Each Fugees Member Found Solo Success — Here’s Where They Are Now

The year was 1989 when three South Orange, NJ. natives named Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Michel burst into the music scene, whether we were "Ready or Not." The trio formed their group, Fugees, a name shortened for refugees to represent Wyclef and Pras's Haitian heritage. Throughout the '90s, the group would create two albums that are still heavily listened to and referenced today. Those albums included some of their biggest hits, from their rendition of Roberta Flack's "Killing Him Softly with his Song" and "Fu-Gee-La."

While Fugees are iconic in R&B, hip-hop, and Black culture, their time together didn't last long. In 1997, shortly after the release of their 1996 sophomore album, The Score, the group disbanded, which Wyclef has claimed was due to his and Lauryn's affair, one that resulted in him believing he was the father of her and Ziggy Marley's first child, Zion.

Fortunately, Fugees have since put their issues aside long enough to reunite onstage. That was, until, tragedy struck them. So, where are Fugees now? Let's take a look.

One can't give Fugees their flowers without the group's queen, Lauryn Hill. Her soulful sounds on their tracks kept fans coming back, and for good reason. Lauryn remains one of the most revered voices in music history, thanks to her iconic role in the Fugees. However, as previously explained, Lauryn's pregnancy with her first son halted the group from continuing.

Since Fugees split, she went on to create her only yet legendary album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

The album earned her five Grammys, including Album of the Year, making her the first female rapper to do so. Lauryn also has five children with Ziggy and welcomed a son, Micah, from another man in 2012. She's also faced several public legal troubles, including being sentenced to three months in prison and three months of home confinement for not filing tax returns for five years in 2013. Nonetheless, Lauryn continues performing and touring, though she took to Instagram to address the narrative that she's often late for her performances.

Wyclef Jean was actually the first Fugees member to strike out on his own, dropping his solo debut The Carnival in 1997 while the group was still very much together. Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel even popped up on the album, making it feel like a natural extension of the Fugees era rather than a full-on solo break.

Since then, Wyclef has gone on to release eight more studio albums and rack up 10 Grammy nominations, including a nod for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for his work on Shakira’s massive hit “Hips Don’t Lie.”

Outside of music, Wyclef has also been deeply connected to his Haitian roots. In 2005, he founded the charity Yéle Haiti to support young people and struggling communities in the country. The organization stayed active until 2012, when Wyclef stepped down following scrutiny over how $16 million in donations raised after Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquakes was handled, according to Philanthropy News Digest.

Wyclef also made headlines in 2010 when he announced plans to run for president of Haiti, though he was ultimately ruled ineligible because he did not live in the country at the time.

After stepping away from music for a while, Wyclef made his return in 2017, telling People that coming back to making music felt like “drinking water — it’s a natural thing.”

On the personal side, Wyclef shares one daughter, Angelina Jean, with his wife, Claudinette Jean.

Like his groupmates, Pras Michel went on to create a solo career. His first solo song, "Ghetto Superstar," became a late '90s classic, but he wasn't done sharing all of his talents with the world. In 2000, he starred in the crime drama Turn It Up, which opened the door to a string of smaller film and TV roles throughout the 2000s, including appearances in Higher Ed, Mutant Chronicles, and the series Nora’s Hair Salon. Behind the scenes, Pras also made a name for himself as a producer, working on documentaries like Skid Row and Sweet Micky for President.

His biggest critical success came with the web series The Bay, which won three Daytime Emmy Awards in 2020, according to Deadline.

Musically, Pras has continued to drop singles over the years and even reunited with the Fugees for a performance at the 2023 Roots Picnic. However, things took a messy turn after the group’s reunion tour was canceled in 2025. Pras later released a song titled “Bar Mitzfa,” which many fans took as a diss aimed at Lauryn Hill, blaming her for the group’s latest fallout.

Unfortunately, Pras's celebrated career would have a grey cloud over it. In November 2025, Michel was sentenced to 14 years in prison for his role in an international conspiracy involving Malaysian businessman Jho Low during former President Barack Obama's 2012 campaign.

John was a key producer and vocalist with the Fugees. He was a collaborator with the group and also earned a Grammy nomination for his musical credits on The Score. After Fugees broke up, John continued collaborating with Wyclef and kicked off a solo career with a debut album titled Poly Sci, and in 2001, he dropped a follow-up called I, John.

John also faced legal troubles and served seven years of a 14 prison sentence following a 2000 arrest at Newark International Airport and conviction of possession of liquid cocaine and drug trafficking. He was released from prison in 2008 after President George W. Bush commuted his sentence. John performed with Fugees in his later years, but, in January 2026, he was found dead in his Chilmark, Mass. home at 50 years old.

Since the news of his death broke, both Lauryn and Wyclef expressed their condolences to him via Instagram.