The Fugees were a group of five Jamaican-American hip hop artists from New York City, who achieved commercial success during the mid to late 1990s. They are best known for their debut album The Score and for two hits: “Killing Me Softly” and “Refugee.”
The “fugees killing me softly with his song” is a song by the band Fugees that was released in 1996. The song was written by Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel, and it has been featured on several of their albums.
Biography of the Artist
Neil Z. Yeung is the author of this piece.
The Fugees’ breakthrough second album The Score, which reached number one on the pop charts and sold over five million copies before earning two Grammy Awards in 1997, was a fluid mix of jazz-rap, R&B, and reggae that translated into enormous popularity throughout the mid-’90s. The album became a ’90s classic, with songs like “Killing Me Softly” and “Ready or Not,” and each member went on to have solo careers that lasted into the 2000s.
The group started working together in the late 1980s in South Orange, New Jersey, where Lauryn Hill and Prakazrel Michel (“Pras”) were high school classmates. In 1993, Michel’s cousin Wyclef Jean joined the Tranzlator Crew, which was signed to Ruffhouse/Columbia. They entered the studio to record their first official full-length, Blunted on Reality, after calling themselves the Fugees (a word of contempt, short for refugees, which was typically used to insult Haitian immigrants). Hill, Jean, and Michel traded verses in a fashion similar to A Tribe Called Quest, Poor Righteous Teachers, and Digable Planets. The album was released in early 1994 and featured a beat-driven, hip-hop crew vibe, with Hill, Jean, and Michel trading verses in a fashion similar to A Tribe Called Quest, Poor Righteous Teachers, and Digable Planets. While the album was a fan favorite on the underground circuit, it failed to chart, and they went in a different (but ultimately more successful) path with their follow-up.
The Score was released in 1996 and immediately became a success. The album topped charts all over the world and was certified multi-platinum in Europe and the United States, retaining elements of their previous jazz-rap energy but adding conventional R&B that highlighted Hill’s vocal talents. The Score made major inroads into the commercial mainstream while maintaining their existing fan base, becoming one of the surprise successes of 1996 with the soulful, chart-topping song “Killing Me Softly” and a top 40 version of Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry.” The Fugees won Best Rap Album and Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group at the 1997 Grammy Awards for “Killing Me Softly.”
The Fugees took a sabbatical after the success of The Score, exploring individual projects that ultimately led to a permanent hiatus. The Carnival Featuring the Refugee Allstars was Jean’s debut solo album, released in 1997, when Michel collaborated with Mya and Ol’ Dirty Bastard on the smash song “Ghetto Superstar (That Is What You Are).” Hill’s chart-topping neo-soul masterpiece The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which outsold The Score and won five Grammy Awards in 1999, was released in 1998. While Hill retired while still at the peak of her career, Pras continued to rap and dabbled in acting and film production. Meanwhile, Jean continues to record solo albums (he has over a dozen) and produce for other singers, including Destiny’s Child, Santana, Shakira, Young Thug, and many more.
They reunited in 2005, over a decade after their pinnacle with The Score, for a European tour and the release of the song “Take It Easy.” The reunion, however, was short-lived, and the three split up again. While their time together was brief, The Score remains one of the most highly praised albums of all time, and each Fugee stayed active for decades thereafter, both musically and politically.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Fugees known for?
A: The Fugees are a popular American hip-hop group. They have won six Grammy Awards and two Academy Award nominations.
How many songs do the Fugees have?
A: There are six songs by the Fugees in Beat Saber.
Why are they called the Fugees?
A: The Fugees are a hip-hop band who have collaborated with many artists including Jay Z, Kanye West and Wyclef Jean.
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