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89-700: An ethnonational group, Haitians generally comprise the modern descendants of self-liberated Africans in the Caribbean territory historically referred to as Saint-Domingue . This includes the mulatto minority who denote corresponding European ancestry , notably from French settlers . According to the Constitution of Haiti , a Haitian citizen is: The Haitian Constitution of 2012 re-legalizes dual citizenship, allowing for Haitians living abroad to own land and run for Haitian political office (except for offices of president, prime minister, senator or member of

178-504: A Brit Award for International Group , and the Medal of Honor from Haitian President René Préval . They are one of the best-selling hip hop groups of all time, and were the second biggest R&B act worldwide after Michael Jackson in the 1990s. The Fugees were ranked as one of the greatest rap groups by MTV (2007) and Billboard (2023), and landed at number 17 on the '50 Greatest Hip-Hop Artists' list (2003) by VH1 . The Score

267-546: A World Bank estimation claimed that approximately 800,000 Haitian citizens were residents of Dominican Republic. By 2001, approximately 15,000 Haitians had migrated to Dominican Republic to work in sugar mills. Haitian workers also migrated to other countries such as the United States, France, Canada, the Bahamas and other Caribbean Islands. In 2006, Approximately 800,000 Haitians resided in the United States (especially in

356-400: A cappella rendition of "Killing Me Softly". The Fugees made their first televised appearance in almost ten years at BET 's 2005 Music Awards on June 28, opening the show with a twelve-minute set. With a new album announced to be in the works, their final track, "Take It Easy", was leaked online and eventually released as an Internet single on September 27, 2005. It peaked at number 40 on

445-639: A chief, sufficiently courageous, to lead them on to vengeance and slaughter." Raynal's Enlightenment philosophy went deeper than a prediction and reflected many similar philosophies, including those of Rousseau and Diderot . Raynal's admonition was written thirteen years before the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen , which highlighted freedom and liberty but did not abolish slavery. In addition to Raynal's influence, Toussaint Louverture ,

534-420: A commodity crop from cultivation of sugarcane , which required extensive labor. The colony of Saint-Domingue also had extensive coffee , cocoa , and indigo plantations, but these were smaller and less profitable than the sugar plantations. The commodity crops were traded for European goods. Starting in the 1730s, French engineers constructed complex irrigation systems to increase sugarcane production. By

623-460: A connection to Enlightenment scholars through the style, language, and accent of this text. Like Louverture, Jean-Baptiste Belley was an active participant in the insurrection. The portrait of Belley by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson depicts a man who encompasses the French view of its colonies, creating a stark dichotomy between the refinement of Enlightenment thought and the reality of

712-556: A documentary about homelessness in Los Angeles and remained outspoken about Haitian politics. Lauryn Hill continued recording and performing socially conscious music and went on to advocate for female empowerment especially within the music industry. The Fugees also turned their recording studio, the Booga Basement, into a transitional house for young Haitian refugees immigrating to the United States. In September 2021,

801-474: A free black who was familiar with Enlightenment ideas within the context of European colonialism, would become a key "enlightened actor" in the Haitian Revolution. Enlightened thought divided the world into "enlightened leaders" and "ignorant masses." Louverture sought to bridge this divide between the popular masses and the enlightened few by striking a balance between Western Enlightened thought as

890-639: A margin of almost eight to one. Two-thirds of the slaves were African born, and they tended to be less submissive than those born in the Americas and raised in slave societies. The death rate in the Caribbean exceeded the birth rate, so imports of enslaved Africans were necessary to maintain the numbers required to work the plantations. The slave population declined at an annual rate of two to five percent, due to overwork, inadequate food and shelter, insufficient clothing and medical care, and an imbalance between

979-471: A mix of Central and Western African, European, and Native American ( Taíno ) religions, is also widely practiced, despite the negative stigma that it carries both in and out of the country. The exact number of Vodou practitioners is unknown; however, it is believed that a small proportion of the population practice it, often alongside their Christian faith. Some secular Christians also have been known to participate in some rituals, although indirectly. In 1998,

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1068-706: A necessary means of winning liberation, and not propagating the notion that it was morally superior to the experiences and knowledge of people of color on Saint-Domingue. Louverture wrote a constitution for a new society in Saint-Domingue that abolished slavery . The existence of slavery in Enlightened society was an incongruity that had been left unaddressed by European scholars prior to the French Revolution . Louverture took on this inconsistency directly in his constitution. In addition, he exhibited

