The Fugees are a critically acclaimed music band from the United States, 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/singer/producer Wyclef Jean, rapper/singer Lauryn Hill, and rapper Pras Michel. Jean and Michel are of Haitian heritage, while Hill is from 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. Map of South Orange Village in Essex County South Orange is a Village in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. ... For the Bon Jovi album, see New Jersey (album) Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... Rhythm and blues (aka R&B or RnB) is a popular music genre combining jazz, gospel, and blues influences — first performed by African American artists. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Ruffhouse Records is a record label founded in 1989 by Chris Schwartz and Joe Nicolo as a joint venture with Columbia Records. ... Lauryn Noel Hill (born May 25, 1975 in South Orange, New Jersey), is an eight-time Grammy award winning musician, and record producer. ... Nelust Wyclef Jean (IPA pronunciation: ) (born October 17, 1972) is a Grammy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated Haitian-rapper, reggae artist, producer, and member of the superstar hip hop trio The Fugees, known popularly for a series of low-profile singles in the 1990s but respected within the hip... Pras (b. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... For other uses, see Soul music (disambiguation). ... West Indian redirects here. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Rapping is one of the elements of hip hop and the distinguishing feature of hip hop music; it is a form of rhyming lyrics spoken rhythmically over musical instruments, with a musical backdrop of sampling, scratching and mixing by DJs. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Nelust Wyclef Jean (IPA pronunciation: ) (born October 17, 1972) is a Grammy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated Haitian-rapper, reggae artist, producer, and member of the superstar hip hop trio The Fugees, known popularly for a series of low-profile singles in the 1990s but respected within the hip... Lauryn Noel Hill (born May 25, 1975 in South Orange, New Jersey), is an eight-time Grammy award winning musician, and record producer. ... Pras (b. ... The Score is a 1996 album released by The Fugees. ... In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles shipped to retail and other ancillary markets. ... Grammy Award statuette The Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. Blunted on Reality is the debut album of The Fugees. ... The Score is a 1996 album released by The Fugees. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... No Woman No Cry was a song written by Bob Marley. ... Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (February 6, 1945 - May 11, 1981), better known as Bob Marley, was a singer, guitarist, songwriter and Rastafarian from the ghettos of Jamaica. ... Killing Me Softly With His Song is a song composed by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel. ... Roberta Flack Roberta Flack (born February 10, 1937 in Asheville, North Carolina) is an American singer. ... The Delfonics were a quintessential Philadelphia soul singing group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. ... Ready or Not is the second single from The Fugees highly succesful album, The Score. ... Boudicca (also written Boudica, Boadicea, Buduica, Bonduca), was a Celtic female chieftain who led the Iceni and a number of other Celtic tribes, including the neighbouring Trinovantes, in a major uprising against the occupying Roman forces in Britain in AD 60 or 61 during the reign of the emperor Nero. ... For the letter Ñ pronounced Enye, see Ñ. Enya, birth name Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin IPA: (sometimes presented in the media as the Anglicised Enya Brennan; born 17 May 1961), is the Republic of Irelands best-selling solo artist and one of Irelands best known musicians. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Grammy Award statuette The Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music... The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album has been awarded since 1996. ... The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal has been awarded since 1970. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is the debut solo album by Lauryn Hill of the recently reunited Fugees. ... Germaine Williams (born December 9, 1974), better known as Canibus and also as Can-I-Bus and Rip the Jacker, is a Jamaican-born, American MC and rapper. ... Destinys Child was a Grammy Award-winning American R&B girl group. ... Carlos Augusto Alves Santana (born July 20, 1947), known simply as Carlos Santana or Santana, is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-born American Latin rock musician and guitarist. ... Mya on her album Moodring (2003) Mya Marie Harrison (born October 10, 1979 in Washington, D.C.) is a United States italian , jamaican American R&B singer, dancer, and actress who debuted in early 1998 as a teenager. ... Russell Tyrone Jones (November 15, 1968 – November 13, 2004) was an American rapper known by the stage name Ol Dirty Bastard (often shortened to ODB by mainstream media). ... Henry Warren Beaty (born March 30, 1937), better known as Warren Beatty, is an Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning American actor, producer, screenwriter, and director. ... Halle Maria Berry (born August 14, 1966[1] in Cleveland, Ohio) is an Emmy, Golden Globe, and Academy Award-winning American actress and former fashion model and beauty queen. ... Bulworth is an American film released in 1998, which was written, directed by, and starred Warren Beatty and co-starred Halle Berry. ...

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. John Forté (born 1975 in Brooklyn, New York) is a rapper and producer. ... Nelust Wyclef Jean (IPA pronunciation: ) (born October 17, 1972) is a Grammy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated Haitian-rapper, reggae artist, producer, and member of the superstar hip hop trio The Fugees, known popularly for a series of low-profile singles in the 1990s but respected within the hip...

