February 01, 2015

The Fugees "A New Birth In Hip Hop" (1994)


I seen this OG sticker on an old notebook & had to post it up real quick. It's from back when the Fugees released their debut album in '94, 'Blunted on Reality.' Their lead single 'Boof Baf' didn't connect at all, so it's really thanks to Salaam Remi, who had the hand of God with his remixes to 'Vocab' and 'Nappy Heads' for really giving that album any life. Of course, they'd return with 'The Score,' which was commercially a grandslam. Sticking with 'Blunted On Reality,' I still get good vibes from 'Nappy Heads' and Lauryn Hill's targeted lyrics will forever resonate as social commentary: "Peace to Mr. Magic, things are getting tragic / Now we on some new stuff, I never feared the Ku Klux / My own clan is actin up, I blame it on the Phillie blunt / What you gonna do, kids are acting oooohhhh..." Ya know, I hope she's well, I can never quite tell. The last time I physically saw her perform, it was uninspired, but I've been in this industry long enough to see that to some of our most forward-thinking artists. Lauryn said, "I pay the toll fighting for my own soul," in Vocab below.