The Score (album)
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| The Score | ||
 |
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| Studio album by The Fugees | ||
| Released | February 13, 1996 | |
| Recorded | 1995 | |
| Genre | Alternative hip hop/Reggae | |
| Length | 73:32 | |
| Label | Ruffhouse Records, Columbia Records | |
| Producer(s) | The Fugees Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis Salaam Remi John Forté Diamond D |
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| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| The Fugees chronology | ||
| Blunted on Reality (1994) |
The Score (1996) |
Refugee Camp - Bootleg Versions (1996) |
The Score is a 1996 album released by The Fugees. Despite being their most famous album, it is not their debut - as is often suggested. Their debut album was Blunted on Reality (1994).
The Score 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.
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." [1] 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, while 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 selected as one of The Source Magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums. 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 in excess of 18 million copies worldwide [2].
Contents |
[edit] Album concept
"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]
[edit] Music
[edit] Lyrical content
The vocals on The Score are performed by all three members of the Fugees.
[edit] 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 composed entirely of instruments. 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' sophomore album attributes to a diverse set of music. Steve Huey of All Music Guide comments on this:
| “ | the Fugees' three MCs all share a crackling chemistry and a wide-ranging taste in music. Their strong fondness for smooth soul and reggae is underscored by the two hit covers given slight hip-hop makeovers (Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry"). Even when they're not relying on easily recognizable tunes, their original material is powered by a raft of indelible hooks, especially the great "Fu-Gee-La"; there are also touches of blues and gospel, and the recognizable samples range from doo wop to Enya. | ” |
Huey, Steve. The Score review at All Music Guide. Retrieved on [[02-03-07]].
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Performer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Red Intro" | DJ Red Alert, Ras Baraka | |
| 2 | "How Many Mics" | Wyclef Jean, Shawn King, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis |
Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean |
| 3 | "Ready or Not" | Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis |
Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean |
| 4 | "Zealots" | Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis |
Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean |
| 5 | "The Beast" | Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis |
Lauryn Hill, Pras, Talent, Wyclef Jean |
| 6 | "Fu-Gee-La" | Salaam Remi | Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean |
| 7 | "Family Business" | Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, John Forte, Pras, Jerry Duplessis |
John Forte, Lauryn Hill, Omega, Wyclef Jean |
| 8 | "Killing Me Softly" | Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis |
Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean |
| 9 | "The Score" | Diamond D, Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis |
Diamond D, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean |
| 10 | "The Mask" | Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis |
Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean |
| 11 | "Cowboys" | Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, John Forte, Pras, Jerry Duplessis |
Wyclef Jean, Pace 1, Lauryn Hill, Rah Digga, Pras, Young Zee, John Forte |
| 12 | "No Woman, No Cry" | Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis |
Wyclef Jean |
| 13 | "Manifest/Outro" | Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis |
DJ Red Alert, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean |
| 14 | "Fu-Gee-La (Refugee Camp Remix)" | Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis |
John Forte, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean |
| 15 | "Fu-Gee-La (Sly & Robbie Remix)" | Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis |
John Forte, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean |
| 16 | "Mista Mista" | Wyclef Jean | Wyclef Jean |
[edit] Samples
The following lists songs and sounds sampled on The Score.
How Many Mics
- "Twilight Time" by The Moody Blues; written by Ray Thomas
Ready or Not
- "Boadicea" by Enya; written by Enya and Roma Ryan
- "Django" by Modern Jazz Quartet; written by John Lewis
- "Ready or Not, Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)" by The Delfonics; written by Thom Bell and William Hart
- "God Made Me Funky" by The Headhunters; written by Mike Clark, Paul Jackson, Bennie Maupin, Blackbyrd McKnight and Bill Summers
Zealots
- "I Only Have Eyes for You" by The Flamingos; written by Warren Dubin
Fu-Gee-La
- "Ooo La La La" by Teena Marie; written by Allen McGrier and Teena Marie
- "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" by Ramsey Lewis; written by Homer Banks, Carl Hampton and Raymond Jackson
Killing Me Softly
- "Fool Yourself" by Little Feat; written by Fred Tackett
- "Memory Band" by Rotary Connection; written by Robert Rudolph and Charles Stephney
- "Killing Me Softly with His Song" by Roberta Flack; written by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel
- "The Day Begins" by The Moody Blues; written by Peter Knight
The Score
- "Dove" by Cymande; written by Cymande
- "My Melody" by Eric B. & Rakim; written by Eric B. & Rakim
- "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa; written by R. Allen, Arthur Baker, J. Miller, John Robie, and Alonzo Williams
- Multiple songs on The Score such as "No Woman, No Cry" and "Ready or Not"
The Mask
- "Nights in White Satin" by The Moody Blues; written by Justin Hayward
Cowboys
- "Something 'Bout Love" by The Main Ingredient; written by Stevie Wonder
No Woman, No Cry
- "No Woman, No Cry" by Bob Marley & The Wailers; written by Vincent Ford and Bob Marley
Manifest/Outro
- "Rock Dis Funky Joint" by Poor Righteous Teachers
[edit] Album singles
| Single cover | Single information |
|---|---|
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"Fu-Gee-La" |
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"Ready or Not"
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"Killing Me Softly" [Europe Only Release]
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"No Woman, No Cry" [Europe Only Release]
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[edit] Album Chart Positions
| Year | Album | Chart positions | ||
| Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | |||
| 1996 | The Score | #1 | #1 | |
[edit] Singles Chart Positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | Rhythmic Top 40 | ||
| 1995 | "Fu-Gee-La" | #29 | #13 | #1 | #26 |
| 1996 | "Killing Me Softly" | #2 (Airplay) | - | - | #1 |
| 1996 | "Ready Or Not" | - | - | - | #34 |
[edit] Miscellanea
- 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.
| The Fugees |
|---|
| Members |
| Lauryn Hill | Wyclef Jean | Pras Michel |
| Studio albums |
| Blunted on Reality (1994) | The Score (1996) | Refugee Camp - Bootleg Versions (1996) | The Carnival (1997) | The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) | Ghetto Supastar (1998) | The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book (2000) | MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 (2002) | Masquerade (2002) | Greatest Hits (2003) | The Preacher's Son (2003) | Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101 (2004) | Win Lose or Draw (2005) | Reconciliation (2007) |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Reconstructivist Art: The Fugees' "The Score"
