Remi, who produced “Fu-Gee-La,” originally crafted the beat for Fat Joe. Using a hook that remixes Teena Marie’s “ Ooo La La La, ” it was the perfect reintroduction to the masses as they deployed a new sound with Pan-African vibes. The first single, “ Fu-Gee-La, ” was a clear departure from the sonics of their previous work. “It was created actually with almost no equipment.” “I don’t think people pay attention the idea that the fact that the entire CD was created in the hood,” Wyclef told Vibe. Over a span of five months, a vibe was curated and they began to create magic with minimal equipment. Recording for The Score began in June 1995.
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We were in the neighborhood and we wanted to create a movement.” Clef envisioned that The Score would have a cultural, era transcending impact that was on par with Pink Floyd’s The Wall.Īrmed with an advance of 135,00 from Ruffhouse, and full creative control despite the poor sales of their debut, the trio began working out of the Booga Basement, a studio in the hood of East Orange, New Jersey where Wyclef and his cousin Jerry “Wonder” Duplessis hashed out ideas and concepts. In a 2016 interview, he said, “When we went in to do The Score it wasn’t like to do music. According to Wyclef, The Fugees didn’t just want to make an album, they wanted to launch a movement. Instead of following the trends of the day - such as sampling loops of familiar songs - they would give birth to a sound that was uniquely their own, implementing their own musicianship into the equation. When The Fugees began to work on The Score, they were intent on placing their imprint upon the music. Remi agreed and invited them to his house for a session. He thought if Remi could make hits with Jamaican artists that he could have the same level of success with Haitian rappers. The origins of the song came when product manager at Colombia Records Jeff Burroughs reached out to Remi. “I had a reputation for bridging the gap between Jamaican artists and the rap artists with what was happening in hip-hop radio in New York,” Remi told Okayplayer. It was Remi’s penchant for infusing melodic dancehall and reggae rhythms with break-beats and samples that created an organic, diasporic connectivity with The Fugees.
He laced them with a banger in the form of the “ Nappy Heads – Remix.” The song would become the first Fugees record to hit the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 49. But their fortunes changed dramatically when the trio from New Jersey linked up with Salaam Remi, a young producer who at a young age already racked up credits for Biz Markie, Shabba Ranks, and Black Sheep. A blip on the radar - ultra-talented but iconoclastic, they were almost lost in the shuffle.
The Fugees could have been relegated to the fringes of the hip-hop scene.
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Released in 1994, the response to their debut was lukewarm the album received mixed reviews and never cracked the Billboard 200 charts. The group eventually caught the attention of Ronald Kahlis Bell, a co-founder of the legendary funk band Kool & the Gang, who guided them in the early days.Įventually, the group signed their first record deal with Ruffhouse/Columbia and finished recording their debut album, Blunted on Reality. Pras introduced Lauryn to Clef and The Tranzlator Crew and the The Fugees (short for Refugees, a nod to their Caribbean roots) was born.
At Columbia High School - located in Maplewood, New Jersey - Pras met a freshman named Lauryn Hill, who was already a gifted singer and MC. Both being preachers’ kids in Brooklyn, New York, Clef and Pras developed as musicians by playing in their family’s churches, blending elements of gospel, reggae, and soul.Ĭlef and Pras both relocated to Newark, New Jersey as teenagers and lived in neighborhoods with large populations of people from the Caribbean diaspora. Wyclef Jean and his younger cousin Pras Michel both were born in Haiti and came to the United States as children.
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