Fugees
Fugees are an American hip-hop group formed in South Orange, New Jersey, in 1990. The trio of Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel, and Lauryn Hill were known for their fusion of hip-hop, reggae, R&B, and funk; their socially conscious lyrics; and use of live instrumentation during their performances. Their sound stood apart during the gangsta rap-dominated era, as they became one of the most significant alternative hip-hop acts. Their name, derived from "refugees", referenced Jean's immigrant background, Michel's Haitian heritage, and themes of resilience in their music.
After signing with Ruffhouse Records, an imprint of Columbia Records, in 1993, Fugees released their debut album Blunted on Reality. Initially met by modest sales, it gained traction as they built a reputation in local clubs and talent shows. Producer Salaam Remi remixed their songs "Nappy Heads" and "Vocab", with the former charting on the Billboard Hot 100, helping them gain underground recognition. Their second album, The Score, was a massive commercial success, spawning the hit singles "Fu-Gee-La", "Ready or Not", and their reimagined version of "Killing Me Softly", which topped the charts in over 20 countries worldwide. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, was certified 7× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards, making it only the second rap album to receive the honor. According to The New York Times, its success placed the Fugees "at the forefront of pop music".
At their peak, Fugees collaborated with various artists, appearing on Simply Red's "Angel", and releasing "Rumble in the Jungle", which featured Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest and John Forté, both of which reached the top five on the UK Singles Chart. They also collaborated with Bounty Killer on the rap opera single "Hip-Hopera". In 1997, they performed what was the largest staged concert in Haitian history, becoming one of the country's most significant musical events. However, internal conflicts led to their disbandment later that year, with each member pursuing solo careers. They have reunited periodically, including for tours and live performances, such as their appearance in Dave Chappelle's Block Party.
Fugees have won two Grammy Awards, a Brit Award for International Group, and the Medal of Honor from Haitian President René Préval. They are frequently ranked among the greatest rap groups, with Billboard stating that they "contributed to the diversification of Black identity in popular culture through potent rhymes that were equal parts conscious and commercially relevant". VH1 named them among the 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Artists. The Score was included in Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums, while "Ready or Not" was recognized as one of the Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
History
1990-1994: Formation and ''Blunted on Reality''
and Pras first met at Columbia High School, in Maplewood, New Jersey. Pras, Lauryn, and a mutual friend Marcy Harriell formed a musical trio called Tyme; Wyclef Jean joined the line-up and Marcy left soon afterward, in 1990. The moniker Tranzlator Crew refers to the name of their band at the time, which included Johnny Wise on drums, Ti Bass on bass guitar, and original DJ Hard Hittin Harry. DJ Leon joined the group in 1994 after Harry left to pursue a career as a publicist. In 1993, after some gigs and recorded demos, the trio signed to Ruffhouse, distributed through Columbia Records. The members then changed the group's name to Fugees, which was purposely taken from a word often used derogatorily to refer to Haitian-Americans. Refugee Camp, while a name sometimes credited to the trio, also refers to a number of artists affiliated with the members, and particularly Jean.The trio soon changed musical direction, and released its first hip-hop LP, Blunted on Reality, under the guidance of Kool and the Gang's producer Ronald Bell. The group wrote and recorded the album in 1992 at the House of Music Studios in West Orange, New Jersey. However, due to a dispute with its record label, the album was not released until February 1, 1994. Fugees' members have subsequently said they allowed the producers too much control over the album's content and form. Although the album did not contain as many lyrics with overtly political messages as songs from their next and better-known album The Score, there were still political intentions. Though Blunted on Reality spawned the three singles "Boof Baf", "Vocab", and "Nappy Heads", they struggled to gain mainstream attention despite earning plaudits for its artistic quality and innovative use of samples. The album's most successful single was a remixed version of the song "Nappy Heads" produced by Salaam Remi. The remix peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100.
1996-1998: ''The Score'' and breakup
The musical qualities of the first Fugees record were revisited with their sophomore effort The Score, which was released in February 1996, and 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 its 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", the latter being their biggest hit.The album also included a re-interpretation of The Delfonics' "Ready or Not Here I Come " 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 group members have continuously thanked and praised Enya for her deep understanding of the situation, for example in the liner notes of The Score. The Fugees won two 1997 Grammy Awards with The Score and "Killing Me Softly".
