On Wednesday, September 22, The Fugees reunited at Pier 17 in Manhattan, with Lauryn Hill, Pras and Wyclef performing together for the first time in 15 years. The trio was three hours late for their 45 minute performance, but who can complain when a classic 90s hip-hop/reggae group reunited for an intimate performance for lucky fans. Watch footage from the show below.
Hip hop supergroup, The Fugees, will be making a return to arenas and stadiums across the world in celebration of their magnum opus, The Score.
The group – who broke up shortly after the success of 1996’s diamond-certified sophomore effort – will be performing together for the first time since 2006. Their last major reunion tour – following another reunion at Dave Chapelle’s Block Party – ended in disarray as members had to grow accustomed to different dynamics within the group. Such as, Ms. Lauryn Hill’s amplified stardom. The friction led to an abrupt end to the tour as group members traded jabs.
In a 2007 interview with Billboard, Pras said:
But, to put it nicely, it’s dead. Me and [Wyclef Jean], we on the same page, but Lauryn [Hill] is in her zone, and I’m fed up with that s**t. Here she is, blessed with a gift, with the opportunity to rock and give, and she’s running on some bulls**t? I’m a fan of Lauryn’s, but I can’t respect that.
Nonetheless, the group’s lasting power within hip hop has left fans clamoring for a return despite the members differences. After releasing their experimental debut, Blunted on Reality, the trio found their groove on, The Score. Recorded in the now-infamous “Booga basement,” the album was curated as an actual film and score all-in-one. Like most feature presentations it provided plenty of social-political commentary while it’s “main characters” got a chance to develop through dialogue laden lyrics and skits.
Upon its release, it peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 charts and earned the group two Grammy Awards. Fugees were also the first hip-hop group ever to be nominated for Album Of The Year. It pawned the hit singles “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” “Fu-Gee-La” as well as “Ready or Not” and instantly turned the Brick city natives into the biggest hip hop act in the world. It was also the platform on which Hill emerged as the group’s undeniable star, which — along with her deteriorating romantic relationship with Wyclef – served as a divisive seed that set the group on the path to disbandment.
And now with the album’s 25th anniversary upon us, the group has decided to commemorate the occasion with another world tour. Presented by Diaspora Calling and produced by Live Nation, the 12-city international tour will kick-off tomorrow, September 22nd with an intimate pop-up show in New York City, at an undisclosed location. The rest of the tour will commence November 2nd at United Center in Chicago and will make stops across the globe in Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, Paris, London, and more, before finishing the tour in Africa, with the final shows taking place in Nigeria and Ghana.
The Fugees have a complex but impactful history. I wasn’t even aware the 25th anniversary had arrived until someone brought it to my attention. I decided to honor this significant project, its anniversary, and the fans who appreciated the music by creating a peaceful platform where we could unite, perform the music we loved, and set an example of reconciliation for the world.
Ms. Lauryn Hill
As I celebrate 25 years with the Fugees, my first memory was that we vowed, from the gate, we would not just do music we would be a movement. We would be a voice for the un-heard, and in these challenging times, I am grateful once again, that God has brought us together.
Wyclef Jean
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