"Hip-Hopera" is a song by Jamaican dancehall artist Bounty Killer, featuring American hip-hop group Fugees.
The Fugees deliver rap verses, complemented by Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill's harmonies and Bounty Killer's dramatic delivery.
Although the song does not strictly follow the structure of classical opera, its theatrical nature, production and background vocals hinted at the genre's storytelling.
The song is regarded as one of the earliest examples of the rap opera genre, with The New York Times attributing its unique blend to paving the way for the 2001 television film Carmen: A Hip Hopera, which starred Beyoncé and featured a cameo by Wyclef Jean of Fugees.
[3] The genre would later be explored more fully in projects like Trapped in the Closet (2005) by R. Kelly, and the TikTok viral promotional track "Did Somebody Say HipOpera" (2023) by Latto and Christina Aguilera.