The Score (album)

Infobox Album
Name = The Score
Type = studio
Artist = Fugees

---

Released = February 13, 1996
Recorded = 1995
Genre = Alternative hip hop, rap, reggae
Length = 73:32
Label = Ruffhouse, Columbia
Producer = The Fugees, Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis, Salaam Remi, John Forté, Diamond D
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:oraqoawauijm link]
*"Entertainment Weekly" (A) [http://www.buy.com/prod/Score_Explicit_Version/q/loc/109/60107310.html February 16, 1996; p. 62]
*"Q" Rating|4|5 [http://www.buy.com/prod/Score_Explicit_Version/q/loc/109/60107310.html April 1996; p. 109]
*RapReviews.com (8.5/10) [http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/BTTL_thescore.html link]
*Robert Christgau (A) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Fugees link]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|3|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/89599/the_score RS 750/751]
*"Spin" (9/10) [http://www.buy.com/prod/Score_Explicit_Version/q/loc/109/60107310.html March 1996; p. 113]
Last album = "Blunted on Reality"
(1994)
This album = "The Score"
(1996)
Next album = "Refugee Camp - Bootleg Versions"
(1996)

"The Score" is the second album by R&B/Hip-Hop trio The Fugees, released worldwide February 13, 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.

Overview

"The Score" is highly acclaimed by many critics. Steve Huey of Allmusic 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." [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:ot68mpcf9foo allmusic ((( The Score > Overview ))) ] ] 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". RS500|469

The album was certified 6X Platinum on October 3, 1997. To date, it has sold over 18 million copies worldwide. [http://www.mjni.com/news/details.aspx?ArticleNo=508]

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 were not gangsta rappers. [cite web
url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050407183319/http://www.enya.org/p_trans4/b019.htm
title=Irish Voice article at archive.org
accessdate=2007-03-26
date=1997-02-18]

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 sampled melodies, live instrumentation and DJing are incorporated into multiple tracks. Wyclef Jean plays the guitar on "Family Business," while DJ Scribble scratches 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

ingles

Certifications

References