The Score

Fugees

1996

3.68

Rating

21996

Votes

Distribution

Hip Hop

Album Summary

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 the Billboard 200, and becoming the third best selling album of 1996. It also topped the Top R&B/Hip-hop Albums chart for eight weeks, becoming the longest running number one for a hip hop group, and topped the 1996 year-end 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. The album received mostly favorable reviews. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, becoming the second rap album to receive a nomination and the first for a hip hop group, while winning the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, along with Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Killing Me Softly" at the 39th Grammy Awards. In retrospect, 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 2020, the album was ranked number 134 on Rolling Stone magazine's revised list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.As of February 2021, The Score has been certified seven times platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It is the best-selling album by an American hip hop act in France, where the album has been certified Diamond. With an estimated 22 million copies sold worldwide, the album has become one of the best-selling albums of all time, at the time of its release it briefly became the best-selling hip hop album of all time, and remains the best-selling album by a hip hop group. As of June 2021, the album is the fifth most streamed rap album released in the 1990s on Spotify.

Keywords from Reviews

Reviews

Sort by: Top Date

Jun 19 2021 Author

Intelligent, a little angry, and with effortless cool. Perfection. “So while you fuming, I’m consuming mango juice under Polaris You’re just embarrassed 'cause it's your last tango in Paris And even after all my logic and my theory I add a ‘motherfucker’ so you ignant niggas hear me” Mic drop

Jun 02 2021 Author

I should say i liked this for cred but i didn't, it bored the tits off me

Apr 29 2021 Author

This album is an absolute phenomenon, a supernova for the group. While I do like some of their solo material that came afterwards, I feel they were stronger together. In fact, when I think about it, I personally tend to prefer hip hop groups like this for the dynamics it provides. I feel like this album is largely a result of their creating a home studio and being given complete artistic control. A case where label trust paid off in dividends. I love the atmosphere they captured and cinematic flow throughout. Always been more of a fan of the east coast sound in general. The Fugees are particularly skilled at layering (often brief) overdubs in just the right places to build a very complex sound that isn't overly dense so as to weigh it down. Lauryn Hill is definitely my favorite female rapper and a big part of what makes this album stand out. Another thing that sets this album apart are the covers/adaptations they incorporated and while some may think that may detract from it as a pure hip hop album in some way, I think it's stronger for it musically. In fact, I think this album's greatest strength may be it's depth and range of emotions.

Jun 19 2021 Author

The only disappointment it shame here is that the Fugees didn’t stay together. Wow, what could have been. Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was great, Carnival was very good… but the Score is next level. Unmatchable. Six stars if I could. The rhymes, the references, I could go on and on.

Nov 22 2021 Author

This was the first album that was a real struggle for me. Thankfully, there are a few well known tracks on here such as Fu-Gee La and Killing me Softly, but without those I think I'd have turned it off halfway through. I feel like I'd appreciate this more if I could be arsed to listen more closely to lyrics, or maybe if I was in more urban surroundings, but this definitely does not suit autumnal small middle class English town vibes. When I put in the effort to listen to lyrics, I did appreciate them, but I never do pay too much mind to lyrics in general. This is hard to rate as I did enjoy the songs I knew but everything outside of those few songs were a proper struggle.

Aug 25 2021 Author

Hip-hop is a lot easier to listen to now that each rap album doesn't come with 15 minutes of bizarre skits interspersed throughout the songs. The Chinese restaurant skit brings this album to a full stop. Setting that aside, this is a great album. Filled with classics. The music is diverse and interesting throughout, and each member of the group brings a lot of lyrical strength to the album, though Lauren Hill is the clear leader of the group. This album is dense. Killing Me Softly doesn't come until halfway through the album, as if it was an afterthought among all the other great songs on the album. It's good straight through to the last song 5/5