In 1997, Fugees were featured on the song "Hip-Hopera" by Bounty Killer, which spent five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 81. The group also recorded the song "Rumble in the Jungle" featuring Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest & John Forté, for the 1996 documentary When We Were Kings. They produced remixes of Michael Jackson's "Blood on the Dance Floor" and "2 Bad".
Later that year, Fugees each began solo projects: Hill began writing and producing for a number of artists and started work on her critically acclaimed The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill; Jean also began producing for a number of artists and released his debut album Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival; Pras, with Mýa and Ol' Dirty Bastard, recorded the single "Ghetto Supastar " for the soundtrack to the film Bulworth. In 1998 they reunited to shoot a music video for the song "Just Happy to Be Me" which appeared in the Sesame Street special Elmopalooza, and also on the Grammy Award-winning soundtrack album.
2006-present: Later years
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 ChesnuTT and John Legend. Their performance received several positive reviews, many of which praised Hill's near a cappella rendition of "Killing Me Softly".Fugees made their first televised appearance in almost 10 years at BET's 2005 Music Awards on June 28, opening the show with a 12-minute set. With a new album announced to be in the works, their final track, "Take It Easy", was leaked online and eventually released as an Internet single on September 27, 2005. It peaked at number 40 on the Billboard R&B Chart.
In November 2005, the Fugees embarked on a European tour – the members' first together since 1997 – from 30 November to 20 December, playing in Finland, Austria, Norway, Germany, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and Slovakia. The group had been scheduled to play at the Hammersmith Apollo on November 25, 2005; however, it was forced to move the gig to December due to production issues. 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" was leaked, a song dubbed the "real return of the Fugees" by several online music blogs.
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 the recording of the album, the group was plagued with creative differences. They recorded a song titled "Lips Don't Lie", but Hill did not like the song and, after some disagreements over it, the group disbanded again. The song was ultimately given to singer Shakira with featured vocals by Jean and, after the title was changed to "Hips Don't Lie", the song was released as a single and became a global hit. In August 2007, a year after the group's second disbandment, Pras stated, "Before I work with Lauryn Hill again, you will have a better chance of seeing Osama bin Laden and George W. Bush| Bush in Starbucks having a latte, discussing foreign policies, before there will be a Fugees reunion". Meanwhile, in September 2007, an equally outspoken Wyclef told Blues & Soul: "I feel the first issue that needs to be addressed is that Lauryn needs help... In my personal opinion, those Fugees reunion shows shouldn't have been done, because we wasn't ready. I really felt we shoulda first all gone into a room with Lauryn and a psychiatrist... But, you know, I do believe Lauryn can get help. And, once she does work things out, hopefully a proper and enduring Fugees reunion will happen." On July 15, 2017, an old song by the Fugees was leaked on Hot 97 radio; this led to reports that the group was reforming, which were later denied by group members on Twitter.
After the group split, Wyclef Jean co-founded and headed the Yele Haiti Foundation, a non-profit organization "focusing on emergency relief, employment, youth development and education, and tree planting and agriculture" in Haiti. Pras starred in a documentary about homelessness in Los Angeles and remained outspoken about Haitian politics. Lauryn Hill continued recording and performing socially conscious music and went on to advocate for female empowerment especially within the music industry. The Fugees also turned their recording studio, the Booga Basement, into a transitional house for young Haitian refugees immigrating to the United States.
In September 2021, the Fugees announced a reunion tour to celebrate 25 years of their album, The Score. On Friday, October 29, 2021, the Fugees announced that their reunion tour dates were postponed to early 2022. However, on January 21, 2022, the Fugees released a statement saying they would not be going on tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour was rescheduled and set to begin in August 2024 but was quietly canceled three days before the first show, with no reason given to customers receiving refunds. The UK leg of the tour did go ahead as planned. On November 20, 2025, member Pras was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being found guilty of 10 criminal counts related to involvement in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.