So why is Fugees’ The Score on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
The Score is miraculously good, leveraging smart and biting and funny lyrics over a confident mix of hip-hop, doo wop, and reggae.
I use the word “miraculously” because when I ask myself the question of, “Why isn’t there more music out there like on The Score?” the answer comes back, “Because it’s wholly unique and special – nothing like it exists.”
While “Ready or Not” is probably the track most closely associated with the Fugees – and it’s also the song that helped rocket launch Lauryn Hill to a superstar solo career – my personal favorite is “Fu-Gee-La,” which also showcases Hill’s powerhouse voice while also featuring Wyclef Jean’s inventive hip-hop flow.
I also dig how atmospheric and spacey the production is on this one (and throughout The Score) while maintaining an exciting energy and momentum.
“The Mask” is similar in this respect while also bringing a compellingly weird, off-kilter vibe. I also really enjoy the narrative – the verses trading back and forth between Hill and Wyclef work particularly well, and Hill shows off that her rapping chops are as strong as her singing skills.
I had to put him in his place, this kid’s invadin’ my space
But then I recognized the smile, but I couldn’t place the style
So many fronts in his mouth, I thought he was the Golden Child
I also dig how self-aware and pop culture saturated the lyrics are on The Score. You see the reference to Eddie Murphy’s 1986 comedy The Golden Child above, and later in “The Mask,” we get references to Biggie Smalls and even a namecheck of “Fu-Gee-La,” a track on the very same album, which is quite a flex!
And for even more offbeat hip-hop with mysterious flavors, I give you “How Many Mics.”
The throwback doo wop meshed with hip-hop and Lauryn Hill on lead vocals on “Zealots” is astonishing. Wyclef’s rapping isn’t quite as strong, but overall it’s a smasher.
The Haitian-flavored cover of Bob Marley’s iconic “No Woman, No Cry” works spectacularly well with Wyclef on vocals – it’s gentle and groovy and great.
Bonus: check out two more takes on “Fu-Gee-La,” the first featuring John Forté (a major contributor on Wyclef Jean’s incredible solo album, The Carnival) and the second is the “Sly & Robbie Mix.”
Some stats & info about Fugees – The Score
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rap, Hip Hop, East Coast Rap, Alternative Rap, R&B
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – #134
- All Music’s rating – 5 out of 5 stars
- When was The Score released? 1996
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #111 out of 1,000
Fugees’ The Score on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Fugees’ The Score that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Ooh la la la, it’s the way that we rock when we’re doing our thing.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.