After nearly a decade,
the Fugees –Lauryn, Wyclef and Pras–have emerged from a New York studio with
the brand-new single “Take It Easy.”
The new single is first taste of the eagerly awaited successor
to the super group’s 1996 multi-platinum best-selling album The Score.
“Take It Easy” showcases all three members and is
currently enjoying regular rotation on radio in the United States.
Having been on hiatus for almost ten years, the Fugees are now
putting the finishing touches on the group’s upcoming album that is slated
for release in early 2006.
The album comes as a welcomed surprise for the legions of fans
that have been clamoring for a follow-up to The Score.
Certified 6x platinum by the RIAA, The Score has sold more than
13,600,000 copies worldwide and was the best-selling album of 1996, taking home
two Grammy Awards: Best Rap Album and Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group
With Vocal (for "Killing Me Softly With His Song").
Following the massive international success of The Score,
the Fugees went on hiatus with each member of the group pursuing successful
solo careers.
Wyclef Jean, the first Fugee to embark on a solo career, racked
up seven RIAA gold and platinum certifications for his solo albums–1997’s The
Carnival and The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II A Book.
Lauryn’s 1998 debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn
Hill, earned the artist five Grammy Awards including Album of the Year
and has been certified 8 times platinum by the RIAA.
Prakazrel Michel ("Pras") had a #1 R&B hit with
his 1998 single, "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)," from the
soundtrack of Warren Beatty’s "Bulworth."
The Fugees gave the first intimation of a full-fledged reunion
when the group made a surprise appearance at a Brooklyn block party thrown by
comedian Dave Chappelle in September 2004.
Earlier this year,
Lauryn, Wyclef and Pras took audience members, and television viewers, by surprise
when the legendary hip-hop super group appeared on-stage at Hollywood’s Kodak
Theatre as the unannounced opening act for the 2005 BET Awards ceremony.