1157-518: A number of artists (including Canibus , Destiny's Child and Carlos Santana ) and released his debut album Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival ; Pras, with Mýa and Ol' Dirty Bastard , recorded the single " Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are) " for the soundtrack to the film Bulworth . In 1998, they reunited to shoot a music video for the song "Just Happy to Be Me" which appeared in the Sesame Street special Elmopalooza , and also on

1246-586: A rigid caste system was defined. Most historians classify the people of the era into three groups: The first group were white colonists, or les blancs . This group was generally subdivided into the plantation owners and a lower class of whites who often served as overseers or day laborers, as well as artisans and shopkeepers. The second group were free people of color , or gens de couleur libres , who were usually mixed-race (sometimes referred to as mulattoes ), being of both African and French descent. These gens de couleur tended to be educated and literate, and

1335-546: A shortening of the word " refugees ", the group consists of Wyclef Jean , Pras Michel , and Lauryn Hill . The group rose to prominence in the mid-1990s for their pioneering blend of reggae, R&B, funk and hip hop, which eschewed gangsta rap and made them one of the most significant alternative hip hop acts. They occasionally rapped in Haitian Creole , and were one of the first hip hop bands to incorporate live instrumentation during their performances, along with

1424-460: A warning for other slaves. King Louis XIV of France passed the Code Noir in 1685 in an attempt to regulate such violence and the treatment of slaves in general in the colony, but masters openly and consistently broke the code. During the 18th century, local legislation reversed parts of it. In 1758, the planters began passing legislation restricting the rights of other groups of people until

1513-428: A wide range of influences drawn from the many people who have settled on this Caribbean island. It reflects French, African rhythms, Spanish elements and others who have inhabited the island of Hispaniola and minor native Taino influences. Youth attend parties at nightclubs called discos , (pronounced "deece-ko"), and attend Bal . This term is the French word for ball, as in a formal dance. Styles of music unique to

1602-605: Is a complex tradition, reflecting strong African roots with Indigenous American and European aesthetic and religious influences. It is a very important representation of Haitian culture and history. Haitian art is distinctive, particularly in painting and sculpture where brilliant colors, naive perspective and sly humor characterize it. Frequent subjects in Haitian art include big, delectable foods, lush landscapes, market activities, jungle animals, rituals, dances, and gods. Artists frequently paint in fables. The music of Haiti combines

1691-585: Is now Benin , and Kongo from the Kingdom of Kongo in what is now modern northern Angola and the western Congo . The Kongolese at 40% were the largest of the African ethnic groups represented amongst the slaves. The slaves developed their own religion, a syncretic mixture of Catholicism and West African religions known as Vodou , usually called "voodoo" in English. This belief system implicitly rejected

1780-471: Is spelled as konpa dirèk or simply konpa , however it is commonly spelled as it is pronounced as kompa . Until 1937, Haiti had no recorded music, until Jazz Guignard was recorded non-commercially. One of the most celebrated Haitian artists today is Wyclef Jean . Wyclef Jean, however, left the country before his teenage years and began the Fugees with Lauryn Hill and Pras, who together went on to become

1869-727: The Billboard R&;B Chart . In November 2005, the Fugees embarked on a European tour – the members' first together since 1997 – from 30 November to 20 December, playing in Finland , Austria , Norway , Germany , Italy , France , the United Kingdom , Belgium , Denmark , Sweden , Switzerland and Slovakia . The group had been scheduled to play at the Hammersmith Apollo on November 25, 2005; however, it

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1958-541: The Thirteen Colonies to Great Britain. The livelihood of 1 million of the approximately 25 million people who lived in France in 1789 depended directly upon the agricultural imports from Saint-Domingue, and several million indirectly depended upon trade from the colony to maintain their standard of living. Saint-Domingue was the most profitable French colony in the world, indeed one of the most profitable of all

2047-714: The abolition of slavery in the former colony was followed by a successful defense of the freedoms the former slaves had won, and with the collaboration of already free people of color , of their independence from white Europeans. The revolution was the largest slave uprising since Spartacus ' unsuccessful revolt against the Roman Republic nearly 1,900 years earlier, and challenged long-held European beliefs about alleged black inferiority and about slaves' ability to achieve and maintain their own freedom. The rebels' organizational capacity and tenacity under pressure inspired stories that shocked and frightened slave owners in

