The Score (Fugees album)


The Score is the second and final studio album by the hip hop trio Fugees. The Score was released worldwide on February 13, 1996 on Columbia Records. The album features a wide range of samples and instrumentation, with many aspects of alternative hip-hop that would come to dominate the hip-hop music scene in the mid-late 1990s. Primarily, The Score's production was handled by the Fugees themselves, Jerry Duplessis and Warren Riker, with additional production from Salaam Remi, John Forté, Diamond D, and Shawn King. The album's guest verses are from Outsidaz members Rah Digga, Young Zee, and Pacewon, as well as Omega, John Forté, and Diamond D. Most versions of the album feature four bonus tracks, including three remixes of "Fu-Gee-La", and a short acoustic Wyclef Jean solo track entitled "Mista Mista".
Upon its release, The Score was a commercial success, peaking at the number one spot on both the Billboard 200, and the Top R&B/Hip-hop Albums chart. The singles "Killing Me Softly", "Fu-Gee-La", and "Ready or Not" also achieved notable chart success, and helped the group achieve worldwide recognition. On October 3, 1997, The Score was certified six times platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America. In addition to receiving mostly favorable reviews upon its release, The Score has garnered a considerable amount of acclaim over the years, with many music critics and publications noting it as one of the greatest albums of the 1990s, as well as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. In 1998, The Score was included in The Source's 100 best rap albums list, and in 2012, the album was ranked number 469 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards.

Background

Although the Fugees' previous album, Blunted on Reality proved to be critically and commercially unsuccessful, Chris Schwartz, the head of Ruffhouse Records, decided to give the group another chance. In early 1995, he gave them a $135,000 advance and granted them complete artistic control for a follow-up album. The group used the money for recording equipment and set up a studio in Wyclef Jean's uncle's basement, which they referred to as the Booga Basement.
Recording for the album began in June 1995, and extended into November 1995 at what Jean described as a, "relaxed pace... It was done calmly, almost unconsciously. There wasn't any pressure - it was like 'let's make some music,' and it just started forming into something amazing. It sounded like a feel-good hip-hop record to us, and it was different than what anyone was doing at the time. It was three kids from an urban background expressing themselves."
In regard to The Score's unified themes and production, Lauryn Hill commented, "It's an audio film. It's like how radio was back in the 1940s. It tells a story, and there are cuts and breaks in the music. It's almost like a hip-hop version of Tommy, like what The Who did for rock music."

Music

The Score was produced by a variety of producers including each member of the Fugees, as well as Diamond D, Salaam Remi, and Jerry 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". Nevertheless, samples are the predominant production tool on The Score. "Fu-Gee-La" incorporates a sample of Teena Marie's "Ooh La La La", and is interpolated in the song's chorus. "Ready or Not" also contains a sample that is interpolated; "Ready or Not " by The Delfonics. "Manifest/Outro" contains a sample from "Rock Dis Funky Joint" by Poor Righteous Teachers, while the title track, "Red Intro" contains vocal samples from every track on the entire album.
Three official singles were released in promotion of The Score, the first of which was "Fu-Gee-La", which was released on January 9, 1996 and peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 13 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and number 2 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. "Fu-Gee-La" was produced by Salaam Remi and includes elements of "Ooo La La La" as performed by Teena Marie.
The second single, "Killing Me Softly" was released on May 31, 1996. "Killing Me Softly" proved to be the most successful single from the album, as it instantly reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay, as well as number one on the UK Singles Chart. Initially, the song was to be titled "Killing Them Softly", and though alluding to Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel's "Killing Me Softly with His Song", it was originally not intended to be a cover; however, the original writers refused permission for the rewrite of their song, but did allow the Fugees to do a cover version. In 1997, "Killing Me Softly" won the Fugees a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by Duo or group.
The third and final single released from the album was "Ready or Not", which was released on September 2, 1996. In the US the song was the least successful of all the singles from the album, only peaking at number 34 on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart. It found far more success in Europe, especially in the UK where it became their second number 1 in the Official Singles Chart, staying at the top for two weeks. The track interpolates "Ready or Not, Here I Come " as performed by The Delfonics, and also samples Enya's "Boadicea". Initially this sample was uncredited, and Enya was prepared to sue for copyright infringement, but decided not to when she discovered that the Fugees were not gangsta rappers. In a later interview, Fugees member Pras described the recording of "Ready or Not", stating, "The three of us was each going through some pain. Lauryn was crying when she did her vocals. It was unbelievable. To see her singing with tears coming out of her eyes, it made me want to cry too."

