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Who is REALLY to blame for the downfall of one of our most beloved Hip Hop groups of the 90’s- The Fugees? Wyclef Jean of The Fugees put out his memoir back in 2012, entitled “Purpose: An Immigrants Story” in which he for the first time ever, dishes out the true details of what happened between he and  fellow band mate Lauryn Hill.

I was delighted and thoroughly engaged in the content, as I read and visualized all that he shared, from watching her bud as one of the most creative and talented female artists, to their falling into a deep passionate love while touring overseas; breaking Lauryn Hill down emotionally as a woman, causing her musical suicide and an extreme turning point for her career. Was Wyclef wrong to fall in love and cross the line with Lauryn Hill? Read excerpts from his book below and find out for yourself:

When It All Fell Apart:

I remember the day things changed, and it was my fault. I slipped up. We were talking about some music stuff and I couldn’t hold back any longer.

“You know, you kinda attractive,” I said. “You know, you a pretty smart girl.”

“Stop it, my brother,” she said.

“Nah, nah, I’m serious. You a hottie.”

That was the moment. It sparked a different tone in the way we spoke to each other. From there we started getting closer and flirting with each other for the first time. Little by little, that innocent flirtation became obvious attraction, and the little gestures between “brother” and “sister” became flirtation between lovers. It all changed step-by-step, the tension between us growing, until one day, it just happened. I’m the guilty party. I’m the one to blame. I definitely went for it first; I ain’t going to lie. Lauryn tried her best to keep me in that brother place. Maybe she’d thought about what would happen, too. I don’t know. All I know is that I was the one who made the move to the other mode. I knew it was wrong, too, because I was with Claudinette. And I loved Claudinette. There was just no way I could avoid falling in love with the little world of music that Lauryn and I shared.”

Why I Wyclef Fell For Lauryn Hill:

“The more Lauryn evolved as a musician, the more I fell for her. I loved her voice and always thought she was beautiful, but as she became a great rhymer and performer, I couldn’t help myself: I fell in love with her again for her skills. It felt like we shared a mind, because we’d have long conversations, all day every day, and we got to know each other deeply.”

“Lauryn Needs Answers, and so do we!”

Lauryn would ask me, “How come you’re not with me?” I never knew what to say, because part of me was with her, and but more of me was with my wife. There was the part of me that understood her the way she understood me. But it didn’t change the fact that I’d made up my mind to go with the rock, not the feather.

EVERYONE Still Blame Wyclef, even Pras:

Pras still blames me for wrecking the group by getting into a relationship with Lauryn, but the truthmis if he had the option to, he would have done the same thing. Believe me, any man would.

A lot of people have blamed me for Lauryn’s emotional instability and artistic inconsistency afterward. It’s sad but true that she’s not been herself as an artist in the years since “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” No one is more upset about that than I am. I mean it; I am her biggest fan and I always will be.

It Is What It Is:

I’ve been told by many angry people who are also her fans that if I hadn’t messed with her she would not have gone so insane. My response to that is: you can talk as much as you want to talk, because talking is easy, because you’re not the one who was in my shoes. You’re not the one who had to be around that beautiful woman 24/7 sharing genius space with her. We shared a creation, one made of our passion, molded into music that went out into the world and became an album that seized the times. It’s the yin and the yang; there is a give and a take. We gave of ourselves, we put ourselves together to make something, and what happened was the price we had to pay. I wouldn’t take that back if it meant taking back what we did with the Fugees. I can’t speak for her, but I hope she feels the same.

He shares even more honest details in his book. To Read more from Wyclef’s book via Salon.com click here: