Is one of the Fugees’ best songs the one they wrote for ‘Sesame Street’?
In 1990 three American teens came together to form Tyme. Whilst that name didn’t last, the name they settled on; The Fugees has lasted a long time in the memories of hip-hop fans. The trio comprised Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel and last but certainly not least, Lauryn Hill.
The trio saw massive success throughout the 1990s, with their crowning achievement coming in 1996 with the release of their Grammy-winning album The Score. The record is still one of the best-selling hip-hop albums of all time, and includes classics like ‘Ready or Not’ and ‘Killing Me Softly’.
The Fugees were considered an enigma within the hip-hop community during their short period of blinding success. Whereas most hip-hop artists were following the shift in tone towards gangsta rap that the ‘90s heralded, The Fugees followed a different path. The Fugees became so triumphant because they went the opposite way. Instead doubling down on hip-hop’s jazz and soul heritage while also sampling and remixing popular pop songs. The formula proved fruitful, especially considering Hill’s unique combination of MC and vocalist abilities.
The collective also stood out through the intention and focus of their songs. As others were concerned with bragging about guns, drugs and violence, the trio conveyed political messages through their songs. The Ringer noted that the Fugees “disguised resistance as art”. Indeed even the name change is derived from the word ‘refugee’.
Today, we see rappers collaborate with all kinds of brands. Fashion brands are the most common as Kanye collaborated with Adidas to spawn Yeezy, Pharrell took over as creative director for Louis Vuitton and Kendrick came together with Martine Rose. Stranger collaborations have seen A$AP Rocky combine with F1 racing, Skepta releasing different iterations of rum with Havana and Travis Scott combining with McDonald’s, for some reason.
These examples show that no collaboration is outside the realm of possibility for hip-hop stars. They’re typically done to increase hype around both the brands and the artists, even if some of them are questionable.
The Fugees, ever different in their approach, once collaborated with children’s beloved TV show Sesame Street. Whilst this may seem like another strange combination, it makes a lot of sense considering The Fugees’ approach to music.
In their typical fashion, The Fugees recorded a different version of the Sesame Street song ‘Just Happy to Be Me’ for the 1997 TV special, aptly named ‘Elmopalooza’. The trio didn’t enter this partnership in order to increase their brand or their image though, that’s not how The Fugees operated.
In their effort to do good through their music, The Fugees chose the TV show because it’s an educational series for children. To change the perception of rap for a younger generation, as it developed into an aggressive, violent and possibly scary genre to an outsider, was perfectly on brand for The Fugees.
Listening to the song, you’d be hard-pressed to distinguish it from the trio’s discography, so long as you don’t look at the picture of Elmo’s massive head on the album cover. The trio playfully incorporate hip-hop slang into an easygoing beat while teaching the young listener the alphabet and encouraging them to be themselves.
It’s a massive achievement to combine hip-hop and education into an enjoyable experience. Hearing Wyclef rap “what about the “‘E’, the ‘F’, the ‘G’, the ‘H’, the ‘I’, the ‘J?’ I’m in my P.J.’s, I’m drinkin’ O.J” sounds like it came straight from ‘The Score’. There’d certainly be no complaints if this was on repeat in every primary school across the country.