2136-478: The 1740s, Saint-Domingue, together with the British colony of Jamaica , had become the main suppliers of the world's sugar. Production of sugar depended on extensive manual labor provided by enslaved Africans . An average of 600 ships engaged every year in shipping products from Saint-Domingue to Bordeaux , and the value of the colony's crops and goods was almost equal in value to all of the products shipped from

2225-609: The 1780s. Raimond used the French Revolution to make this the major colonial issue before the National Assembly. In October 1790, another wealthy free man of color, Vincent Ogé , demanded the right to vote under the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. When the colonial governor refused, Ogé led a brief 300-man insurgency in the area around Le Cap, fighting to end racial discrimination in

2314-600: The 2010 U.S. Census, 907,790 citizens identified as Haitian immigrants or with their primary ancestry being Haitian. An increase of just over 100,000 Haitians from 2006. The confiscation of property, massacres, and prosecution caused the upper and middle class of Haiti to migrate to more developed countries in Europe and the United States. Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution ( French : Révolution haïtienne [ʁevɔlysjɔ̃ a.isjɛn] or Guerre de l'indépendance ; Haitian Creole : Lagè d Lendependans )

2403-469: The Africans' status as slaves. Saint-Domingue was a society seething with hatred, with white colonists and black slaves frequently coming into violent conflict. The French historian Paul Fregosi wrote: "Whites, mulattos and blacks loathed each other. The poor whites couldn't stand the rich whites, the rich whites despised the poor whites, the middle-class whites were jealous of the aristocratic whites,

2492-643: The Billboard Hot 100 chart, while peaking at number 81. The group also recorded the song " Rumble in the Jungle " featuring Busta Rhymes , A Tribe Called Quest & John Forté , for the 1996 documentary When We Were Kings . Later that year, the Fugees all began solo projects: Hill began writing and producing for a number of artists (including Whitney Houston , Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige ) and started work on her critically acclaimed The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill ; Jean also began producing for

2581-562: The European colonies in the 18th century. Slavery sustained sugar production under harsh conditions; diseases such as malaria (brought from Africa) and yellow fever caused high mortality, thriving in the tropical Caribbean climate. In 1787 alone, the French imported about 20,000 slaves from Africa into Saint-Domingue, while the British imported about 38,000 slaves total to all of their Caribbean colonies. The death rate from yellow fever

2670-540: The Fugees announced a reunion tour to celebrate 25 years of their album, The Score. On Friday, October 29, 2021, the Fugees announced that their reunion tour dates were postponed to early 2022. However, on January 21, 2022, the Fugees released a statement saying they would not be going on tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The tour was rescheduled and set to begin in August 2024 but was quietly canceled three days before

2759-536: The Fugees as an influence, including Bono , Drake , Kanye West , Akon , Black Eyed Peas , Young Thug , Bridgit Mendler , Sean Kingston , Ava Max , Doja Cat , Bastille , The Kid Laroi , Post Malone , DJ Khaled , and Diplo . The impact of the Fugees has been compared to that of the Beatles , with U2 's Bono calling them hip hop's version of the Beatles. Daryl McIntosh of Albumism compared

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2848-529: The Fugees was leaked on Hot 97 radio; this led to reports that the group was reforming, which were later denied by group members on Twitter. After the group split, Wyclef Jean co-founded and headed the Yele Haiti Foundation , a non-profit organization "focusing on emergency relief, employment, youth development and education, and tree planting and agriculture" in Haiti . Pras Michel starred in

2937-759: The Gang 's producer Ronald Bell. The group wrote and recorded the album in 1992 at the House of Music Studios in West Orange, New Jersey . However, due to a dispute with its record label, the album was not released until February 1, 1994. The Fugees' members have subsequently said that they allowed the producers to have too much control over the album's content and form. Although the album did not contain as many lyrics with overtly political messages as songs from their next and better-known album The Score , there were still political intentions. Though Blunted on Reality spawned

