The first non-
Fugee signed to the trio's Refugee Camp label,
John Forté met the group through vocalist
Lauryn Hill early in the '90s, before
the Fugees had even signed a recording contract. Also of Haitian descent,
Forté worked on production for their breakout album, 1996's
The Score, and also toured as part of
Wyclef Jean's solo project,
the Refugee Camp Allstars.
Forté debuted with the 1998 album
Poly Sci and the single "Ninety Nine," before disappearing from the music scene for approximately four years. He returned with an introspective album titled
I, John on a new record label. Unlike his debut album, which had featured assistance from
the Fugees, this follow-up featured not a single
Fugee. Instead,
Forté worked with co-writer
Joel Kipnis and such accomplished artists as
Tricky,
Esthero, and
Herbie Hancock.
–
John Bush, Rovi