To celebrate the 30th anniversary of their groundbreaking album The Score, Wyclef Jean and Vevo have released a new episode of Vevo Footnotes, taking fans behind the scenes of one of the album’s biggest hits, “Ready or Not.” by clicking here. This track not only became a Top 10 hit in over 15 countries but also showcased the group’s unique blend of mainstream appeal and meaningful messages.
Wyclef shares vivid memories from the making of the song and its music video, which was crafted long before the age of AI effects. The video featured real helicopters, explosions, and physically intense stunts performed by Wyclef himself. He recalls near injuries during fight scenes and the terrifying underwater sequence—made even more daunting because he couldn’t swim and was secured with clamps. He also credits Lauryn Hill for deepening his love of soul music and explains how he discovered the famous Enya “Boadicea” sample from watching a movie called Sleepwalkers.
More than just music, Wyclef emphasizes how The Fugees represented a larger movement—a voice for their community. He fondly describes the “Ready or Not” video as one of the most enjoyable experiences of his life, likening the group to their own version of “The Avengers.” He closes with the group’s powerful philosophy: “We’re not going to do music. We’re going to be a movement. Because the movement is going to be bigger than the music.” To read the full transcript – view below.
EPISODE FULL TRANSCRIPT:
0:08 – Wyclef Jean: Fugees always lived in that space of imagination. And at the time, remember, that’s when everyone was doing these super big videos. And this is like the era before AI. You needed the actual helicopter there. You needed to put them explosives there. I had no stunt man. I did my own stunts.
0:35 – Wyclef Jean: The Delfonics sample, that’s what made the Fugees amazing. That’s straight up Lauryn Hill. She’s just amazing. She literally put me up on soul music. I think that that was her genius. I have my genius in doing the beats and sampling freaking Enya out of Ireland. And she’s singing Delfonics.
1:05 – Wyclef Jean: I remember the guy that I was fighting. Those guys were real fighters. I almost dislocated my arm.
1:20 – Wyclef Jean: I don’t have a favorite line. I just love my verse. The expression of yourself and being able to just tell y’all what’s really going down in the community. That was it.
1:45 – Wyclef Jean: With the Fugees, there’s always two parts to it: we love to entertain, but at the same time there’s always a sub-message. The group Fugees is short for refugees. It was just the idea of anything or anybody that needed a sense of comfort, refuge, or didn’t have a voice to speak, that we’d be there for you.
2:30 – Wyclef Jean: This was the most fun I’ve ever had. I think the three of us could have been like action figures. So “Ready Or Not” was just like our version of, like, The Avengers, you know what I’m saying?
2:50 – Wyclef used an Akai MPC60 to sample Enya’s “Boadicea.” He came across the track while watching the 1992 film ‘Sleepwalkers.’
3:15 – Wyclef Jean: As far as the video, I was terrified. Because at the time I couldn’t swim and the director was like, going to put me in the water. And I was like, “yo, I ain’t going in the water.” He put me in the water! I was so terrified. They had to put clamps on me. So if I gave a signal, they could just pull me back up.
3:45 – Wyclef Jean: One thing I always remember and these words echo ‘til today, “We’re not going to do music.” “We’re going to be a movement. Because the movement is going to be bigger than the music.” So no matter where anybody is in any part of the world, they can feel like they’re part of the movement.
