Customer Reviews

Score

5 star:		(81)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

With four massive hit singles and 17 million copies shifted worldwide, the Fugees did, indeed, score big time in 1996 with "The Score." Never before had a rap act ever being so highly praised whilst managing to sell so many records. After 1994's "Blunted On Reality" passed by almost unnoticed, the Fugees pulled themselves together, seemingly matured by ten years and really knuckled down throughout 1995 - the result of which was The Score. Displaying a youthful exuberance fuelled with a wise-beyond-their-years knowledge of urban society, Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Prakazrel "Pras" smashed their way into the public conscious and firmly established themselves as one of the most talented and popular Hip-Hop acts of all time. They achieved this all within the space of two years and with one album which would sadly be their last...

Inflated egos and a desire to prove their impeccable solo talents (along with scraps within the group) resulted in the demised of one of the most lauded trios ever. What is left is a legacy which we can only hope will be resurrected someday - although with Lauryn (or Ms. Hill as she now prefers to be called) currently battling serious personal demons, the future doesn't look good (I hope that genius brings out another solo album - surely can't be as good as "The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill" though...can it?!). Success, fame and power tore them apart and this album is the only real thing we have left to remember them by.

Adopting the alias "Refugee Camp," the Fugees brought something fresh to the scene in the mid-90's. Their fusion of rap and pop was exciting and very ground-breaking. It sounds not so today, but eight years ago it definitely was - before everyone was ripping it off. The album opens with "Red Intro," followed swiftly by the classic opener "How Many Mics." Superb rapping here from Wyclef and Pras inparticular, whilst Lauryn's lyrics bring something new to the song everytime you listen to it. "Ready Or Not" is the now classic massive UK No.1 that rounded off a year of phenomenal success in 1996. Sampling Enya's haunting "Boadicea," the song becomes a profoundly eerie and dramatic Hip-Hop classic. Mario Winans recently sampled it, but his version pales in comparison to the version the Fugees provide here. "Zealots" has a rather corny chant that plays in the background throughout the song (that, for some unknown reason, reminds me of The Shawshank Redemption!), but the lyrics and rapping arrangement makes up for this and results in another great track.

"The Beast" opens with a dragging and throbbing beat that is tired and exhausted. The deep and suffocating atmosphere of the urban underground can be felt completely here and the lyrics are once more superbly arranged and performed. "Fu-gee-la" brings something to the album that has been missing up until this point - a catchy vocal arrangement. With a heavy beat and brilliant rapping, the song effortlessly switches between Wyclef's serious lyrics to Lauryn's fun-loving sung-chorus in that awesome voice of hers. "Family Business" has a distinctive and hidden beat that is incredibly deep and ambiguous, whilst Lauryn's chant of "Ha-ha, ha-ha" in the background is spine-tingling. A great song that is unfortunately forgotten as soon as the next song plays - truly one of the greatest cover versions of all time...

Yes, it's the multi-million selling mammoth No.1 "Killing Me Softly." Lauryn Hill completely owns this track with her tear-inducing voice that caught the ears of millions worldwide. This was the song that made the Fugees international superstars, and Lauryn brings something to the song that Roberta Flack never could originally. "The Score" is held together by a thrilling and haunting beat that breaks down each verse and enhances the choruses, whilst samples from each of the previous songs play to remind you of what you've just heard. "The Mask" offers a metaphorical observation on the identity of people and warns the listener to be aware the false motifs of others, "Yeah everybody wears the mask but how long will it last?" "Cowboys" has a catchy beat with some really truthful lyrics about the dangers of gun crime. A serious topic is perfectly contrasted with Wyclef's hilarious cowboy chant "Oh-lee-i!"

The third single to be taken from the album was "No Woman No Cry," a fantastic cover of the Bob Marley track. The guitar strumming is totally different to anything else on offer on the album. "Manifest/Outro" is the album's final proper track, and the music is hardly present at all. We hear Wyclef teaching us a lesson about his experiences with drugs and all the rest of it, as the piano break from the Intro of the album starts to play. Then Wyclef thanks everyone for working on the album as clapping in the background plays. Kinda funny! The album also has two remixes of "Fu-gee-la" which I'm not really fond of, but apart from that, this is a near-flawless album!

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

At present all is not well in the world of the ex-members of the Fugees. After the phenomenal critical acclaim of her debut solo album and sales surpassing 13 million, Lauryn Hill's personal life has been plagued with many difficulties. Since she met that preacher dude Anthony, I pray that she'll be okay and come out of it, get her head screwed on and bring out another album. I know she's working on one, but she's taking her time - fine by me. Wyclef and Pras parted on bad terms and still don't talk to each other. I think it's a great shame that one of the world's most notorious and talented Hip-Hop acts ever had to end this way. The music on this album is stellar, making it an essential and instant classic - buy a piece of history now.

The Fugees (Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras) sophomore album "The Score" (1996) is a first class album and deserves all the recognition it has recieved. Musically and lyrically the Fugees dropped a gem with this release, delivering an album to remember. What I appreciate most about this album is the variety of musical influences the Fugees use in there music whether it be Hip Hop, Soul, Reggae, Gospel or Blues. The Fugees do justice to the originals on there covers for "Killing Me Softly With His Song" (Roberta Flack) and "No Woman, No Cry" (Bob Marley), both of these songs are off the hook. I wont front either, I had never heard the original versions back in 96, but have since listened to and enjoyed them and become a Bob Marley fan, thanks to this album. Love the instrumentals, Fugees rhyming and Lauryn Hill's outstanding vocals on "Ready or Not" and "Fu-Gee-La". The Fugees rip "Zealots" warning other MCs not to mess around, and talk about police discrimination on "The Beast". The darkly deep "Family Business" with Omega and Forte is another sick track. Both the "Fu-Gee-La" mixes are good, I especially like the "Refugee Camp Remix". Individually and collectively the Fugees shine on the "The Score" an album for every Hip Hop collection.

