The Fugees

. Goldfrapp's website has been awarded the 2003 MTV Europe Music Award for best website. They appeared onstage together at an exclusive block party in New York City that month, hosted by Dave Chappelle. Three songs from the album were used in television commercials: "Strict Machine" and "Train" for the launch of the Game Boy Advance, and "TipToe" for a Coca-Cola ad. In September 2004, it was announced that The Fugees have settled their differences and are currently working on a new album. In 2003, the band released their second album, Black Cherry. The album takes Goldfrapp's sound in a very different direction, with pronounced, groovy drum beats and a generally edgier, more hectic atmosphere. Though the Fugees remain tight-lipped about the exact reasons, most fans believe that a serious personality conflict between Hill and Jean contributed to their breakup following The Score. Felt Mountain was nominated for the 2001 Mercury Music Prize.

After each member found success in other ventures, the Fugees failed to reform. The album, produced by PJ Harvey producer John Parish, features Alison's dreamy vocals, partly enhanced by synthesizer, set over a minimalistic, detached soundscape that draws influences from styles as diverse as 1980s synthie pop, classical film scores and traditional folk music. After 1997, the Fugees all began solo projects: Hill started work on her critically acclaimed The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Jean began producing for a number of artists (including Destiny's Child and Carlos Santana) and recorded his debut album The Carnival, and Michel, with Mya and Ol' Dirty Bastard, recorded the single "Ghetto Superstar" for the soundtrack to the Warren Beatty/Halle Berry film Bulworth. The duo released their debut album, Felt Mountain, in 2000 to much critical acclaim. The Fugees won two 1997 Grammy Awards: The Score won for Best Rap Album, and "Killing Me Softly With His Song" won for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. The band was formed in 1999 when Alison Goldfrapp, a singer and composer who had so far worked with Tricky and Orbital, passed some of her demos to film composer Will Gregory. The album also included a re-interpretation of The Delfonics' "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love)" in their hit single "Ready or Not". Goldfrapp are an electronic music group from Bath, England.

The Fugees were known for their unusual choice of covers and sampling sources on both albums; The Score, for example, included covers of "No Woman No Cry" (Bob Marley & the Wailers) and "Killing Me Softly (With His Song)" (Roberta Flack), which was their first and only #1 pop hit. Black Cherry (2003). Despite the relative failure of their first album, The Score became one of the biggest hits of 1996 and was one of the first hip hop albums to incorporate reggae in a major way. Felt Mountain (2000). The trio released their first LP, Blunted on Reality, after a long period of performing, but the album failed to live up the expectations of fans who attended their concerts. Hill and Jean each went on to successful solo recording careers, while Michel focused mainly on soundtrack recordings and film acting.

Deriving their name from the term "refugee", the group is noted for the integration of soul and reggae into their work, and recorded two albums--one of which, The Score, was a multi-platinum and Grammy-winning success--before going their separate ways after 1997. Both Jean and Michel are of Haitian heritage; Hill is an African American native of South Orange, New Jersey. The members of the group are leader/rapper/producer Wyclef Jean, rapper/singer Lauryn Hill, and rapper Pras Michel. The Fugees are an American music group, popular during the mid-1990s, whose repertoire includes primarily hip hop, with elements of soul, and Carribean music (particularly reggae).

Fugees Lyrics (http://www.lyricscafe.com/f/fugees.htm). Fugees Fansite (http://user.aol.com/Snicka/fugee2.htm). 1996: "Ready or Not". 1996: "Killing Me Softly (With His Song)" (US #1).

1995: "Fu-Gee-La" (US #29). 1994: "Vocab". 1994: "Nappy Heads" (US #49). 1996: The Score.

1994: Blunted on Reality.