Lauryn Hill explains why she's reuniting with the Fugees

After a long hiatus, the Fugees are reuniting for the ‘Score’ anniversary tour

By Nardine SaadStaff Writer

Sept. 22, 2021 2:25 PM PT

Ready or not: The Fugees are reuniting Wednesday after a long break to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their landmark hip-hop album “The Score” with a private pop-up show in New York.

The location, however, has not yet been disclosed.

The trio — Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel — announced the intimate show Tuesday along with plans to embark on an international reunion tour to commemorate the milestone.

They’ll be reuniting onstage for the first time in 15 years to perform 12 shows. After kicking things off this week, the tour resumes Nov. 2 at the United Center in Chicago, followed by a concert at the Oakland Arena in Oakland on Nov. 7.

They come to Los Angeles on Nov. 12 for a performance at the Forum in Inglewood, then make stops in Atlanta; Miami; Newark, N.J.; Washington, D.C.; Paris; London; and cities in Nigeria and Ghana.

“The Fugees have a complex but impactful history,” Hill said in a statement, unaware that it was the album’s 25th anniversary until someone brought it to her 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.”

The three continent-spanning events will be presented by Diaspora Calling and produced by Live Nation. The Fugees charitable fund will partner with poverty advocacy group Global Citizen to work on philanthropic initiatives around the tour, Live Nation said in a statement. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday.

“The Score,” the Fugees’ soulful 1996 studio album, was the group’s second and final LP. It included the hit “Ready or Not,” the catchy “Fu-Gee-La” and the Grammy-winning “Killing Me Softly,” a Hill-led cover of Roberta Flack’s iconic hit.

The seven-time platinum album also earned the Fugees a Grammy Award for rap album and marked the first time a hip-hop group was nominated for album of the year. (They lost to Celine Dion’s “Falling Into You.”)

“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,” Jean said in the band’s statement. “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.”

The New Jersey-bred act with Haitian roots was inspired by refugees. The members of the group rebuked gangster rap and blew up on the hip-hop scene with a smooth, sophisticated sound. But they stayed together only for five years, largely going their separate ways musically.

In 1998, Hill released the Grammy-winning, feminist-rap masterpiece “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” and Pras dropped the crossover smash “Ghetto Superstar.” In 1999, Jean won a Grammy for album of the year for his work on Carlos Santana’s “Supernatural.” His other hits include “Guantanamara” and “Hips Don’t Lie” with Shakira.

The trio briefly reunited in 2005 for the single “Take It Easy.”