The cover of Pras Michel’s “Ghetto Supastar” album.
Yesterday’s pick for the 350 Jersey Songs series was Wyclef Jean’s “Gone Till November,” and the day before that it was Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing),” so you could probably see this one coming. The third member of the Jersey-based group The Fugees, Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, also had a big hit in 1998: “Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are),” co-written and co-produced by Jean, and featuring singer Mya and rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard. It was recorded for the soundtrack of the political satire “Bulworth,” and some of the lyrics reflect that; later, it came out on Michel’s Ghetto Supastar album as well.
Michel did not remain a solo star for long, like Hill and Jean did. “Ghetto Supastar” was, in fact, his only hit as a solo artist.
New Jersey celebrated its 350th birthday last year. And in the 350 Jersey Songs series, we are marking the occasion by posting 350 songs — one a day, for almost a year — that have something to do with the state, its musical history, or both. We started in September 2014, and will keep going until late in the summer.
If you would like to suggest any songs to be included, please let me know in the comments section underneath the video. And if you want to see the entire list, either alphabetically or in the order the songs were selected, click here.