3026-653: The Grammy Award-winning soundtrack album . The three Fugees reunited and performed on September 18, 2004, at the concert in Bedford-Stuyvesant , Brooklyn featured in the film Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2004), headlining a star-studded bill that included Kanye West , Mos Def , Jill Scott , Erykah Badu , The Roots , Talib Kweli , Common , Big Daddy Kane , Dead Prez , Cody ChesnuTT and John Legend . Their performance received several positive reviews, many of which praised Hill's near

3115-619: The Miami and New York City areas), 60,000 Haitians were living in France (especially Paris) 40,000 in Canada (especially Montreal) while 80,000 were dispersed between the Bahamas and other Caribbean Islands. The Haitian migration has greatly hindered the development of Haiti in comparison to other countries. Some of the country's most skilled individuals have migrated elsewhere; an estimated 70 percent of Haiti's skilled human resources have left Haiti. In

3204-546: The Roots . In 1993, the trio signed with Ruffhouse Records , an imprint of Columbia Records . Their debut album Blunted on Reality (1994), fused elements of political hip hop, jazz and neo soul. It was met with favorable reviews, and included the Salaam Remi -remixed underground hits " Nappy Heads " and " Vocab ". According to The New York Times , the group's second studio album The Score (1996) placed them "at

3293-586: The Year . This marked the second time a rap album received a nomination for the award. Afterwards, the Fugees made an uncredited guest appearance on Simply Red 's version of " Angel "; and released the single " Rumble in the Jungle " (featuring Busta Rhymes , A Tribe Called Quest & John Forté ), both of which peaked within the top five on the UK Singles Chart . Their 1997 performance in Haiti marked

3382-474: The album that was said to be in the works did not materialize and was postponed indefinitely, as relationships between band members apparently deteriorated. During the recording of the album, the group was plagued with creative differences. They recorded a song titled "Lips Don't Lie", but Hill did not like the song and, after some disagreements over it, the group disbanded again. The song was ultimately given to singer Shakira with featured vocals by Jean and after

3471-443: The area. He was captured in early 1791, and brutally executed by being "broken on the wheel " before being beheaded. While Ogé was not fighting against slavery, his treatment was cited by later slave rebels as one of the factors in their decision to rise up in August 1791 and resist treaties with the colonists. The conflict up to this point was between factions of whites, and between whites and free blacks. Enslaved blacks watched from

3560-501: The biggest selling hip hop group of all time with The Score released in 1996. Haiti is similar to the rest of Latin America , in that it is a predominantly Christian country, with 80% Roman Catholic and approximately 16% professing Protestantism . A small population of Muslims and Hindus exist in the country, principally in the capital of Port-au-Prince . Vodou , encompassing several different traditions, consists of

3649-736: The colony by the high mountain range known as the Massif du Nord . The Western province, however, grew significantly after the colonial capital was moved to Port-au-Prince in 1751, becoming increasingly wealthy in the second half of the 18th century. The Southern province lagged in population and wealth because it was geographically separated from the rest of the colony. However, this isolation allowed freed slaves to find profit in trade with Jamaica, and they gained power and wealth here. In addition to these interregional tensions, there were conflicts between proponents of independence, those loyal to France, and allies of Britain and Spain —who coveted control of

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3738-403: The colony), who already had kin networks and often had more prestigious roles on plantations and more opportunities for emancipation. Most slaves spoke a patois of the French language known as Haitian Creole , which was also used by island-born mulattoes and whites for communication with the workers. The majority of the slaves were Yoruba from what is now modern Nigeria , Fon from what

3827-451: The desire to undermine the colony's attempts at independent legitimacy, as citizens of the colonies were not able to access the elite class of French Revolutionaries because of their race. In 1789, Saint-Domingue produced 60% of the world's coffee and 40% of the sugar imported by France and Britain. The colony was not only the most profitable possession of the French colonial empire , but it

3916-657: The dreaded yellow fever, which regularly swept the colony. The lower-class whites, petits blancs (literally "small whites"), included artisans, shopkeepers, slave dealers, overseers, and day laborers. Saint-Domingue's free people of color, or gens de couleur libres , numbered more than 28,000. Around that time, colonial legislations, concerned with this growing and strengthening population, passed discriminatory laws that required these freedmen to wear distinctive clothing and limited where they could live. These laws also barred them from occupying many public offices. Many freedmen were also artisans and overseers, or domestic servants in