I don't know about everyone else, but when I throw on this album the beats automatically make me bounce. The mix of rap, raggae, r&b, and Lauryn Hill's sweet vocals just paralyzes you. The slow, methodical rhythm of the record just captures your mind. From the grooves of "Ready or Not" to the fast-paced hip-hop of "Fu-Gee La" to the raggae remake of Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" to the most famous "Killing Me Softly" ballad, the CD doesn't grow dull or allow you to drift away. Unlike most groups, the Fugees mix up their styles and sounds in order to keep you rapt and attentive. This album is great.

God alone knows what the hell, 50 cent, g-unit, nelly(who by the way has absolutely no skills on the mic), lil' jon etc are doing.
Well for me this is the best Hip Hop album of all time. the year is 2006 (10 yr after its release)and i quite often am bumping fu-gee-la, ready or not and killing me softly, just to break away from the crap that dominates mainstream hip hop radio.

Sorry to be a young black male and say, 95% of the Hip Hip/rap music and even now R&B music these days are pure crap.

this album is one of music's gems.

Aight, I just bought this album a couple of days ago. I was sitting in my room listening to the radio, and I hated some of the mainstream hiphop that they were playing. I needed a old school hiphop group that i could listen to. So i went out and bought the Fugees cd cuz i heard their stuff from the past, and thought they were fresh, so i bought it. I dont know what the hell took me so long to go buy this record. This is possibly one of my top 10 albums of all time. I think that the old school beats, the lyrics, the flow of the group is crazy fly. I think that all hip hop fans should go cop this album right now, if you dont already have it. This is no doubt a classic album, one of the best of all time. If you want a old school real hiphop album, this is one that you should go buy.

Simply put, "The Score" is the definition of a perfect hip-hop album. The beats are funky ("Fu-Gee-La"), soulful ("Ready or Not"), hardcore ("Manifest"), and occasionally jazzy ("The Mask") and resemble production found on other hip-hop classics such as ATCQ's "Beats, Rhymes, and Life" or OutKast's "ATLiens". On the rhyme tip, Lauryn Hill boasts verses that rival hip-hop's top emcees (Gift of Gab or Common, for example) on "Zealots" and "Family Business," while Wyclef drops a distinctly cynical, afocentric steez ("No Woman, No Cry" and "The Beast"). Quite wisely, Pras's mic time is kept to a minimum, which, as the least-skilled emcee in the trio, allows him to stay on topic. Collectively the group tackle an array of social issues ranging from police brutality ("The Beast") to gun control ("Cowboys") to homelessness ("Mista, Mista") to mid-90's political staples such as the Oklahama Bombings and Newt Gingrich. The two re-makes on the LP, "Killing Me Softly" and "No Woman, No Cry" are beautiful masterpieces that only complement their originals and catapult "The Score" into greatness; with "Killing" in particular being one of the most magical songs ever covered. This one's a no-brainer: Cop "The Score" immediately, you won't be disappointed.

I just started listening to this album recently after it had been gathering dust for years in my CD collection. STILL such a great album..."Ready or Not" (my favorite track) still sounds just as fresh and enjoyable as it did when I first heard it. And of course Killing Me Softly is a great R&B/hip-hop fused remake. At their prime, the Fugees were the biggest thing in hip-hop, and I think that if they were around today they still would be.

I have been a huge fan of the Fugees, I love Loren's voice, Wyclef rocks, and Pras is awesome. I have all the other CD's they have made, and of all of them, the best is this one. This is the one with the best hits, the most influencial songs they wrote as well as a great song from Bob Marley. If you ever become a fan, please, get this CD. I definately give this two thumbs up.

this album not only touched on hip hop, reggae and soul but also elements of world music and acoustic music and it gets very political at times while romantic at others. This was the best hip hop record to come out in the 90's along with lauryn hill's miseducation. I can't wait for the fugees to get back together so wannabes like black eyed peas are forgotten.

And one of my top thirty, maybe even twenty favorites of all-time. I used to be more of a fan of the subgenre until I started getting disappointed in some of it and I was getting into more alternative/rock stuff. Even with that it has not waned my interest of this album. While there's some rapping from all of them, you also hear some hints of reggae and soul, both done well and with some excellent production. I was so glad when I heard that they were reuniting. While I like Wyclef's solo stuff alright and enjoyed Lauryn's album, it would be nice to hear more from them. The covers of Roberta Flack and Bob Marley are nicely done, but you should also listen to the original songs that they do hear; all are presented well.

The skits are not really my favorites but seem to serve a purpose, and are usually just put at the end of most of the songs anyway. Discussed in most of these songs are social issues, and this record is kind of a commentary of that. It doesn't come off as pretentious in the least bit, which makes it nice. The two remixes of "Fu-Gee-La" are okay with me, particularly because that's my favorite song from the album. Then there's "Mista, Mista" which is mainly just Wyclef and the guitar. The instrumentation on this album is nice; I wish that was how it was more often (although the instrumentation of "Killing Me Softly" in parts is not all that different from what A Tribe Called Quest had several years back on the classic "Bonita Applebum"). Even the samples are nice, like the Enya one that others are also trying to sample in their songs. Pras has good rapping skills as well in spite of the fact that he doesn't generally stand out to the people as much as the other two. This album still is frequently repeated by me even today.