American Sounds: Jerry Wonda Talks About His Start As A Musician And What Black Music Means To Him

In this interview from the “American Sounds” interview series, multi-award-winning producer and The Fugees guitar bassist Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis talks about how he got into music, saying that seeing the choir have so much fun at church first drew him to music. Wonda also talks about the famous days in the Booga Basement — his dad’s basement where The Fugees (Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras Michel, and Jerry Wonda) started playing together, and where they created arguably one of their greatest albums, “The Score.”

As a producer, when working with another artist, Wonda says it’s all about the artist — not about him. It’s about, “How do I give them a sound?” he says. For Wonda, hip hop is about what the Black community has been through, and what they’re going through. It’s about mental health, he says, and soul — “Your soul.”