4005-439: The first issue that needs to be addressed is that Lauryn needs help... In my personal opinion, those Fugees reunion shows shouldn't have been done, because we wasn't ready. I really felt we shoulda first all gone into a room with Lauryn and a psychiatrist... But, you know, I do believe Lauryn can get help. And, once she does work things out, hopefully a proper and enduring Fugees reunion will happen." On July 15, 2017, an old song by

4094-421: The first show, with no reason given to customers receiving refunds. The Fugees have often been referred to as one of the most influential and significant groups of the 1990s, with Billboard stating "their influence on modern hip-hop and R&B music is undeniable". They are often considered to be one of the definitive alternative hip hop acts, being one of the first alternative hip hop acts to break into

4183-608: The forefront of pop music ". The album peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 , and was certified 7× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It spawned the singles " Ready or Not ", " Fu-Gee-La ", and " Killing Me Softly ". The latter single reached number one in over twenty countries worldwide. The Score was nominated at the Grammy Awards for Album of

4272-470: The former colony's independence. It involved black, biracial, French, Spanish, British, and Polish participants—with the ex-slave Toussaint Louverture emerging as Haiti's most prominent general. The successful revolution was a defining moment in the history of the Atlantic World and the revolution's effects on the institution of slavery were felt throughout the Americas. The end of French rule and

4361-453: The group for removing negative connotations of Haitian immigration and the word ' Refugee ', stating that "The Fugees managed to diversify the voice of the ghetto, one often depicted in a single dimension. They reclaimed pride for Haitians worldwide, a heritage maligned for its postcolonial poverty and strife but still remembered as the setting for the new world’s first successful revolt of enslaved people against their oppressors. Their sound

4450-415: The group's name to Fugees , which was purposely taken from a word often used derogatorily to refer to Haitian-Americans ( refugee ). Refugee Camp, while a name sometimes credited to the trio, also refers to a number of artists affiliated with the members, and particularly Jean. The trio soon changed musical direction, and released its first hip-hop LP, Blunted on Reality , under the guidance of Kool and

4539-450: The hemisphere. Compared to other Atlantic revolutions , the events in Haiti have received comparatively little public attention in retrospect: historian Michel-Rolph Trouillot characterizes the historiography of the Haitian Revolution as being "silenced" by that of the French Revolution . Much of Caribbean economic development in the 18th century was contingent on Europeans' demand for sugar . Plantation owners produced sugar as

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4628-476: The hillside woods away from white control often conducted violent raids on the island's sugar and coffee plantations. Although the numbers in these bands grew large (sometimes into the thousands), they generally lacked the leadership and strategy to accomplish large-scale objectives. The first effective maroon leader to emerge was the charismatic Haitian Vodou priest François Mackandal , who inspired his people by drawing on African traditions and religions. He united

4717-436: The island and create trade regulations that would further their own wealth and power. However, the Haitian Revolution quickly became a test of the new French republic, as it radicalized the slavery question and forced French leaders to recognize the full meaning of their stated ideology. The African population on the island began to hear of the agitation for independence by the planters, who had resented France's limitations on

4806-568: The island's foreign trade. The Africans mostly allied with the royalists and the British, as they understood that if Saint-Domingue's independence were to be led by white slave masters, it would probably mean even harsher treatment and increased injustice for the African population. The planters would be free to operate slavery as they pleased without the existing minimal accountability to their French peers. Saint-Domingue's free people of color, most notably Julien Raimond , had been actively appealing to France for full civil equality with whites since

4895-505: The largest staged concert ever held in the country. They also collaborated with Bounty Killer on the single " Hip-Hopera ", which spent several weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The Fugees later disbanded due to internal conflict, leading each of the members to pursue solo careers. Since then, they have briefly reunited for live performances and reunion tours; most recently in 2023. Together they have won two Grammy Awards ,

4984-486: The latter being their biggest hit. The album also included a re-interpretation of The Delfonics ' "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love)" in their hit single, " Ready or Not ", which featured a prominent sample of Enya 's " Boadicea " without the singer's permission. This prompted a lawsuit resulting in a settlement where Enya was given credit and royalties for her sample. The group members have continuously thanked and praised Enya for her deep understanding of

