OMMA Catalogue Number

OMMA-0087

Artist

Lauryn Hill, with Fugees (Tranzlator Crew)

Title

“Boof Baf / Living Like There Ain’t No Tomorrow”

Release Details

Issued in 1993 by Columbia as a 12-inch single (44 77149) credited to Fugees (Tranzlator Crew). The 12-inch program as including the LP version of “Boof Baf,” as well as multiple remixes – “Refugee Doodle Remix,” the “Refugee Doodle Remix Instrumental,” the “Butcher Mix,” and the “Butcher Extended Mix.” The B-side label credits Joe “The Butcher” Nicolo as remixing “Living Like there Ain’t Tomorrow” an apparent typo, since the B-side’s second track, “Butcher Extended Mix” is uncredited.

Edition & Variant Identification

Original U.S. Columbia 12-inch commercial issue credited to Fugees (Tranzlator Crew), the early group name used by Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Michel before the trio’s identity stabilized publicly as Fugees.

Matrix & Pressing Data

Although this pressing is sealed, the Boof Baf 12” is recorded as having an A-side matrix of XSS-77149-A. No B-side matrix has been identified from public sources.

Physical Description

Factory-sealed 12-inch vinyl single issued by Columbia. The sleeve features a photo of the three band members, Pras Michel, Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, with Hill facing the camera.

Condition Report

The object is factory sealed. Mint condition media. Sleeve condition is recorded as Near Mint, with minor signs of handling on the corners, with no ring wear or remainder marks.

Provenance

Acquired by OMMA through Discogs from seller jackniferecordstapes on February 9, 2026.

Market Context & Historical Notes

Boof Baf is important less because the single itself became a major hit than because of where it falls in Lauryn Hill’s recorded-music chronology. AllMusic dates the vinyl single to October 19, 1993. That places it before the January 1994 release of the Fugees’ debut album Blunted on Reality, and also before the widely documented November 1993 release of the Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit soundtrack, where Hill is featured on a duet with Tanya Blount.

A Fugees songwriter, rapper, and vocalist from the group’s early formation, Hill was central to the group’s musical identity. The debut album, Blunted on Reality, was commercially unsuccessful and did not make Hill a star, but this pre-release single marks the beginning of Hill’s public recording path that would soon make her a breakout figure.

The distance between Boof Baf and Hill’s later canon is unusually sharp. The Fugee’s follow-up album, The Score made the group a major international act, with Hill’s singing and rapping becoming central to the album’s appeal. Within five years, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill made her the first hip-hop artist to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and the album was later added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.

Canonical Status in OMMA

OMMA recognizes Boof Baf as a Lauryn Hill origin object issued under the Fugees (Tranzlator Crew) group credit.

References and Source Documentation

AllMusic. “Fugees: Boof Baf [Vinyl Single] Tracks & Reviews.”
https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000107106

Cornell University Library, Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections. “Guide to the Afrika Bambaataa hip hop archive, circa 1972–2016.”
https://rmc.library.cornell.edu/EAD/htmldocs/RMM08094s9ss1ss4F.html

Discogs. “Fugees (Tranzlator Crew) – Boof Baf.”
https://www.discogs.com/release/824561-Fugees-Tranzlator-Crew-Boof-Baf

Academy of Achievement. “Lauryn Hill.”
https://achievement.org/achiever/lauryn-hill/

Pitchfork. Sheldon Pearce, “Fugees: Blunted on Reality Album Review.”
https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22566-blunted-on-reality/

Pitchfork. Jeff Weiss, “Fugees: The Score Album Review.”
https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/fugees-the-score/

Recording Academy / GRAMMY.com. “Lauryn Hill Artist Page.”
https://www.grammy.com/artists/lauryn-hill/9621/

Library of Congress. “Complete National Recording Registry Listing.”
https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/recording-registry/complete-national-recording-registry-listing/