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.
Nel Ust Wyclef Jean is a Haitian rapper, singer, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. At the age of nine, Jean and his family immigrated 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".
The Score is the second and final 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".
"No Woman, No Cry" is a reggae song by Bob Marley and the Wailers. The song was recorded in 1974 and released on the studio album Natty Dread.
Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival, also known simply as The Carnival, is the debut studio album released by Haitian hip hop musician Wyclef Jean. The album was released on 24 June 1997. Wyclef Jean also served as the album's executive producer. The album features guest appearances from Celia Cruz and The Neville Brothers and multiple appearances from Jean's former Fugees bandmates, Lauryn Hill and Pras.
"Killing Me Softly with His Song" is a song composed by Charles Fox with lyrics by Norman Gimbel. The lyrics were written in collaboration with Lori Lieberman after she was inspired by a Don McLean performance in late 1971. Denied writing credit by Fox and Gimbel, Lieberman released her version of the song in 1972, but it did not chart. The song has been covered by many other artists.
"If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" is a song by American rapper Nas featuring American singer and rapper Lauryn Hill. It was released as the lead single from Nas' second studio album It Was Written on June 4, 1996, by Columbia Records. Produced by Trackmasters, with some uncredited input by Rashad Smith, it is based on the 1985 hit of the same name by American rapper Kurtis Blow and samples the beat of "Friends" by Whodini. Lauryn Hill's verse interpolates the song "Walk Right Up To The Sun" by The Delfonics. The single marked Hill's first musical appearance outside of the Fugees.
"Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)" is a song by American rapper Pras, featuring rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard and R&B singer Mýa. Produced by Pras and Wyclef Jean, with co-production from Jerry 'Wonda" Duplessis and Che Pope, it interpolates Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton's 1983 single "Islands in the Stream", as written by the Bee Gees, and samples "Get Up, Get into It, Get Involved" by James Brown. Also featured on the soundtrack for the 1998 film Bulworth, the song was released as Pras' debut solo single and the second from his debut solo album Ghetto Supastar on June 6, 1998.
"Maria Maria" is a song by American rock band Santana featuring the Product G&B, included on Santana's 18th studio album, Supernatural (1999). The song was written by Wyclef Jean, Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis, Carlos Santana, Karl Perazzo, and Raul Rekow, while Jean and Duplessis produced it. The track samples the drum beat from "God Make Me Funky" by American jazz fusion band the Headhunters, and the melody riff was inspired by the Wu-Tang Clan song "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta Fuck Wit". Interspersed with guitars and other strings, "Maria Maria" is driven by a hip hop beat. At the 2000 Grammy Awards, the song won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals before it experienced commercial success.
"Hips Don't Lie" is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, featuring Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released by Epic Records in 2006 as the second single from Shakira's seventh studio album, Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 (2005). 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.
"I Don't Wanna Know" is a song by American R&B artist Mario Winans featuring rapper P. Diddy and Irish singer Enya. The song is based on a sample of the Fugees' song "Ready or Not", which in turn samples the synthesizer riff from Enya's song "Boadicea". The drums are sampled from the end of EPMD's "You're a Customer".
"Ooo La La La" is a single by American R&B singer Teena Marie, which was released in 1988 and is featured on her album Naked to the World, released during the same year. The single became Teena Marie's biggest hit on the R&B chart. "Ooo La La La" peaked at number one on the Billboard R&B chart, and Marie's only number-one single on that chart. It peaked at number 85 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Ready or Not" is a song by American hip-hop group Fugees, from their second studio album, The Score (1996). The song contains a sample of "Boadicea" (1987) by Irish singer Enya, and its chorus is based on "Ready or Not Here I Come " by the Delfonics.
"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".
"Ex-Factor" is a song by American recording artist Lauryn Hill for her debut solo studio album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998). Written and produced by Hill herself, it incorporates elements of R&B, neo soul and hip hop soul. The song features a sample of "Can It Be All So Simple" by Wu-Tang Clan. It has been claimed to be about Hill's former Fugees groupmate Wyclef Jean. The song was released as the second single from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on December 14, 1998, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records.
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.
"Na Na" is a song by American singer Trey Songz, released on January 21, 2014 as the lead single from his sixth studio album, Trigga (2014) which was released on July 1, 2014. The song features production from West Coast hip hop producer DJ Mustard, and the chorus interpolates the Fugees' hit "Fu-Gee-La" (1996).
"Nappy Heads" is a song written and performed by American hip-hop group Fugees, released in February 1994 as the second single from the group's debut album, Blunted on Reality (1994). The original version of the song was co-produced by Pras and Wyclef Jean, and written by Lauryn Hill. "Nappy Heads" was recorded at House of Music Studios in New Jersey. However, the more-well known, definitive remix version was produced by Salaam Remi. The song became the group's first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 49. The song also reached number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart.
"Sidewalks" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd, featuring American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his third studio album Starboy (2016). The song was written by both artists alongside Doc McKinney, Daniel Wilson, Robert John Richardson, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, being produced by McKinney, Bobby Raps and Muhammad. The song sampled the song "Fu-Gee-La" by Fugees.
"Rumble in the Jungle" is a song recorded for the 1996 documentary film When We Were Kings, which depicts the 1974 boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman that the song is named after: The Rumble in the Jungle. The song was written and performed by American hip hop group Fugees along with fellow hip hop artists A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, and John Forté. Additional writers credited on the song are Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson, and Chip Taylor since "Rumble in the Jungle" samples recordings written by them. The lyrics of the song focus mostly on Ali and his life, as well as the boxing match itself.
