Although the names Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Prakazrel "Pras" are seldom mentioned without a Fugee modifier, the R&B/hip-hop outfit rarely takes precedence over its members' solo endeavors. In fact, the Fugees aren't expected to begin work on their follow-up to 1996's multi-platinum breakthrough, The Score, until the spring of '99.

In the meantime, Wyclef is touring in support of the platinum Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival and gearing up for a film role in Many Rivers to Cross; Pras is finishing up his solo debut, Ghetto Superstar, which will also be the name of his first film project; and female Fugee Lauryn Hill is in the studio finalizing her foray into solo territory, called The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

Hill's release, which manager David Sonenberg calls a "very personal album ... deep-rooted in R&B with a universal vibe to it," features collaborations with Carlos Santana, D'Angelo and Mary J. Blige. Sonenberg says Hill's record is "pretty much sample free" -- which stands in contrast to The Score, included her silky smooth rendition of "Killing Me Softly." The Miseducation will tentatively hit stores in August, one month before the release of Pras' Ghetto Superstar.

BLAIR R. FISCHER