5073-561: The law and the courts, and official documents and decrees. However, because the vast majority of Haitians speak only Creole, there have been efforts in recent years to expand its use. In 1979, a law was passed that permitted Creole to be the language of instruction, and the Constitution of 1983 gave Creole the status of a national language. However, it was only in 1987 that the Constitution granted official status to Creole. Haitian art, known for its vibrant color work and expressive design,

5162-498: The lower house of Parliament). Haiti's population is mostly of African descent (5% are of mixed African and other ancestry), though people of many different ethnic and national backgrounds have settled and impacted the country, such as Poles (from Napoleon's Polish legions), Jews , Arabs (from the Arab diaspora ), Chinese , Indians , Spanish , Germans (18th century and World War I ), Italians , and French , most marrying into

5251-454: The mainstream. According to Forbes , their success helped establish Ruffhouse Records as a major record label. Consequence noted the Fugees for putting Haiti on the hip hop map. Alternative Press argued that the group paved the way for modern alternative music and stated "If you listen to modern hip-hop today, so many of the new faces went to the Fugees' School of Songwriting." While Matthew Ismael Ruiz of Pitchfork , noted

5340-414: The majority black populace and in turn yielding mixed race children (many of whom are prominent in Haitian society). The official languages of Haiti are French and Haitian Creole . Traditionally, the two languages served different functions, with Haitian Creole the informal everyday language of all the people, regardless of social class, and French the language of formal situations: schools, newspapers,

5429-422: The maroon bands and established a network of secret organizations among plantation slaves, leading a rebellion from 1751 through 1757. Although Mackandal was captured by the French and burned at the stake in 1758, large armed maroon bands persisted in raids and harassment after his death. French writer Guillaume Raynal attacked slavery in his history of European colonization. He warned, "the Africans only want

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5518-498: The men often served in the army or as administrators on plantations. Many were children of white planters and enslaved mothers, or free women of color. Others had purchased their freedom from their owners through the sale of their own produce or artistic works. They often received education or artisan training, and sometimes inherited freedom or property from their fathers. Some gens de couleur owned and operated their own plantations and became slave owners. The third group, outnumbering

5607-462: The name of their band at the time, which included Johnny Wise on drums, Ti Bass (Jerry Duplessis) on bass guitar, and original DJ Hard Hittin Harry (Harry D’Janite). DJ Leon (Leon Higgins) joined the group in 1994 after Harry left to pursue a career as a publicist. In 1993, after some gigs and recorded demos, the trio signed to Ruffhouse , distributed through Columbia Records . The members then changed

5696-458: The nation of Haiti include music derived from Vodou ceremonial traditions and Méringue , Rara parading music, Twoubadou ballads , Mini-jazz rock bands, Rasin movement, Hip hop Kreyòl, and Compas . Compas, short for compas direct , is a complex, ever-changing music that arose from African rhythms and European ballroom dancing, mixed with Haiti's bourgeois culture. It is a refined music, with méringue as its basic rhythm. In Creole , it

5785-535: The others by a ratio of ten to one, was made up of mostly African-born slaves. A high rate of mortality among them meant that planters continually had to import new slaves. This kept their culture more African and separate from other people on the island. Many plantations had large concentrations of slaves from a particular region of Africa, and it was therefore somewhat easier for these groups to maintain elements of their culture, religion, and language. This also separated new slaves from Africa from creoles (slaves born in

5874-417: The plantation houses. Le Cap Français (Le Cap), a northern port, had a large population of free people of color, including freed slaves. These men would become important leaders in the slave rebellion and later revolution. Saint-Domingue's Northern province was the center of shipping and trading, and had the largest population of grands blancs . The Plaine-du-Nord on the northern shore of Saint-Domingue

5963-538: The plantations. Many runaway slaves—called maroons—hid on the margins of large plantations, living off the land and what they could steal from their former masters. Others fled to towns, to blend in with urban slaves and freed blacks who often migrated to those areas for work. If caught, these runaway slaves would be severely and violently punished. However, some masters tolerated petit marronages, or short-term absences from plantations, knowing these allowed release of tensions. The larger groups of runaway slaves who lived in

6052-487: The public response from the group's sophomore album, The Score to that of Beatlemania , referring to it as "Fugee-mania". Former United States President Barack Obama , named the Fugees single " Ready or Not " his favorite song ever. Their album The Score was placed on the list of 200 Definitive Albums in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2007) by National association of recording merchandisers (NARM). "Ready or Not"

