  MEMBERS: Wyclef Jean,
Lauryn
Hill,
and Pras Michel
BIRTHDAYS: Lauryn Hill (May 25, 1975) ~
Wyclef Jean (October 17, 1972) ~ Pras Michel (October
19, 1972)
BIGGEST
SINGLE:
"Killing Me Softly" (1996)
BIGGEST
LP: The
Score
(1996)
GRAMMY
AWARDS:
2
"Our
whole thing is, we want to show that there's much
more to hip hop than what people think..." - Fugees
The Fugees reign from New York City and consists of Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean,
and Pras Michel. The band mixes
styles of hip-hop, rap, reggae, Caribbean, and
R&B to create their sound. Pras and Hill
originally formed a group together (while attending
the same high school in New Jersey), and Pras'
cousin, Clef, joined in. Originally known as the
Tranzlator Crew, the trio changed their name to
Fugees (short for Refugees, in reference to their
Caribbean roots).
 February 1: The Fugees' debut LP, Blunted
On Reality,
was released (two years after it was finished due to
internal label problems). The LP left little impact
and is not considered to be a great effort by the
trio. Even the band admits the LP was a product of
their youth, exuberance for having a record deal, and
over-zealous producers. Remixes of a few tracks from
the LP ("Nappy Heads" and
"Vocab") showed the Fugees' potential for
impressive music and vocals and allowed the band to
begin gaining a fan base. Also, Clef said the LP was
a stepping-stone for hip hop music: "...this is
what hip hop needed for the music to go to the next
level where you could pick up a guitar, or sing, and
not feel like you've gotta front."
June 25: The Fugees topped the
Billboard Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales chart for 2
weeks with "Nappy Heads."
December 30: The Fugees topped the
Billboard Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales chart for 3
weeks with "Fu-Gee-La."
 February 13: The Fugees second LP, The
Score,
became one of the top LPs of the year driven by the
radio success of a remake of Roberta Flack's
"Killing Me Softly." Although the band had
some success with the first single, "Fu-Gee-La," their remake of "Killing Me Softly" crossed over to the pop
charts and became a #1 hit on many musical platforms.
Follow-up tracks such as "No Woman, No Cry" (a remake of Bob Marley's classic) and "Ready Or
Not" didn't maintain the radio airplay
saturation, but did continue gaining fans with
intriguing videos and by showcasing the Fugee's
ability to change their musical styles. Hill said of The
Score,
"...it's like how radio was back in the 40s...
it tells a story and there are cuts and breaks in the
music... it's almost like a hip hop version of Tommy
like what the Who did for rock & roll."
The single "Fu-Gee-Le" was certified gold.
The Fugees hit the Top 40 with "Killing Me Softly."
March 23: The Fugees topped the
Billboard Top R&B Albums chart for 8 weeks with The
Score.
The
Score was
certified 2x platinum.
The Fugees hit the Top 10 with "Killing Me Softly."
April 27: The Fugees topped the
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 chart for 9 weeks with
"Killing Me Softly."
The
Score was
certified 3x platinum.
May 18: The Fugees topped the
Billboard R&B Singles Airplay chart for 5 weeks
with "Killing Me Softly."
May 25: The Fugees hit #1 for 4 weeks on the ARC
Weekly Top 40 with "Killing Me Softly."
May 25: The Fugees topped the
Billboard 200 LP chart for 4 weeks with The
Score.
The
Score was
certified 4x platinum.
The Fugees influence on music in 1996 and continuing
into 1997 was more than memorable tunes and snappy
riffs. The popularity of the Fugees was also a
product of their message. Through their music and
interviews, the trio's words questioned the
popularity of violence in hip-hop music and inspired
other artists, such as Nas, to succeed with similar
messages and change the direction of hip-hop music.
Hill founded The Refugee Project which is a
non-profit organization that has so far organized
free concerts in New York and Haiti.
The Fugees hit the Top 40 with their cover of "No Woman, No Cry."
The Fugees topped the UK Singles chart for 5 weeks
with "Killing Me Softly."
June 22: The Fugees topped the
Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart for 3 weeks with
"Killing Me Softly."
The Fugees won a MTV Video Music Award for Best
R&B Video
("Killing Me Softly").
The
Score was
certified 5x platinum.
The Fugees topped the UK Singles chart for 3 weeks
with "Ready Or Not."
 November 26: Bootleg
Versions
was released - a collection of remixes and the new
track "Don't Cry, Dry Your Eyes."
The Fugees were nominated for 2 American Music Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock
Band/Duo/Group and Favorite Soul/R&B
Band/Duo/Group.
The Fugees won 2 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo
or Group
("Killing Me Softly") and Best Rap Album (The
Score)
and were nominated for Album of the Year.
Wyclef Jean released The
Carnival
- an eclectic mix of music and artists. Clef found
success with the tracks "We Trying To Stay
Alive" and "Gone Till November."
