producer Ronald khalis Bell. The
album spawned two underground hits, "Nappy Heads (Mona Lisa)" and "Vocab",
but gained little mainstream attention, although it had an unmistakable
artistic quality and a very innovative approach in the use of samples.[2]
The musical qualities of this first opus would be rediscovered, after
the release of their second album The Score which appeared in early
1996.
The Score became one of the biggest hits of 1996 and one of the
best-selling hip hop albums of all time. The Fugees first gained
attention for their cover versions of old favorites, with the group's
reinterpretations of "No Woman No Cry" by Bob Marley & the
Wailers and "Killing Me Softly with His Song" by Roberta
Flack, the latter being their biggest 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 featured a prominent sample of Enya's "Boadicea" without
the singer's 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 liner notes for The Score. The
Fugees won two 1997 Grammy Awards with The Score (Best Rap Album)
and "Killing Me Softly" (Best R&B Vocal Performance
by a Duo or Group).
In 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; Pras,
with Mya and Ol' Dirty Bastard, recorded the single "Ghetto
Supastar" for the soundtrack to the Warren Beatty/Halle Berry
film Bulworth.
The trio purposely took its name from a word often used derogatorily
to refer to Haitian-Americans (refugee).[citation needed] Refugee
Camp, while a name sometimes credited to the trio, also refers to
a number of artists affiliated with them, and particularly Jean.
John Forté was an early member, rapping and drum programming
on two of The Score's tracks, and served a 14-year prison sentence
for cocaine trafficking until his sentence was commuted in November
2008 by George W. Bush.
[edit] Short-lived reunion
The three Fugees reunited and performed on September 18, 2004 at
the concert in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn featured in the film
Dave Chappelle's Block Party, headlining a star-studded bill that
included Kanye West, Mos Def, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, The Roots,
Talib Kweli, Common, Big Daddy Kane, Dead Prez, Cody ChestnuTT and
John Legend. Their performance received mostly positive reviews,
many of which praised Hill's near a cappella rendition of "Killing
Me Softly".
The Fugees would make their first televised appearance in almost
ten years at BET's 2005 Music Awards on June 28, opening the show
with a twelve minute set. With a new album announced to be in the
works, one track, "Take It Easy", was leaked online and
eventually released as an Internet single on September 27, 2005.
It peaked at #40 on the Billboard R&B Chart and was met with
poor reviews, noting its radical departure from the Fugees' sound.
In 2005, the Fugees embarked on a European tour—their first
together since 1997—from November 30 to December 20, playing
in Finland, Austria, Norway, Germany, Italy, France, England, Belgium,
Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and Slovakia. The tour received mixed
reviews. On February 6, 2006, the group reunited for a free show
in Hollywood, with tickets given away to about 8,000 fans by local
radio stations. Later that month, a new track called "Foxy" leaked,
a song dubbed the "REAL return of the Fugees" by several
online MP3 blogs. Dave Chappelle, the Fugees and the rest of the
film's line-up also toured several cities in February and March,
under the moniker Block Party All-Stars featuring Dave Chappelle,
in promotion of the film's release.
However, following the reunion tour, the album that was said to
be in the works did not materialize and was postponed indefinitely
as relationships between band members apparently deteriorated. During
an interview with SOHH.com, Michel confirmed that the group was "straight
dead".[cite this quote] He indicated this was due to Hill having "some
things she needs to deal with."[cite this quote] In August 2007,
he reiterated this, stating, "Before I work with Lauryn Hill
again, you will have a better chance of seeing Osama Bin Laden and
[George W.] Bush in Starbucks having a latte, discussing foreign
policies, before there will be a Fugees reunion."[3]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
Year Title Chart positions Certifications
U.S.
200 U.S
R&B UK CAN[4]
1994 Blunted on Reality — 62 — —
1996 The Score 1 1 2 1
* US: 6× Platinum[5]
* UK: 4× Platinum[6]
* CAN: 5× Platinum[7]
Bootleg Versions 127 50 55 —
2003 Greatest Hits — — — —