Dr. Boyce Video -- Where Did The Fugees Go Anyway?

On this episode of 'Dr. Boyce Watkins on AOL Black Voices,' I had the chance to speak with Pras, who was a member of the very popular group, The Fugees. Almost anyone who listened to music during the '90s was heavily influenced by The Fugees, and I personally invited Pras on the show partly because I was curious about what happened to this outstanding group.
When it comes to describing my conversation with Pras, both on and off the camera, these words come to mind: Down-to-earth, intelligent, conscientious and truly committed to the plight of Haiti.

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=911942&pid=911941&uts=1279562873

http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swf

Sisters In The Name Of Rap

Lauryn Hill
Birthname: Lauryn Noel Hill
Origin: South Orange, New Jersey
Affiliation: The Fugees
Hot Track: 'Do Wop (That Thing)'
Factoid: Before she made history as the front-woman of The Fugees, Lauryn starred in the hit movie, 'Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit.'

Columbia

WireImage.com

BlackVoices.com

Sisters In The Name Of Rap

Sisters In the Name of Rap
When it comes to women taking center stage in the hip hop arena, some are overlooked more than others. Before Nicki Minaj came up on the scene, there was Roxanne Shante, Lil' Kim, Trina and YoYo. Here's a look at some the most notable females in hip-hop.

Sisters In The Name Of Rap

Roxanne Shante
Birth name: Lolita Gooden
Origin: Long Island, New York
Affiliation: The Juice Crew, Marley Marl
Hot Track: 'Roxanne's Revenge'
Factoid: Widely recognized as the first female hip hop artist to break through the male dominated industry, Roxanne Shante's no holds-barred style of rap made her a household name.

Sisters In The Name Of Rap

Queen Latifah
Birth name: Dana Elaine Owens
Origin: Newark, New Jersey
Affiliation: Naughty By Nature, Zhane
Hot Track: 'U.N.I.T.Y.'
Factoid: The first female solo rapper to win a Grammy Award, Latifah was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in the blockbuster musical 'Chicago,' and has recorded to critically-acclaimed jazz albums. She's a spokesperson for Jenny Craig and Cover Girl cosmetics.

Sisters In The Name Of Rap

Sister Souljah
Birth name: Lisa Williamson
Origin: Bronx, New York
Affiliation: Public Enemy
Hot Track: 'The Hate That Hate Produced'
Factoid: In 1992, Sister Souljah released her only album, '360 Degrees of Power,' via Epic Records. Both of her videos, "The Final Solution: Slavery's Back in Effect" and "The Hate that Hate Produced," were banned by MTV because of their inflammatory imagery. She garnered international attention when then presidential candidate Bill Clinton criticized her remarks about race in the United States during his campaign. Clinton's well-known repudiation of her comments led to what is now known in politics as a Sister Souljah moment.

Sisters In The Name Of Rap

Yo Yo
Birthname: Yolanda Whitaker
Origin: Los Angeles, CA
Affiliation: Ice Cube
Hot Track: 'You Can't Play With My Yo Yo'
Factoid: Yo-Yo is an on-air personality for the Los Angeles hip-hop radio station KDAY.

Sisters In The Name Of Rap

Nicki Minaj
Birth name: Onika Tanya Maraj
Origin: Jamaica Queens, New York
Affiliation: Gucci Mane, Lil Wayne, Young Money
Hot Track: 'Massive Attack'
Factoid: Known for her animated personality, eye-popping fashion style and voluptuous curves, Young Money's first lady reportedly attended performing arts school LaGuardia High School, where she studied acting.

Sisters In The Name Of Rap

Lil' Kim
Birthname: Kimberly Denise Jones
Origin: Brooklyn, New York
Affiliation: The Notorious B.I.G., Junior M.A.F.I.A.
Hot Track: 'Not Tonight'
Factoid: The reality show 'Lil Kim: Countdown to Lockdown,' which was filmed before Kim headed to jail, became the highest rated premiere in BET history at the time, with 1.7 million viewers.

Sisters In The Name Of Rap

Nikki D
Birth name: Nichelle Strong
Origin: New Jersey
Affiliation: Queen Latifah
Hot Track: 'Daddy's Little Girl'
Factoid: Nikki D was the first female rapper signed to Def Jam Records.

Sisters In The Name Of Rap

Salt-N-Pepa
Birth name (s): Cheryl James, Sandra Denton
Origin: Queens, New York
Affiliation: Kid-N-Play
Hot Track: 'Push It'
Factoid: In 1995, Salt-N-Pepa won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance for the single 'None Of Your Business,' making them the first female rap group to win a prestigious honor.

Sisters In The Name Of Rap

Since leaving the music industry, Pras has dedicated much of his time to helping those in his native country of Haiti. He has worked, along with Wyclef and many others, to maintain awareness of the plight of the Haitian people even after the cameras have gone dark.

I enjoyed speaking with Pras, and I think you'll enjoy the interview.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.