Fugees' "Ready or Not" w/ Wyclef Jean

One Song

Hartbeat

Music, Comedy, Music Commentary, Music Interviews

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 29 January 2026

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What song connects 1960s soul, Irish new age, and ’90s hip-hop? Diallo Riddle and LUXXURY go deep on Fugees’ classic “Ready or Not” with special guest Wyclef Jean. Together, they deconstruct the track’s haunting beat, uncover its surprisingly sourced bassline, and unpack the layered samples and interpolations that helped turn the song into a defining moment in hip-hop history. Songs Discussed: “Ready Or Not” - Fugees “Maria Maria” - Santana feat. The Product G&B “No, No, No Part 2” - Destiny’s Child feat. Wyclef Jean “Hips Don’t Lie” - Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean “What Would You Do?” - City High “Fu-Gee-La” - Fugees “Shook Ones, Pt. II” - Mobb Deep “Temperature’s Rising” - Mobb Deep feat. Crystal Johnson “Vocab (Refugees Hip Hop Remix)” - Fugees “Orinoco Flow” - Enya “Boadicea” - Enya “Ready or Not Here I come (Can’t Hide from Love)” - The Delfonics “If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)” - Nas feat. Lauryn Hill “If I Ruled The World” - Kurtis Blow “Ninety Nine (Flash the Message)” - John Forté “99 Red Balloons” - NENA “Anything Can Happen” - Wyclef Jean “Bubblegoose” - Wyclef Jean “Gone Till November” - Wyclef Jean “Dance Like This” - Wyclef Jean feat. Claudette Ortiz “Amores Como el Nuestro” - Jerry Rivera One Song Spotify Playlist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Ready or not, here I come, you can hide.
0:05.0	Gonna find you and take it slowly.
0:11.0	The first thing she starts to sing is ready or not.
0:15.0	There was no like, I'm going to sing two or three,
0:18.0	and I was just like, yo, this is hard. So luxury today, we're talking about a song that really challenged
0:24.7	not only what hip hop could sound like,
0:27.1	but what success could look like.
0:28.9	That's right, Diallo, with its eerie, minimalist textures
0:31.4	and abstract yet socially minded lyrics.
0:34.3	The song is a fan favorite on one of the best-selling records of all time.
0:38.6	That's right. And to help us deconstruct this classic, we're joined by one of the architects
0:43.0	behind the sound and the vision. Why Claif Jean? We're talking one song, and that song is
0:48.9	Ready or Not by The Fugees.
0:51.0	Ready or not, here I come. You can hide. You're going to find the Fugees. Redeem your lab bucks on free bet spins or even cash in for real money.
1:12.3	That's satisfaction from Lab Brooks.
1:14.1	And for extra satisfaction, here's the T's and C's.
1:16.2	Let's rock.
1:17.5	18 plus participates in selected promotions to get LabBucks.
1:23.0	Go get lap bucks.
1:25.1	With 8 and 4 offers or rewards, lap bucks expire for T's and C's a price. I'm within that fuck. Off is all rewards.
1:29.0	Like bucks expire
1:30.2	for these days are bright.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Hartbeat, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Hartbeat and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.