Critical reception

Upon its release, The Score received critical acclaim. Entertainment Weekly writer James Bernard commented, "What a shock: a smooth, well-produced rap album that doesn't have Dr. Dre's fingerprints on it The Score showcases their acrobatic lyrical techniques and restless intelligence, and unlike much East Coast rap, The Score feels warm and intimate — partly because the instruments are live but also because the Fugees sound so relaxed and casual." Robert Christgau from The Village Voice called The Score "so beautiful and funny its courage could make you weep", and said the Fugees possess "black humanism" and "the gender-equality formula in which one girl learning equals two guys calling the shots". Steve Huey from Allmusic wrote that, "Even when they're not relying on easily recognizable tunes, their original material is powered by a raft of indelible hooks The Score balances intelligence and accessibility with an easy assurance, and ranks as one of the most distinctive hip-hop albums of its era." Cheo Hodari Coker from the Los Angeles Times wrote that, "The Score succeeds on all counts", while the Fugees are as fluid a rap group since A Tribe Called Quest: "Their specialty is matching a gymnastic rhyme flow and rock-solid beats with expert crooning." Spin commented, "A sense of organic interaction is the hallmark of this album the album's most important factor is its beats; chest-shaking, obscure-texture-having, freestyle-friendly beats." Q described the album as "An impressively panoramic soundscape."
However, in a mixed review, Rolling Stone writer Ann Powers commented, "The Fugees' roots in reggae gives them a solid base in song and a basic philosophy that's richer than the money-or-nothing ethic that dulls much of rap these days. Without being sanctimonious, The Score paints the ghetto as a mythical landscape, one that can inspire pride as well as sorrow. Like Wu-Tang Clan, the Fugees view the world as their movie, complete with stunts and special effects." Jon Pareles of The New York Times found the group's "vision of ghetto life" both eccentric and realistic, although he felt "Killing Me Softly" sounds "out of place amid the hard-nosed surrealism".

Awards

Accolades

PublicationCountryAccoladeYearRank
About.comUnited States100 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums200818
About.comUnited StatesBest Rap Albums of 199620085
BigOSingaporeAlbums of the Year199634
BlenderUnited States500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die2003*
Ego TripUnited Stateship-hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980–9819995
Elvis CostelloUnited Kingdom500 Albums You Need2000*
ExpressenSwedenThe 100 Best Records Ever1999100
Eye WeeklyCanadaAlbums of the Year199615
FaceUnited KingdomAlbums of the Year19961
Helsingin SanomatFinland50th Anniversary of Rock2004*
Hip-Hop ConnectionUnited KingdomThe 100 Greatest Rap Albums 1995–2005200515
JuiceAustraliaThe 100 Greatest Albums of the 90s199964
MixmagUnited KingdomAlbums of the Year19962
MojoUnited KingdomAlbums of the Year199615
MojoUnited KingdomThe Mojo Collection 03/07*
MuzikUnited KingdomAlbums of the Year19963
The New NationUnited KingdomTop 100 Albums by Black Artists200534
NMEUnited States1996 Crits Poll199622
NMEUnited KingdomAlbums of the Year199622
Nude as the NewsUnited StatesThe 100 Most Compelling Albums of the 90s199997
OORNetherlandsAlbums of the Year199638
Pause & PlayUnited StatesThe 90s Top 100 Essential Albums199911
Plásticos y DecibeliosSpainThe 80 Best Albums of All Time200068
PopSwedenAlbums of the Year19961
Pure PopMexicoAlbums of the Year 199610
QUnited KingdomAlbums of the Year1996*
QUnited Kingdom90 best Albums of the 90s1999*
Record CollectorUnited Kingdom10 Classic Albums from 21 Genres for the 21st Century2000*
Robert DimeryUnited States1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die2005*
Rock SoundFranceAlbums of the Year199624
Rolling StoneUnited StatesAlbums of the Year199610
Rolling StoneUnited StatesThe Essential Recordings of the 90s1999*
Rolling StoneUnited StatesThe 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 2012469
Rolling StoneUnited States100 Best Albums of the Nineties201144
The SourceUnited States100 Best Rap Albums1998*
The SourceUnited StatesThe Critics Top 100 Black Music Albums of All Time200634
SpexGermanyAlbums of the Year199641
SpinUnited States20 Best Albums of '9619962
SpinUnited StatesTop 90 Albums of the 90s199917
Tom MoonUnited States1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die2008*
Various WritersUnited StatesAlbums: 50 Years of Great Recordings2005*
VibeUnited States100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century1999*
The Village VoiceUnited StatesAlbums of the Year19962
VoxUnited KingdomAlbums of the Year199615
VPRONetherlands299 Nominations of the Best Album of All Time2006*
Yediot AhonotIsraelTop 99 Albums of All Time199974

Track listing

Notes
Sample credits

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications