The 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.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is the debut solo studio album by American rapper and singer Lauryn Hill. It was released on August 19, 1998, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. Recorded after the Fugees embarked on a hiatus, the album was almost entirely written and produced by Hill. It is a concept album about educating oneself on love, with lyrical themes encompassing relationship complexities, interpersonal conflicts, motherhood, and faith. Predominantly a neo soul and R&B record, it incorporates genres such as hip hop, reggae, and soul, and features guest appearances from Carlos Santana, Mary J. Blige, and D'Angelo.
Nel Ust Wyclef Jean is a Haitian rapper and record producer. At the age of nine, Jean and his family emigrated to Northeastern United States. He formed the New Jersey-based hip hop trio Fugees in 1990 with fellow musicians Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel, for which Jean served as lead guitarist and producer. The group released the albums Blunted on Reality (1994) and The Score (1996), the latter became one of the best-selling albums of all time. Following their success, Jean released his debut solo album, Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival (1997), which yielded the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single "Gone till November".
Prakazrel Samuel Michel, known professionally as Pras, is an American rapper and record producer. He is best known as a member of the hip hop group Fugees, which he formed with fellow New Jerseyans Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill in 1990.
The Score is the second studio album by the hip hop trio Fugees, released worldwide on February 13, 1996, on Columbia Records. The album features a wide range of samples and instrumentation, with many aspects of alternative hip hop that would come to dominate the hip-hop music scene in the mid- to late-1990s. Primarily, The Score's production was handled by Fugees themselves, Jerry Duplessis and Warren Riker, with additional production from Salaam Remi, John Forté, Diamond D, and Shawn King. The album's guest verses are from Outsidaz members Rah Digga, Young Zee, and Pacewon, as well as John Forté, and Diamond D. Most versions of the album feature four bonus tracks, including three remixes of "Fu-Gee-La", and a short acoustic Wyclef Jean solo track entitled "Mista Mista".
Ghetto Supastar is the debut solo studio album by former Fugees member and American rapper Pras. The album was released on October 27, 1998, through Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records.
My Way is the second studio album by American singer Usher. It was released on September 16, 1997, by LaFace Records in North America. The album features guest appearances from Monica, Jermaine Dupri, and Lil' Kim. The album was supported by three singles, all multi platinum-selling: "Nice & Slow", "My Way", and "You Make Me Wanna...".
Born into the 90's [sic] is R. Kelly's collaboration album with his group Public Announcement. Released in January 1992, the album became an R&B hit with the success of singles such as "She's Got That Vibe", "Dedicated," and Kelly's first two No. 1 R&B hits: "Honey Love," and "Slow Dance ." Honey Love topped the Billboard R&B Singles chart for 2 weeks, while "She's Got That Vibe" and "Slow Dance " hit the Top 40 respectively. By June 1992, Born into the 90's was eventually certified platinum and picked up an American Music Award nomination for Favorite Soul/R&B Single. R. Kelly separated from the group before he began recording his next album.
The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book is the second studio album released by Haitian hip hop musician Wyclef Jean. The album was supported by its singles "It Doesn't Matter", "911" and "Perfect Gentleman". At the 43rd Grammy Awards his duet with Mary J. Blige, "911" earned him a nomination for Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 2001. The album debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 is a live album by American singer Lauryn Hill. The performance comes from her 2002 MTV Unplugged special recorded on July 21, 2001, at MTV Studios in Times Square, New York City. Hill abandoned the hip hop sounds of her debut album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) in favor of folk and soul songs. It was recorded while she was pregnant with her third child YG Marley. The songs were written solely by Hill, who performed them unaccompanied by a live band, while playing an acoustic guitar. It features lyrics about religion, police brutality, mental health and abuse of authority, along with spoken interludes about her personal and artistic struggles.
"Hips Don't Lie" is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, featuring Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released by Epic Records in 2006. The song was released as the first single from the reissue of Shakira's seventh studio album, Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, and second overall. Shakira and Jean wrote the lyrics and jointly composed the music with additional co-writing by Shakira's percussionist Archie Pena. The song was produced by Shakira and Jean with additional co-production by Jerry Duplessis. "Hips Don't Lie" is a reworking of Jean's earlier single "Dance Like This", therefore it features additional composing credits by Omar Alfanno, Duplessis, Luis Días, and LaTavia Parker. The song incorporates samples from "Amores Como el Nuestro" written by Alfanno, and "Carnaval " written by Días.
Totally Krossed Out is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Kris Kross. It was produced and largely written by Jermaine Dupri and Joe "The Butcher" Nicolo and released on March 31, 1992, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. After developing a musical concept for the duo, Dupri and Nicolo spent two years writing and producing the album.
"We Trying to Stay Alive" is the first single released from Wyclef Jean's debut solo album, The Carnival. The song features raps by John Forté and Pras and samples the 1977 Bee Gees hit "Stayin' Alive" and Audio Two's "Top Billin'" (1987). The video version also contains an interpolation of the main melody of "Trans-Europe Express" by "Kraftwerk". In the US, it reached number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Additionally, it reached number three on the Hot Rap Songs chart and number 14 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The track reached number 87 on VH1's "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time".
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Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant is the sixth studio album by Haitian rapper and former Fugees member Wyclef Jean, released in 2007 as the sequel to his first solo album, The Carnival. Speaking to noted urban writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning Blues & Soul in September 2007, Wyclef explained his thinking behind the album: "Titling it The Carnival 2 was down to The Carnival back in '97 being my first multi-cultural CD. It had rhythms from all over the world, and in that way this new record is the sequel. You know, there's a revolution of culture going on around the world today where the United Nations is everywhere! You go into a room, and everybody's from a different country. It's like we're ALL immigrants! Some of these people may be listening to bhangra, some to hip hop, some to rock... And, when you put that fusion together, it unites people through music."
"Gunpowder" is the fifth and final single released from Wyclef Jean's debut solo album, The Carnival. It featured Lauryn Hill and background vocals from The I Threes.
The discography of the Fugees, an American hip hop trio consisting of rapper/singer Lauryn Hill and rappers Pras Michel and Wyclef Jean, consists of two studio albums, three compilation albums, one remix album and nine singles and nine music videos. After the group formed in the 1980s under the name Tranzlator Crew, they signed to Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records in 1993; they then changed their name to Fugees – an abbreviation of "refugees", also a reference to Haitian immigrants.
"Lost Ones" is a diss song by American rapper and singer-songwriter Lauryn Hill. It was released on August 25, 1998, through Ruffhouse and Columbia Records. The song was written by Hill and produced by Hill, alongside Vada Nobles and Che Pope. It features an interpolation of "Bam Bam" by Sister Nancy. Despite not naming him in the song, the song is widely presumed to be about Hill's former Fugees bandmate Wyclef Jean.
Jeffery is the fourth commercial mixtape by American rapper Young Thug. It was released for retail purchase on August 26, 2016, by 300 Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The mixtape features guest appearances from Travis Scott, Gucci Mane, Gunna, Quavo, Offset, and Wyclef Jean. It also features production from TM88, Wheezy, and Young Thug himself.
J'ouvert is a retail mixtape by rapper Wyclef Jean. It was released on February 3, 2017, and features the songs "Hendrix", "If I Was President 2016", "The Ring", and "I Swear".