Jun 19 2021 Author

The music on this album is present, but not really a feature. The music takes a back seat which allows our focus to be on the main thing. And the main thing are the words, the verses, the social exposition. Mista Mista is a stark commentary on a person in need of help who is denigrated when asking for assistance. The Beast is another strong account of a system rigged against black Americans. I enjoy Ready Or Not and Zealots, where the sample is spot on. The famous covers on the album, Killing Me Softly With His Song and No Woman No Cry, are well done. I like hearing this album, and I feel like I should like it more. But when it comes down to it, I’m not putting it in my library, and that’s the line I draw between 3 and 4 stars. I’m not quite sure why. I don’t have a very good explanation, which bothers me. My only thought is that there isn’t much variety to the sound amongst the songs. They all kind of blend together aesthetically from a high level. That’s all I got.

Feb 26 2021 Author

The Platonic Form of Hip Hop. Lauryn Hill is hands down what elevates this album to a firm 5.

Sep 11 2021 Author

I didn't listen. But a 1 for being a racist moron.

Nov 16 2021 Author

This is the exact definition of the style of hip hop that I love. Laid back, sonically interesting, writing that's both intelligent and funny, expertly crafted.

May 06 2021 Author

Hip hop is not my thing, and maybe this was different for its time, but I absolutely hated this. Not only was the start weird, confusing, couldn't understand what people were saying with just a bunch of talking over each other, but each track felt identical. Not just to every other track, but they all felt like a very bland, boring, "generic" hip hop sounds hundreds of other artists do this exact same way. Maybe they kicked it off, but it just sounds like a shitty SoundCloud rapper's recording from their parents basement

Mar 28 2021 Author

I've heard about this album for a while, but this is my virgin listen. Nice grooves but a lot of the tempo and vibe felt the same, except for the covers. Not bad, but didn't do a lot for me.

Mar 31 2025 Author

I apologize, Fugees, I was unfamiliar with your game. Bangers front to back. Absolute flames.

Feb 24 2025 Author

Pound for pound, the greatest hip-hop record ever made.

Dec 27 2024 Author

A diverse and engaging record with great lyrics and delivery. I surprisingly knew some songs, and they go hard.

Jul 22 2021 Author

Incredible album. Like a great piece of classical music, this album was thematic, self-referential, and incorporated previous melodies and lyrics to create a sense that this album is meant to be listed to as a whole, as a piece of music rather than a collection of songs. The flows on this album are some of the best I've ever heard. Lauryn Hill is the clear standout, though Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel are also incredible. It's no wonder why this group is one of the most influential in hip hop.

Dec 03 2024 Author

Chill stuff, classic hip hop, listened while making cat art

Nov 29 2024 Author

Solid, enjoyed more than I thought I would. Bit samey in places.

Oct 05 2021 Author

Jeez, what an album. And the timing is perfect. The Fugees are on everyone's radar once again after announcing their return, touring 'The Score' to mark its 25th anniversary. I just watched some clips of them playing Global Citizen Live. They tore the place up! What a performance. Lauryn Hill remains a force of nature. I get goosebumps every time I hear her rap on 'Ready or Not'. Check out her live version of the song at Atlantic City Limits if you want goosebumps of your own. A five star review, right? The only thing that brings 'The Score' down is the skits. Do any hip hop skits really stand the test of time? Maybe a few of Eminem's; Wu-Tang Clan had some funny stuff on their albums. Busta Rhymes' 'Only One Year Left' was prescient and remains as disturbing as when it was released via 'Extinction Level Event' in '98. But across a whole album? Lauryn Hill's 'Mis-education...' is probably the only record where all the skits remain timeless; but that's due to the unwavering sentiment and the connection to the narrative as a whole. You can't say the same for 'The Score' and the skits definitely knock it down a tad from being one of the all-time great albums. Still, what an album. Maybe it's the nostalgia of seeming them playing it together again after 2 and a half decades, but each track has just improved and aged like well-rhymed moonshine. The hits remain classic: 'Fu-gee-La' to 'Ready or Not' and 'Killing Me Softly', of course. ONE TIME. But even the fringe songs bring new life to them. 'The Beast' has manifested from feeling like a slightly sinister and unnerving skit to something hugely topical and ahead of its time. I now appreciate the mastery of using 'Dove' by Cymande for the sample in the song 'The Score' whereas I wouldn't have known the reference back in the day. Even the cover of 'No Woman, No Cry' I can now appreciate, despite all the slightly hammy interjections and lyric changes from Wyclef Jean. Above all, I just love Lauryn Hill. So much talent. I hope 'Mis-education...' made it onto the 1001 list, but if not I can at least get my fix and settle for her brilliance on 'The Score'. TWO TIME. Hey. You can't listen to 'The Score' too many times, let's be honest.

