Los Angeles, Sep 22 : Hip-hop group Fugees, which comprises Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel, have reunited to announce their first tour in 25 years and first shows in 15 years, celebrating the anniversary of their blockbuster 1996 album ‘The Score’.
The 12-city tour launches Wednesday with a show in New York at an undisclosed location, reports variety.com.
That New York show is in support of ‘Global Citizen Live’, a global broadcast event “calling on world leaders to defend the planet and defeat poverty,” to air on September 25.
The rest of the tour, which is presented by Diaspora Calling and produced by Live Nation, will commence November 2 at United Center in Chicago and cross the US before concluding in Africa, with the final shows taking place in Nigeria and Ghana.
Fugees charitable fund will partner with Global Citizen to work on philanthropic initiatives around the tour.
In a statement with the announcement, Hill said, “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 honour 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.”
Jean added: “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 unheard, and in these challenging times, I am grateful once again, that God has brought us together.”
After debuting in the early 1990s as the Tranzlator Crew, the Fugees were together for just five years and two albums, but their then-pioneering fusion of rapping, melody and West Indian sounds, largely powered by Hill’s voice, made an indelible mark on the music world of the 1990s.
The group debuted with 1994’s hip-hop heavy “Blunted on Reality,” but their full potential became clear with “The Score” two years later, which, driven by their innovative and ubiquitous cover of Robert Flack’s “Killing Me Softly,” won two Grammys and has been certified seven-times platinum.
However, they splintered soon after, clearing the way for Hill’s galvanizing 1998 debut “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” and solo careers for Jean and Michael as well. A brief reunion in 2005 yielded the single ‘Take It Easy’. (IANS)