6141-439: The same way that enslaved Africans once hid martial arts from their colonial masters by pretending that they were a dance." Writing for The Recording Academy , music journalist Kathy Iandoli wrote about the impact of the group on the hip hop genre stating: "As hip-hop's East and West Coasts continued their tussle, their lighter-hearted approach to socially conscious rap curtailed any overarching assumptions that hip-hop

6230-676: The sexes, with more men than women. Some slaves were of a creole elite class of urban slaves and domestics, who worked as cooks, personal servants and artisans around the plantation house. This relatively privileged class was chiefly born in the Americas, while the under-class born in Africa labored hard, and often under abusive and brutal conditions. Among Saint-Domingue's 40,000 white colonists, European-born Frenchmen monopolized administrative posts. The sugar planters, or grands blancs (literally, "big whites"), were chiefly minor aristocrats. Most returned to France as soon as possible, hoping to avoid

6319-1177: The sidelines. Leading 18th-century French writer Count Mirabeau had once said the Saint-Domingue whites "slept at the foot of Vesuvius ", suggesting the grave threat they faced should the majority of slaves launch a sustained major uprising. ( Santo Domingo ) ( Spanish Florida , victorious) ( Real Audiencia of Panama , New Spain , suppressed) ( Veracruz , New Spain , victorious) ( New Spain , suppressed) ( New Spain , suppressed) ( British Province of New York , suppressed) (British Jamaica , victorious) (British Chesapeake Colonies , suppressed) ( Louisiana , New France , suppressed) ( Danish Saint John , suppressed) (British Province of South Carolina , suppressed) (British Province of New York , suppressed) (British Jamaica , suppressed) (British Montserrat , suppressed) (British Bahamas , suppressed) ( Louisiana , New Spain , suppressed) ( Louisiana , New Spain , suppressed) Fugees The Fugees ( / ˈ f uː dʒ iː z / ) are an American hip hop trio formed in 1990 in South Orange , New Jersey. Deriving its name from

6408-415: The situation in Saint-Domingue, through the bust of Raynal and the figure of Belley, respectively. While distinguished, the portrait still portrays a man trapped by the confines of race. Girodet's portrayal of the former National Convention deputy is telling of the French opinion of colonial citizens by emphasizing the subject's sexuality and including an earring. Both of these racially charged symbols reveal

6497-478: The situation, for example in the liner notes of The Score . The Fugees won two 1997 Grammy Awards with The Score ( Best Rap Album ) and "Killing Me Softly" ( Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group ). They produced remixes of Michael Jackson 's " Blood on the Dance Floor " and " 2 Bad ". In 1997, the Fugees were featured on the song "Hip-Hopera" by Bounty Killer , which spent five weeks on

6586-411: The standards of the Caribbean, French slave masters were extremely cruel in their treatment of slaves. They used the threat and acts of physical violence to maintain control and suppress efforts at rebellion. When slaves left the plantations or disobeyed their masters, they were subject to whipping or to more extreme torture such as castration or burning, the punishment being both a personal lesson and

6675-534: The three singles " Boof Baf ", " Vocab ", and " Nappy Heads ", they struggled to gain mainstream attention despite earning plaudits for its artistic quality and innovative use of samples. The album's most successful single was a remixed version of the song "Nappy Heads" produced by Salaam Remi . The remix peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 . The musical qualities of the first Fugees record were revisited with their sophomore effort The Score , which

6764-656: The title was changed to " Hips Don't Lie ", the song was released a single and became a global hit. In August 2007, a year after the group's second disbandment, Pras stated, "Before I work with Lauryn Hill again, you will have a better chance of seeing Osama bin Laden and [George W.] Bush in Starbucks having a latte , discussing foreign policies, before there will be a Fugees reunion". Meanwhile, in September 2007, an equally outspoken Wyclef told Blues & Soul : "I feel

6853-708: The valuable colony. After the establishment of the French First Republic , the National Assembly made radical changes to French laws and, on 26 August 1789, published the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen , declaring all men free and equal. The Declaration was ambiguous as to whether this equality applied to women, slaves, or citizens of the colonies, and thus influenced the desire for freedom and equality in Saint-Domingue. White planters saw it as an opportunity to gain independence from France, which would allow them to take control of