Jan 15 2025 Author

It’s fair to say Rap is not my genre. But even by the limited parameters of my encounters with it I feel confident in saying that this was pure shit. There is virtually no musical interest here at all - half the tracks are 1 bar on a loop ( how many mics, zealots, the beast, cowboys). Even when all three of them talk over the top at the same time - they can’t summon the dramatic or intellectual interest to compensate for the utter banality of the backing tracks. There was also the classy karaoke (Killing Me Softly…), the absolutely excruciating karaoke (No Woman, No Cry) and the annoying, barely comprehensible skits. Just rubbish.

Oct 09 2022 Author

Wow, I absolutely hated this one. There are some hip-hop albums on this list that make me think "hm, maybe I don't necessarily dislike hip-hop after all". And then there are ones like this one that just suck so much.

Sep 08 2025 Author

The Chinese restaurant skit is an odd choice to have included in this otherwise perfect album that captures the politics of the mid-90s (even if I do hate any and all references to Newt). The amount of iconic songs that get packed into a one hour album is truly incredible. This is an easy five star album for me.

Mar 05 2025 Author

The Fugees are absolutely the best!

Apr 02 2025 Author

The Score I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. When it came out, in the middle of Britpop and with the ubiquity of Killing Me Softly I really didn’t like the Fugees, and by the time I started to get into Hip Hop it ended up passing me by. I love the sparseness and minimalism of much of the production, and although it seems to be a machine there’s a live sound to the drums and percussion which I really like. There isn’t an overload of samples, it just loops some great moments and motifs, creating some great grooves and they obviously have a great pop sensibility, finding some great hooks in that relative sparseness. Ready or Not, Fu-Gee-La and Killing Me Softly are of course great bits of pop music. Ready or Not has a great ominous undercurrent and Fu-Gee-La is brilliantly catchy. Aside from those are some other great tracks on here. The little flute loop on How Many Mics is great and the reggae delivery and doo wop samples on Zealots is fantastic, a great track. The Beast is also excellent, the hypnotic bass sample is superb, but it could probably do without the Chinese restaurant bit at the end. The Mask and Cowboys are great too, another excellent bass sample on The Mask, and Cowboys with its sitar sample is an interesting look at violence and insecurity. And Outro/Manifest covers similar themes with another great sample/hook. Lyrically I like that they seem to be a progression of the Daisy Age scene, with a little more social grit, but never descending into basic gangsta rap tropes. It is a bit long, a victim of CD bloat and the always baffling inclusion of skits, but it’s a great album, much better than I was expecting. I wouldn’t quite put it on the same level as say Three Feet High and Rising, or Illmatic, or Kendrick, or Public Enemy, or Wu Tang but it’s a great mid 90s hip hop album. Solid to high 4. 🎼🎼🎼🎼 Playlist submission: The Beast (minus the Chinese Restaurant)

Mar 23 2023 Author

Pretty unique record this. Manages to be soulful and still have that nineties street feel. I'm a fan of the melodic flows the group use, definitely adds extra colour to tracks. Ms Hill is probably the stand out member. She brings a confident feminine swagger and perspective that I don't think you see often in any album, let alone a hip hop one. There's a world music feel to it too, which definitely add to the NY/big city vibe. Don't think that this makes it into five territory, but it's a top drawer album.

