"Vocab" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Fugees | ||||
from the album Blunted on Reality | ||||
B-side | "Refugees on the Mic" [1] | |||
Released | October 18, 1994 [2] | |||
Recorded | 1992[3] | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 5:02(album version) 4:16(single edit) [1] | |||
Label | Ruffhouse | |||
Songwriter(s) | Fugees | |||
Producer(s) | Pras Michel, Wyclef Jean, [4] Salaam Remi | |||
Fugees singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Vocab" (album version) on YouTube, "Vocab" (single edit) on YouTube |
"Vocab" is a song written and performed by the hip-hop group, Fugees. "Vocab" was issued as the third single from the group's debut album, Blunted on Reality. The song was co-produced by Pras and Wyclef Jean. [4] Similar to the group's previous single, Nappy Heads, "Vocab" is best-known for its remixes, which were both co-produced by Salaam Remi and the Fugees. The song peaked at number 22 on the Billboard rap chart in 1995. [5]
Chart (1994) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales ( Billboard ) [5] | 21 |
Chart (1995) [5] | Peak position |
---|---|
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks (Billboard) | 91 |
US Hot Rap Singles (Billboard) | 22 |
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2014) |
The official music video for "Vocab" was directed by Max Malkin. [6] The video was partially filmed in East Harlem in 1994. [7]
Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Hill is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as one of the most influential musicians of her generation. She is often credited for breaking barriers for female rappers, popularizing melodic rap, and pioneering neo soul for mainstream audiences. In addition to being named one of the 50 Great Voices by NPR, Hill was listed as one of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone. In 2015, she was ranked as the greatest female rapper by Billboard. Her other accolades include eight Grammy Awards—the most for any female rapper.
Fugees are an American hip hop trio formed in 1990 in South Orange, New Jersey. Deriving its name from a shortening of the word "refugees", the group consists of Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel, and Lauryn Hill. The group rose to prominence in the mid-1990s for their pioneering blend of reggae, R&B, funk and hip hop, which eschewed gangsta rap and made them one of the most significant alternative hip hop acts. They occasionally rapped in Haitian Creole, and were one of the first hip hop bands to incorporate live instrumentation during their performances, along with The Roots.
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