Fugees Surprise Reunion

Fugees Superstar Rap Group: Surprise Reunion

It was meant to be a complete surprise, but I can tell you here first: The Fugees finally got back together last night.

The occasion was a taping of "Chappelle's Show" for Comedy Central.

The Fugees were the biggest deal of the mid-'90s, when Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel had a mega-hit with a cover of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly."

The Columbia Records album that contained the single, "The Score," went on to multi-platinum sales in 1996 and two Grammy Awards.

But the strained relationship between Jean and Hill meant that the group could not go on. Instead, Hill released "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill," which went on to sell millions of copies and earn her a record number (5) of her own Grammys in 1998.

Wyclef Jean also started his own successful solo career, with albums like "Masquerade" and "The Ecleftic" and the hits "Gone 'Til November" and "911." He also wrote and produced Whitney Houston's "My Love Is Your Love."

Still, the pressure to get the Fugees back together in some form has been on Jean's mind for years. He's addressed it on several albums, including a very humorous song called "Where Fugee At?" on his "Ecleftic" album.

Hill, however, has always balked. Since her "Miseducation" album, she's released one acoustic record, considered a sales disappointment.

But sources tell me that feelers went out from the Jean camp to Hill while she was recording her new album, and finally a deal was struck.

The group — including third member Pras, who had his own big solo hit with "Ghetto Superstar" since the Fugees breakup — rehearsed over the last couple of days and the "vibing" was good from all accounts.

The group taped the Dave Chappelle show on Saturday around 7 p.m. No word yet on when the show will air, or whether this will lead to a Fugees album. ("Chappelle's Show" airs on Tuesdays at 10 on Comedy Central so it could be on as early as this week.)

If such an album would happen, expect to see Sony Music CEO Donnie Lenner dancing down Madison Avenue.