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The Opus continues its celebration of Hip-Hop 50 by continuing its investigation into the history of Fugees’ The Score, one of hip-hop’s greatest records ever.
After going into the basement for Episode 2, The Opus heads to Port-au-Prince to reveal how Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Michel put Haiti on the hip-hop map. The latter two were both Haitian, and had such great pride in their heritage that it found its way into most everything Fugees did. Not only was it woven into The Score, but the album’s success allowed the Fugees to further champion Haitian music both at home and abroad.
In 1997, a year after The Score scored big on the charts, Fugees went to Haiti for their landmark “Coming Home” concert. On The Opus, host Jill Hopkins explores how that experience affected the group, and how their very existence affected Haiti, Haitians, and the fans who saw their own immigrant and refugee experiences reflected back at them from soon to be legendary musicians.
While the relationship has become more complicated with time, the symbiosis between band and homeland is an important one in Fugees’ story. Helping us explore that relationship are beloved songwriter Jon Batiste, producer Jerry Wonda, Ruffhouse Records co-founder Chris Schwartz, music journalists Dometi Pongo and Insanul Ahmed, and reggae legend Sly Dunbar.
Listen to the episode now, and you revisit Hill’s other classic LP, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, in our retrospective feature “DMX, Lauryn Hill, and the Year Hip-Hop Changed Forever.” You can also check out our exclusive Hip-Hop 50 and The Opus merch over at the Consequence Shop, or grab yours using the buy-now buttons below.
Original music by Tony Piazza.
