Released August 29, 1996 Recorded 1995 Length 3:47 | Format CD single Genre Hip hop, Pop, RnB Label Ruffhouse | |
"Ready or Not" is a song by the American hip hop group Fugees, from their second studio album The Score (1996). The song contains a sample of "Boadicea" from Enya (1987) by Enya, and its chorus is based on "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)" by The Delfonics. While "Ready or Not" was a minor hit in the Fugees' native United States, the song was most successful in Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom, where it topped the charts. It remained at that position for two weeks, becoming their second chart-topping single of 1996 in Britain, following Killing Me Softly. Singer Enya was prepared to sue the group for copyright infringement, because she had not permitted the group to sample "Boadicea". She eventually settled out of court.
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Barack Obama listed this as his favorite song. The song is used from the theatrical trailer of the film Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.
Background and critical reception
The song contains a sample of "Boadicea" by Enya. Enya considered suing the Fugees. She said later on: "We were actually on the verge of suing them because of the copyright infringement, because they just didn't approach us. It was a case of, I wasn't featured at all on the credits and it [the sample] was very much a part of the song." The chorus is based on "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)" by The Delfonics, which was an addition suggested by member Wyclef Jean.
Reflecting on the recording process, Pras said: "At one point, the group had disbanded. [Lauryn Hill] had left the group at this point and we didn't know what we were going to do. She calls me and says, 'Listen, I'm going to come down to the studio and I'm going to lay down a reference for you guys, a hook. I give you permission to use my hook, my voice, but I don't want to be a part of this group anymore.' I said, 'Fair enough. No problem.' She said, 'Make sure certain people are not around when I'm there.' I said, 'No problem.' She's laying the reference for 'Ready Or Not' and then she goes into the bridge and she's crying. I see her crying. She stops and says, 'I can't do this anymore,' and leaves. A couple months later she re-joins the group. She said, 'Let's do 'Ready or Not' again 'cause I was crying. It was emotional.' She goes in the studio to do 'Ready Or Not' again. She was in there five hours doing the hook. Every hit is incredible. But we go back and say, 'There's something about that reference. I don't know if we can touch that.' We end up keeping the reference. That's what the world has come to hear. There's something about that record… That's magic."
Spin described the song as "an eerily ambient flow of confused musings (Jean), confident harmonies (Hill), and immigrant pride (Michel), tapped insistently into your consciousness by a simple snare beat." Larry Flick of Billboard wrote the song was "far more representative of the act's vibe", and that "this cut nicely illustrates its lyrical strength as well as its talent for switching from smooth soul singing to sharp rapping within the space of a few seconds."
Music video
Vibe reported that the Fugees' "Ready or Not" video helped usher in the era of bank-breaking, movie-like hip hop videos. The video featured helicopters, explosions, sharks, chase scenes, and a price tag of 1.3 million dollars. In justifying the cost, Pras told Vibe "People want to see drama, man. You figure: A kid pays sixteen dollars for your CD. Let him see a good video."
Other versions
Track listing
- "Ready or Not" (radio version) – 3:47
- "Ready or Not" (Salaam's Ready for the Show Remix) – 4:24
- "Ready or Not" (Handel's Yaard Vibe Mix) – 4:41
- "The Score" – 4:32
- "Ready or Not" (album version) – 3:50
- "How Many Mics" – 4:23
- "Freestyle" – 5:03
- "Blame It on the Sun" – 5:41