Fugees

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Fugees
File:Fugeeshits.jpg
Background information
OriginSouth Orange, New Jersey, United States; Haiti
Years active1994–1997
2004–present
MembersLauryn Hill
Wyclef Jean
Pras Michel

The Fugees are a critically acclaimed American music band, 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.

History

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.

Reunion

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.

Trivia

  • When performing their number one single "Killing Me Softly" on Top Of The Pops, the band played the song at something approaching half speed. Many have speculated that this may have been owing to the influence of marijuana, but this cannot be corroborated.

Discography

Albums

Year Title Chart positions WW Sales
Billboard
200 		Top R&B/
Hip-Hop
1994 Blunted on Reality - #62 2 million
1996 The Score #1 #1 18 million
1996 Refugee Camp - Bootleg Versions #127 #50
2003 Fugees - Greatest Hits - -

Singles

Year Title Chart positions Album
US Hot 100 US R&B/Hip-Hop UK Singles Chart
1994 "Boof Baf" - - - Blunted on Reality
1994 "Nappy Heads" #49 #12 - Blunted on Reality
1994 "Vocab" - - - Blunted on Reality
1995 "Fu-Gee-La" #29 #13 #21 The Score
1996 "Killing Me Softly" #2 - #1 The Score
1996 "Ready or Not" - - #1 The Score
1996 "No Woman, No Cry" (with Stephen Marley) - - #2 The Score
1997 "Rumble in the Jungle" (feat. A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes & John Forté) - - #3 When We Were Kings Original Soundtrack
2005 "Take It Easy" - #40 - Reconciliation

See also

External links

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