Wyclef's The
Carnival
was certified gold.
The
Score was
certified 6x platinum.
Wyclef's The
Carnival
was certified platinum.
Wyclef won a Billboard Music Video Award for Best
Clip (Dance) ("We Trying To Stay Alive").
Group members followed Wycelf's lead by
trying their hand at solo LPs: Pras with Ghetto
Superstar
and Hill with The
Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. Lauryn's solo success is
detailed in Lauryn Hill's Info Page.
Wyclef was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards for Best Rap
Performance by a Duo or Group
("Guantanamera" with Celia Cruz
and Jeni Fujita) and Best Rap Album (The
Carnival).
February 7: Wyclef topped the Billboard
Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales chart for 1 week with
"Gone Till
November."
Wyclef's "Gone Till November" was certified platinum.
Pras hit the Top 40 with help from Ol' Dirty Bastard and Mya with "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)" from the film Bullworth.
Wyclef released the cd single with the tracks
"Chickenhead," "What's Clef," and
"To All The Girls."
Pras had a summer hit with "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)" hitting the Top 10.
Wyclef Jean was accused of pulling a gun on magazine
editor (of Blaze) who was reading a bad
review of an LP Jean had produced. Jean denied the
allegations and sang his response: "Look at all
these rumors... spreading me every day... I need some
time... some time to get away... Did you hear the one
about Wyclef?... Some said he pulled a gun... That
comes from Mr. Editor... who wanna sell his magazines
by the millions."
Lauryn released her solo LP The
Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill.
Wyclef won a MTV Video Music Award for Best
R&B Video
("Gone Till
November")
and was nominated for Best Direction ("Gone Till November") and Best Choreography ("We Tryin' To Stay
Alive").
Pras was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Best
Rap Video and Best
Video from a Film ("Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)").
Wyclef got political during his acceptance speech for
Best R&B Video about the movie How
Stella Got Her Groove Back (for which he contributed the
track "Mastablasta '98" with Stevie Wonder on the soundtrack): "I
was saddened and offended to see my country (Haiti)
used as a brunt of an AIDS joke in the movie... AIDS
is a crisis and not a... comedy."
Pras released his solo LP, Ghetto
Superstar.
Pras said of his solo work: "To be honest,
despite the success of my record right now, I feel
sad and a little bitter when I perform the record by
myself, cos when I perform with the Fugees, it's a
whole different thing, and I think Wyclef and Lauren
feel the same way too."
Wyclef's The
Carnival
was certified 2x platinum.
Wyclef was nominated for a Billboard Video Music
Award for Best Clip (R&B/Urban) ("Gone Till November"), and Pras was nominated
for 3 Billboard Video Music Awards for Best New
Artist Clip (Pop), Best New Artist Clip (Rap), and
Best New Artist Clip (R&B/Urban) ("Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)"), and nominated for a
Brit Award for Best International Male Solo Artist.
Wyclef was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance ("Gone Till November") and Pras was nominated
for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group ("Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)").
Wyclef told SonicNet that a future Fugees LP
was being discussed by the trio depending on
schedules - but its unlikely to happen by the end of
the year. Wyclef was busy working on the soundtrack
for the film Life and planning on another
solo LP. While Pras was working in a few films
including Mystery Man and Ghetto
Supastar, Hill toured throughout the summer and
into the fall.
Wyclef performed at Woodstock '99 in Rome,
New York.
Wyclef Jean and Bono teamed up in New Jersey and
recorded "New Day" with profits going to
charity (NetAid).
Wyclef took part in NetAid and won a "Do
Something" Award for his efforts working with
under-privileged children through the Wyclef Jean
Foundation.
MTV: 100 Greatest
Videos Ever Made includes Wyclef's
"Gone Till
November"
at # 94.
Wyclef cancelled a show in South Carolina in protest
to the flying of the Confederate flag over the state
capitol. He stated that he made his decision due to
the NAACP's call for economic sanctions against
tourism in the state, "as much as I hate to
cancel a show, I cannot in good conscience perform in
a state that has an emblem of racism and division
flying over its capitol."
Wyclef released his next solo LP - The
Ecleftic: 2 Side II A Book with the first single
"It Doesn't Matter." He told Billboard:
"The body of the album is more hip-hop. At the
same time, I'm still surrounded by a lot of crazy
fusions." The LP featured contributions by Whitney
Houston, Kenny Rogers, the Product G&B,
and wrestler "The Rock" and also features a
cover of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were
Here."
Wyclef's The
Ecleftic: 2 Sides II A Book was certified gold.
Rolling Stone &
MTV: 100 Greatest Pop Songs includes Wyclef's "Gone
Till November" at # 88.
Wyclef hit the Top 40 with "911" with Mary J. Blige.
Wyclef was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo
or Group
("911" with Mary J. Blige).
