Fugees

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• Genre: Hitmakers
• Hometown: Newark
• Fugees Website

About

A New Jersey trio originally called Tranzlator Crew, the Fugees first appeared in 1993 with the release of their slept-on debut Blunted on Reality. They came back with a vengeance three years later, burning up the charts with numerous singles from their multiplatinum follow-up The Score. The album brought live instruments, reggae beats and soulful vocals into the mix, and featured huge hits like "Fu-Gee-La," "Ready or Not," and a cover of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly." Critically acclaimed and thrust into superstardom, the Fugees went on to win two Grammys, one for Best Rap Album, and another for Best R&B Performance. In '97 Wyclef released Refugee All-Stars' The Carnival, while Pras had a hit with "Ghetto Supastar." Lauryn Hill dropped The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in '98. The album earned her 11 Grammy nominations; she took home five. In 2000 Wyclef returned with Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book, and reached out for a Fugees reunion on the track "Where Fugees At?" That question was finally answered five years later, when cable comedy king Dave Chappelle got the three to reunite at a party in New York (which would be filmed and later released as a movie). Fans around the globe rejoiced, and several months later the reunited trio released a single called "Take It Easy." They then embarked on a worldwide tour and began recording their long-awaited third album. But this glimmer of hope soon faded. The album never materialized as relationships within the group deteriorated. Once again, the Fugees disbanded and went their separate ways.

- Brolin Winning