The Fugees Eye Reunion
Hip-hop trio plots new record, more surprise performances
The Fugees -- Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Pras -- are plotting their first album since 1996's blockbuster The Score, according to rapper Pras. "We're working on it," he told Rolling Stone. "Clef and Lauryn's putting tracks together while I drop my solo album [June 14th's Win, Lose or Draw]."
In his New York studio, Fugees ringleader Wyclef was more guarded about the project, but allowed, "We've gone from not talking to having conversations. There's good vibes, good energies right now. I want the Fugee thing to happen -- because it's not just music, it's a movement."
A seminal Nineties hip-hop act, the Fugees broke ground with their fusion of hip-hop, R&B and reggae. Their second album, 1996's The Score, hit the top of the pop charts and went on to become the biggest-selling hip-hop record to date. Solo albums from each of the members followed -- most notably Hill's 1997 multi-Grammy-winning The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill -- casting doubt on another Fugees release.
But after eight years apart, the trio put aside personal tensions to perform at comedian Dave Chappelle's surprise hip-hop Block Party event last September in Brooklyn. And Wyclef and Hill reunited again in March for a tsunami-relief benefit concert in Malaysia. Pras says more guerilla performances are in the works. "We're just gonna appear," he promises. "It's gonna be like, boom! The Fugees!"
Meanwhile, Wyclef is recording tracks for his next solo album, tentatively titled The Underrated Musician, while Hill has been at work on her long-delayed studio follow-up to Miseducation.
With Wyclef making a guest appearance on Win, Lose or Draw, Pras says that the bad feelings between him and his bandmates are history. "It's starting to feel good working with them," Pras says. "It's a great feeling."
STEVE BALTIN, ALEX MAR
(Posted May 26, 2005)