Wyclef hit the Top 40 with "Perfect Gentlemen."
Wyclef's The
Ecleftic: 2 Sides II A Book was certified platinum.
Wyclef performed "Redemption Song" for
a landmark fundraiser (America:
A Tribute To Heroes) aired by all the major networks to
raise money for families of the victims of recent
terrorist attacks.
Wyclef was nominated for a MTV Europe Music Award for
Best R&B Act.
Lauryn released MTV
Unplugged No. 2.0.
Wyclef released Masquerade.
August 3: Wyclef topped the Billboard
Hot 100 Singles Sales chart for 3 weeks and
R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart for 5 weeks with
help from Claudette Ortiz with
"Two Wrongs."
Wyclef commented on the future of the Fugees:
"The Fugees still didn't break up. We are still
trying to make stuff and work stuff out...But an
album is very important. You can't just throw a
garbage album out there. That is not good for The
Fugees... I want to do a Fugees record. You have to
talk to Lauryn Hill. You have to talk to the girl.
The girl is the problem - not me."
 March 25: The Fugees' Greatest
Hits was
released.
VH1: 50 Greatest Hip
Hop Artists includes the Fugees at # 17.
Wyclef was hospitalized for exhaustion, dehydration,
and food poisoning.
Wyclef released Preacher's
Son.
Wyclef could be heard on Timbaland & Magoo's LP Under
Construction, Pt. II on the track "Hold On."
Wyclef with Eve could be
heard on the soundtrack for 50
First Dates with "Your Love."
Wyclef with Claudette Ortiz could
be heard on the soundtrack for Dirty
Dancing: Havana Nights with "Dance Like
This."
Wyclef released Welcome
To Haiti: Creole 101.
Fugees came in at # 400 on the Top Pop Artists of the Past 25
Years
chart.
Wyclef was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best
Original Song ("Million Voices" from Hotel
Rwanda).
Pras hit the Top 40 with help from Sharli
McQueen with "Haven't Found" from his LP Win,
Lose Or Draw.
Wyclef could be heard on the compilation LP So
Amazing... An All-Star Tribute To Luther Vandross with "Always &
Forever."
Wyclef was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Song
Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other
Visual Media (awarded to the songwriter)
("Million Voices" with Jerry Duplessis).
Wyclef hit the Top 40 helping out Shakira with "Hips Don't Lie."
Wyclef hit the Top 10 helping out Shakira with "Hips Don't Lie."
May 20: Wyclef hit #1 for 6 weeks on the ARC
Weekly Top 40 helping out Shakira with "Hips Don't Lie."
May 27: Wyclef topped the Billboard
Hot 100 Airplay chart for 3 weeks and Top 40
Mainstream chart for 7 weeks helping out Shakira with "Hips Don't Lie."
June 17: Wyclef topped the Billboard
Hot 100 chart for 2 weeks, Pop 100 chart for 2 weeks,
Digital Songs chart for 2 weeks, and Digital Tracks
chart for 3 weeks helping out Shakira with "Hips Don't Lie."
Wyclef topped the UK singles chart helping out Shakira with "Hips Don't Lie."
Wyclef performed with Shakira at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Wyclef could be heard on the Pitbull LP El
Mariel on
the track "Jungle Fever."
Wyclef was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals ("Hips Don't Lie" with Shakira). Wyclef performed at the
ceremony.
Wyclef could be heard on T.I.'s LP T.I.
Vs. Tip
with "My Swag" and "You Know What It
Is."
Wyclef hit the Top 40 with Akon, Niaa Bertino
and Lil Wayne with "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)."
Wyclef released Carnival
II: Memoirs Of An Immigrant.
VH1: 100 Greatest Songs of the
90's
included "Killing Me Softly" at # 44.
Wyclef was named in an investigation looking into the
receivership or usage of steroids in the
entertainment industry according to a published
report.
The single "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)" was certified gold.
Wyclef hit the Top 10 with Akon, Niaa Bertino
and Lil Wayne with "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)."
Entertainment Weekly:
100 Best Albums of the Last 25 Years included The
Score at
# 51.
Wyclef could be heard on the LL Cool J LP Exit
13 on the
track "Mr. President."
Wyclef could be heard on the Akon LP Freedom on the track
"Sunny Day."
 
Wyclef could be heard on the Flo
Rida
LP R.o.o.t.s.
(Route Of Overcoming The Struggle) on the track
"Rewind."
Wyclef could be heard on the Sean Kingston LP Tomorrow on the track "Ice Cream
Girl."
Wyclef could be heard on the Shakira LP She
Wolf on
the track "Spy."
   
Wyclef announced he was running for president of
Haiti.
- September: It was announced that the
Fugees would be reforming for an anniversary tour
(25th anniversary of the release of The
Score).
The tour is set to kick off in the fall. The
Fugees later canceled the tour siting concern
over the Covid pandemic.
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