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 cappella 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." September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... Dave Chappelles Block Party (aka Block Party) is a documentary film hosted and written by comedian Dave Chappelle, and directed by Michel Gondry. ... Bedford Stuyvesant (aka Bed-Stuy) is a neighborhood in central Brooklyn, New York City. ... Brooklyn (named for the Dutch city Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. ... Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham, NYC, City That Never Sleeps, The Concrete Jungle, The City So Nice They Named It Twice Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City... Kanye Omari West (pronounced /kÉ‘n. ... Dante Terrell Smith (born December 11, 1973), best known by his stage name Mos Def, is a critically acclaimed American rapper and actor. ... Jill Scott (born April 4, 1972) is a Grammy Award-winning jazz, rhythm and blues, and neo-soul singer and songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... Erykah Badu (born Erica Abi Wright, February 26, 1971, in Dallas, Texas) is an American neo-soul, R&B/hip hop artist whose work crosses over into jazz. ... The Roots, also known as The Legendary Roots Crew, The Fifth Dynasty, The Square Roots and The Foundation, are an influential, Grammy winning Philadelphia-based hip hop group, famed for a heavily jazzy sound and live instrumentation. ... Talib Kweli (born Talib Kweli Greene in Brooklyn, NY on October 3, 1975) is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. ... Common (formerly Common Sense, born Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. ... Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is a rapper from Brooklyn, New York. ... Nathaniel Wilson (born July 20, 1968), known by stage name Kool G Rap, is an American hardcore rapper from Queens, New York City. ... Bilal (born Bilal Sayeed Oliver on August 23, 1979, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) is a neo soul musician and member of the musical collective known as Soulquarians. ... . The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions. ... Cody ChesnuTT Cody ChesnuTT is an American musician from Atlanta, Georgia, whose music blends elements of rock, funk, soul, hip-hop, and blues. ... John Legend (born John Stephens on December 28, 1978 in Springfield, Ohio) is a five-time Grammy Award winning R&B singer, songwriter, and pianist. ... Central State University is a historically black university located in Wilberforce, Ohio. ... A cappella music is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. ... Killing Me Softly is the title of several works: Killing Me Softly With His Song, also known as Killing Me Softly, is a song performed by various artists, most notably Roberta Flack. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

The Fugees also appeared at BET's 2005 Music Awards on June 28, 2005, opening the show with a twelve minute set. Black Entertainment Television is an American cable network targeted toward African-American audiences in the United States. ... June 28 is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 186 days remaining. ...

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. September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. ... The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, formerly known as Top Soul Singles, Top Black Singles, and Top R&B Singles (before the hip-hop term was added in the late 1990s), is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. ...

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. November 30 is the 334th day (335th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ...

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. February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... ...

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. Media:Example. ... It has been suggested that Online diary be merged into this article or section. ...

Trivia

The Song 'Ready Or Not' was covered by UVR on the album Dis L'Heure 2 Hip-Hop Rock.

Hip-hop band Public Enemy dissed the Fugees on the songs "What Kind of Power We Got?" and "Crayola". Public Enemy, also known as PE!, is a seminal hip hop group from Long Island, New York known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media, and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ...

Discography

Albums

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. ... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ... Blunted on Reality is the debut album of The Fugees. ... The Score is a 1996 album released by The Fugees. ... This is a remix album from The Fugees. ... This is the Greatest Hits Collection from The Fugees and contains all of their singles: Track Listing Vocab (Refugees Hip Hop Remix) Nappy Heads (Remix Radio Edit) Fu-Gee-La How Many Mics Killing Me Softly With His Song No Woman, No Cry Cowboys The Score The Sweetest Thing (Mahogany...

Songs

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, formerly known as Top Soul Singles, Top Black Singles, and Top R&B Singles (before the hip-hop term was added in the late 1990s), lists the most popular songs, calculated weekly by airplay and sales, in traditionally African American venues... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ... Killing Me Softly with His Song is a song composed by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel. ... Ready or Not is the second single from The Fugees highly succesful album, The Score. ... Stephen Ragga Marley was born April 20, 1972 and is the second son of Rita and Bob Marley. ... A Tribe Called Quest is an influential rap group of the 1990s. ... Trevor Smith, Jr. ... John Forté (born 1975 in Brooklyn, New York) is a rapper and producer. ... When We Were Kings is a 1996 documentary film directed by Leon Gast about the famous Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman held in Zaïre on October 30, 1974. ...

See also

• List of best-selling music artists

The worlds best-selling music artists cannot be listed officially, as there is no organization that has recorded global music sales in the manner that the RIAA does in the United States. ... Lauryn Noel Hill (born May 25, 1975 in South Orange, New Jersey), is an eight-time Grammy award winning musician, and record producer. ... Nelust Wyclef Jean (IPA pronunciation: ) (born October 17, 1972) is a Grammy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated Haitian-rapper, reggae artist, producer, and member of the superstar hip hop trio The Fugees, known popularly for a series of low-profile singles in the 1990s but respected within the hip... Pras (b. ... The Fugees are a critically acclaimed music band from the United States, popular during the mid-1990s, whose repertoire includes primarily hip hop, with elements of soul, and Caribbean music (particularly reggae). ... Blunted on Reality is the debut album of The Fugees. ... The Score is a 1996 album released by The Fugees. ... This is a remix album from The Fugees. ... Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival Featuring Refugee All Stars, or more simply The Carnival, is the first solo album by Wyclef Jean. ... The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is the debut solo album by Lauryn Hill of the recently reunited Fugees. ... This classic rap song from 1998 was a huge hit. ... MTV Unplugged No. ... Masquerade is a 2002 album by Wyclef Jean. ... Greatest Hits is a compilation album by The Fugees, released by Columbia Records in 2003 (see 2003 in music). ... To learn about a game show called Win Lose or Draw, click here. ...

External links

• Official Fugees Website
• The Fugees at the All Music Guide
• International FUGEES-ONLINE.de (fansite)
• Message Board The Fugees message board and fan community
• Fugees at Discogs
• The Original Unofficial Fugees Page (fansite)
• www.TheFugeesIsBack.skyblog.com