The Score is the second album by the Fugees, released in 1996, following their 1994 debut Blunted on Reality. The album features many aspects of alternative hip hop music that would come to dominate the scene in the late 1990s. Among these are reggae and soul influences, female vocals and "conscious" lyrics dealing with social problems rather than "gangsta" tales. The production was mostly handled by the Fugees themselves and Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis, but Salaam Remi, John Forté, Shawn King and Diamond D also produce. The guest raps are from Outsidaz' members Rah Digga, Young Zee and Pacewon as well as Omega, John Forte and Diamond D. In 2001, the album was re-released as The Complete Score, comprising the original album and The Bootleg Version, a compilation of b-sides and rarites.
Says Rolling Stone: "The album is sequenced like a movie, with spoken intros and outros, and sometimes-belabored skits (the Chinese-restaurant bit is a discomfiting misstep)."[1]The Score is highly acclaimed by many critics. Steve Huey of All Music Guide says that it "balances intelligence and accessibility with an easy assurance, and ranks as one of the most distinctive hip-hop albums of its era."[2] He and others, also touted it for its eclecticism, group rapping with good chemistry and social consciousness. It also received the coveted "5 Mics" rating from The Source magazine. Among the standout songs on The Score are the covers of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly" and Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry". The latter was performed with updated lyrics by Wyclef Jean as an homage to his Haitian ancestry, and the former was almost a solo performance by Lauryn Hill. Other hit singles include "Ready Or Not" and "Fu-Gee-La". In 1998, the album was named one of the 100 best rap albums by The Source. In 2003, the album was ranked number 477 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The album was certified 6X Platinum on October 3, 1997. To date, it has sold over 18 million copies worldwide.[3] The album featured three bonus tracks: two remixes of "Fu-Gee-La" and "Mista Mista", a short Wyclef Jean solo track. The track "Ready or Not" samples Enya's "Boadicea". Initially this sample was uncredited, and Enya was prepared to sue for copyright infringement, however decided not to when she discovered that the Fugees are not gangsta rappers.
Production
The Score is produced by a variety of producers including each member of the Fugees as well as Diamond D, Salaam Remi and Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis. Although most tracks are built on sampledmelodies, live instrumentation and DJing are incorporated into multiple tracks. Wyclef Jean plays the guitar on "Family Business," while DJ Scribblescratches on "Manifest/Outro," and the song "Fu-Gee-La (Sly & Robbie Remix)" is entirely instrumental. Still, samples are the predominant production tool on this album. "Fu-Gee-La" incorporates a sample of Teena Marie's "Ooh La La La," and it is interpolated in the song's chorus. "Ready or Not" also contains a sample that is interpolated--"Ready or Not (Here I Come)" by The Delfonics. Vocals from hip hop songs are also heavily sampled on The Score. "Manifest/Outro" contains a sample from "Rock Dis Funky Joint" by Poor Righteous Teachers, while the title track contains vocal samples from every track on the entire album. The wide array of samples and instrumentation on the Fugees' second album attributes to a diverse set of music.
Track listing
#
Title
Length
Producer(s)
Performer(s)
1
"Red Intro"
1:52
DJ Red Alert, Ras Baraka
2
"How Many Mics"
4:29
Wyclef Jean, Shawn King, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis
Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean
3
"Ready or Not"
3:47
Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis
Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean
4
"Zealots"
4:21
Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis
Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean
5
"The Beast"
5:37
Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis
Lauryn Hill, Pras, Talent, Wyclef Jean
6
"Fu-Gee-La"
4:20
Salaam Remi
Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean
7
"Family Business"
5:44
Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, John Forte, Pras, Jerry Duplessis
John Forte, Lauryn Hill, Omega, Wyclef Jean
8
"Killing Me Softly"
4:59
Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis
Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean
9
"The Score"
5:02
Diamond D, Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis
Diamond D, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean
10
"The Mask"
4:51
Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis
Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean
11
"Cowboys"
5:24
Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, John Forte, Pras, Jerry Duplessis
Wyclef Jean, Pace 1, Lauryn Hill, Rah Digga, Pras, Young Zee, John Forte
