Hip Hop fans awoke to the unexpected news Wyclef Jean, Ms. Lauryn Hill and Pras — collectively known as the Fugees — had put their differences aside and reunited for an upcoming tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Score.
The short, 12-date run includes stops in London, Los Angeles, Oakland and a special pop up event in New York City on Wednesday (September 22).
But it was a long road to get to this point. The celebrated trio went their separate ways in 1997 after Wyclef and Hill admittedly had an affair while he was married to designer Marie Claudinette.
According to Jean’s autobiography Purpose, Hill also lied about the paternity of her son Zion and led him to think the child was his, when it reality the baby belonged to Bob Marley’s son Rohan.
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“In that moment something died between us,” Wyclef wrote at the time. “I was married and Lauryn and I were having an affair, but she led me to believe that the baby was mine, and I couldn’t forgive that … She could no longer be my muse. Our love spell was broken.”
In a statement to HipHopDX, Hill alluded to the healing that needed to take place in order for the tour to happen.
“The Fugees have a complex but impactful history,” she said. “I wasn’t even aware the 25th anniversary had arrived until someone brought it to my attention. I decided to honor 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.”
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Wyclef 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.”
Fugees Reunite For 'The Score' 25th Anniversary Tour
The forthcoming tour marks the first time in 15 years the Fugees have performed as a trio and the first time in 25 years they’ve done an international tour. Following the New York City show, the rest of the tour will commence November 2 at United Center in Chicago and will finish in Africa, with the final shows taking place in Nigeria and Ghana in December.
Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday (September 24) at 10 a.m. here.
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Check out the dates below.
September 22 – NYC – Undisclosed
November 2 – Chicago, IL – United Center
November 7 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
November 12 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum
November 18 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
November 21 – Miami, FL – FTX Arena
November 26 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
November 28 – Washington D.C. – Capital One Arena
December 4 – Paris, France – La Defense Arena
December 6 – London, U.K. – The O2
??? – Nigeria – Undetermined
December 18 – Ghana – Undetermined
