Rap Artist Reunite for 'Force of Nature
| Rap Artist Reunite for 'Force of Nature |
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| Written by Robert ID1018 |
| Friday, 18 March 2005 05:21 |
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Rap and hip-hop artist Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, former members of the hip-hop group The Fugees, reunited onstage in Malaysia on Friday in an adrenaline-charged charity concert for tsunami victims. The Backstreet Boys, Black Eyed Peas and Boyz II Men were among other acts that entertained an enthusiastic crowd of 15,000 people, raising more than $2.6 million to rebuild tsunami-devastated communities in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India. The seven-hour "Force of Nature" show at Kuala Lumpur's Stadium Putra was the biggest concert in Malaysian history, marking the first initiative of a local nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds for natural disaster survivors. "A terrible tragedy has struck the area that we call home," said Malaysian-born action star Michelle Yeoh. "This has moved many of us to act, because we cannot forget and we cannot let those faces in the headlines fade away." The concert highlighted impassioned performances by numerous Asian sensations, including Hong Kong's Nicholas Tse and Yumiko Cheng, Indonesia's Ruth Sahanaya and Malaysia's Sheila Majid. Hong Kong action legend Jackie Chan sang a tender Mandarin-language love ballad for the audience, which included Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and an array of Cabinet ministers. Rap artist Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, who comprised two-thirds of the Grammy-winning rap / hip-hop group The Fugees before it split in the late 1990s, made a rare appearance together onstage, rendering the most power-packed performance of the night. The charismatic hip-hop artist sang three of The Fugees'' biggest hits from their acclaimed 1996 album, "The Score" — "Killing Me Softly With His Song," "Ready or Not" and "Fu-Gee-La." "This is history in the making," a choked-up Jean said in a dramatic gesture, kneeling down in front of Hill. "Do you all understand what's happening on this stage? I''m too emotional right now." Wyclef Jean also delivered the night's most poignant moment. While gently chanting "We''ll never forget the tsunami victims," he instructed the stadium lights to be turned off while the audience waved lighted cell phones in the darkness. |