6942-413: The whites born in France looked down upon the locally born whites, mulattoes envied the whites, despised the blacks and were despised by the whites; free Negroes brutalized those who were still slaves, Haitian born blacks regarded those from Africa as savages. Everyone—quite rightly—lived in terror of everyone else. Haiti was hell, but Haiti was rich." Many of these conflicts involved slaves who had escaped

7031-492: Was a successful insurrection by self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue , now the sovereign state of Haiti . The revolution was the only known slave uprising in human history that led to the founding of a state which was both free from slavery (though not from forced labour ) and ruled by non-whites and former captives. The revolt began on 22 August 1791, and ended in 1804 with

7120-466: Was forced to move the gig to December due to production issues. The tour received mixed reviews. On February 6, 2006, the group reunited for a free show in Hollywood, with tickets given away to about 8,000 fans by local radio stations. Later that month, a new track called "Foxy" was leaked, a song dubbed the "real return of the Fugees" by several online music blogs. However, following the reunion tour,

7209-451: Was going down a "bad road". Plus, they had Lauryn Hill, who doubled as a songbird and lyrical spitfire. Together, by juxtaposing live instrumentation, soulful melodies and abstract bars, The Fugees gave hip-hop a renewed spirit and propelled it to a different kind of mainstream ". The group has sold over twenty-two million records worldwide, and are one of the biggest-selling hip hop groups of all time. Multiple recording artists have cited

7298-578: Was listed among the 500 Greatest Albums by Rolling Stone . The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame named "Ready or Not" one of the Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll . Lauryn Hill and Pras first met at Columbia High School , in Maplewood, New Jersey . Pras, Lauryn, and a mutual friend Marcy Harriell formed a musical trio called Tyme; Pras' cousin, Wyclef Jean , joined the line-up and Marcy left soon afterward, in 1990. The moniker Tranzlator Crew refers to

7387-469: Was multifaceted because they were, too, their music diverse, just like the Black experience ." The Ringer noted that the Fugees delivered political messages and brought hip hop to the mainstream in their music by blending elements of pop , soul , dancehall and Caribbean music , making it more palpable for a wider audience without making the message dense, stating "the Fugees disguised resistance as art,

7476-630: Was named among the Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll (2018) by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . The following year, they were inducted into the N.J. Pop & Rock Hall . A photograph of the group taken in 1994, has been stored and collected by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture . In 2020, The Score ranked 134th on the revised version of Rolling Stone 's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time . The following year, their version of " Killing Me Softly "

7565-626: Was released in February 1996. The Score was the Fugees' final record before their disbandment the following year. The Score became one of the biggest hits of 1996 and one of the best-selling hip-hop albums of all time. The Fugees first gained attention for its cover versions of old favorites, with the group's reinterpretations of " No Woman No Cry " by Bob Marley & the Wailers and " Killing Me Softly with His Song " (first recorded by Lori Lieberman in 1971, remade by Roberta Flack in 1973),

7654-425: Was so high that polyandry —one woman being married to several men at the same time—developed as a common form of marriage among the slaves. As slaves had no legal rights, rape by planters, their unmarried sons, or overseers was a common occurrence on the plantations. The largest sugar plantations and concentrations of slaves were in the north of the island, and whites lived in fear of slave rebellion . Even by

7743-410: Was such that at least 50% of the slaves from Africa died within a year of arriving, so while the white planters preferred to work their slaves as hard as possible, providing them only the bare minimum of food and shelter, they calculated that it was better to get the most work out of their slaves with the lowest expense possible, since they were probably going to die of yellow fever anyway. The death rate

7832-406: Was the most fertile area, having the largest sugar plantations and therefore the most slaves. It was the area of greatest economic importance, especially as most of the colony's trade went through these ports. The largest and busiest port was Le Cap, the former capital of Saint-Domingue. Enslaved Africans in this region lived in large groups of workers in relative isolation, separated from the rest of

7921-406: Was the wealthiest and most prosperous colony in the Caribbean. The colony's white population numbered 40,000; mulattoes and free blacks, 28,000; and black slaves, an estimated 452,000. This was almost half the total slave population in the Caribbean, estimated at one million that year. Enslaved blacks, regarded as the lowest class of colonial society, outnumbered whites and free people of color by

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