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.
An Essential Record From One Of Hip-Hop's Greatest Ever Acts
Was expecting more!
16 tracks
15 tracks
16 tracks
