The Refugee Camp:
Wyclef "CLEF" Jean, Lauryn "L-BOOGIE" Hill, Prakazrel "PRAS" Michel, John Forte
While it may not have been their
intention, the Fugees brought hip-hop into the
mainstream. The trio also did much to change the direction of the hip-hop movement by not
being a part of the stereotypical cro
tch-grabbing, misogynist scene. The name Fugees is short
for refugee--a symbol both for the refuge people seek in their minds as well as a
derogatory term given to displaced Hatians seeking social and political asylum (Prakazrel "Pras" Michel and his
cousin Wyclef
"Clef" Jean are both of Haitian descent); the thought behind the name runs
through their music. High-school friends Lauryn "L" Hill and Pras began making
music together in New Jersey.
The duo hooked up with Pras' cousin
Clef and, some years later, after numerous recordings, they recorded their 1993 full-length debut, Blunted on Reality. The group took phat beats and straight up funk and backed it with poetic lyrics. . Now under the Fugees (Refugee Camp), the trio released their follow-up, The Score, a substantially more commercial and smooth album that transformed the band from a little-known hip-hop act into a much-loved, cross-over, pop-hop sensation. The 1996 album, which is an "audio film" much like the Who's Tommy, flows smoothly like a great script, but also breaks up with different rhythms: the sweetly rolling harmonies and lyrical phrasing of the single "Fu-Gee-La" (which appears in the three mixes on the album), a phat version of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" and a off the wall version of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly With His Song" (the Fugees' version is simply "Killing Me Softly")
The Fugees' words of peace are reaching
more than the hip-hop world as is evidenced by The Score's phenomenal four-million
sold. As well as world-wide tours, the Fugees, led by Wyclef, played a historic concert to
an estimated 80,000 fans
at Haitian's Bicentenaire in Port-au-Prince in April '97; proceeds from the
show went to aid Haitian refugees, artists and poverty-stricken children. In June '97,
Clef released a solo album, The Carnival, a multi-faceted hip-hop party with an
extraordinarily wide musical palette (the Refugee Allstars--L and Pras--aided Clef in his
adventure). They are also accompanied by a new all-star--John Forte...who is simply magnificent. (And quite
cute if I might say so myself!)
**News:
-Lauryn is having another baby! ...congrats!!!
-Pras' new album due out soon. To be titled 'Ghetto Superstar'.
_________________________________________________________ ___ __ _ _
Lauryn Hill's new album, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" has dropped and is hot. Clef and Praz aren't on the album...it's Lauryn's own creation---guaranteed HOTTNESS. Check out all the tracks on RA or WAV. at www.lauryn-hill.com ...
