"Fugee-La"

Fugees
(Ruffhouse/Columbia, 1996)

Lauryn's rhyme about "Say say say/Like Paul McCartney/Not hardly" may explain why Paul snarkily called her "Lawrence Hill" on this year's MTV Awards; Lauryn also mentions drinking Boone's Farm wine, so this song resonates with me because it came out when I was a freshman at Syracuse, which was the only time I hung with people who'd drink that shit. Wyclef's jab at "a boy on the side of Babylon tryin' to front like he's down with Mount Zion" is cool, but Lauryn's the real bong in this reggae song, and the haughty flame that keeps it lit.

-- Alex Pappademas