Mar 28 2022 Author

The skits aren't de trop, but the raps can be hard work, and the aesthetic is B-team Wu-Tang.

Jul 25 2025 Author

Oh for fuck's sake, there's yodelling cRap. When I thought my day couldn't get worse...

Jan 03 2023 Author

Another album I thought that maybe I would enjoy. And yet, I really, really, didn’t. Seems like the beats were all similar except the covers and Killing Me Softly. The later ALMOST makes me raise this to a 2, but the number of times I wanted to switch to anything else was just too much for me.

Sep 29 2022 Author

I struggled through

Jul 08 2022 Author

Nooooo

Dec 14 2021 Author

Absolute claptrap

Sep 13 2021 Author

I really dislike this album and have nothing positive to say. sorry

Aug 27 2021 Author

Garbo

May 06 2021 Author

Hate everything about it.

Aug 29 2025 Author

if you rated this album lower than a 2 I think you should be stoned to death. I’ve been waiting for the score to show up on this list, this was so revolutionary to me when I first heard it. timeless and as relevant as ever. and just so well done. Lauryn Hill I would die for you

Aug 29 2025 Author

How ya gonna say this sounds the same but the hundreds of brit-pop albums don't?????

Jul 30 2025 Author

An absolute masterpiece. No weak spots* whatsoever. This album was lightning in a bottle, as none of them (even Lauryn) would reach these heights after. All three of them play off each other in an elegant, incredible way. The contrasting voices, styles, and modes of wordplay give it an unimpeachable base to build on. When you add to that Lauryn's incredible versatility as an MC and a singer, it's near-perfect. * - Near perfect because it's so badly marred by the skits, especially the Chinese restaurant one. Skits in rap music are often tedious and almost inevitably date an album. This isn't always the worst, but the racist, stupid, un-funny Chinese restaurant skit is almost enough to knock off a star, IMO. It's a testament to the greatness of the album that it overcomes this real weakness.

Jun 05 2025 Author

Smart as hell and full of a quiet rage. This is some of the absolute best of hip hop. Incredible album.

Mar 10 2025 Author

Another formative album for me. I first heard Lauryn Hill on "Killing Me Softly" and like a lot of others of my generation, I was hooked. So many standouts on this one. "Ready Or Not", "Fu-Gee-La", "Family Business", "Killing Me Softly", the title track.

Feb 18 2025 Author

Top top top. Deservedly known as one of the best in hip-hop. Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel, and (especially) Lauryn Hill created quite the art here. I would argue it's the latter's best work too. Manifest/Outro is my favourite here. Incredible. Bought on CD recently too! P.s., did you know Fugees is a shortening of Refugees? I certainly didn't.

Feb 16 2025 Author

You've already heard it before, you already love it.

Feb 11 2025 Author

I love this. Lauryn Hill is the GOAT

Oct 13 2023 Author

I actually loved this, didn't think I would. I never would have listened to hip hop on my own! I think I'll be a lot more open to it now. The mask and their cover of no woman no cry are added to my rotation now.

Oct 09 2023 Author

Absolutely incredible. I wouldn't even say there's a single average song on here, let alone a bad one. Has the same characteristic as most hip hop albums where the samples pretty much remain static throughout each song which is a mixed bag for me (I can find it really repetitive), but here I don't mind it. Swapping between vocals, as well as just playing with a bunch of different genres from song to song keeps everything dynamic, but it never loses cohesiveness. The whole thing is over an hour and I didn't even realize it. Can't really think of a negative thing to say about it. It's easily one of the best albums I've ever heard. Fav Songs Ready or Not Fu-Gee-La Family Business Killing Me Softly With His Song The Score Cowboys No Woman, No Cry Not part of the original album but Mista Mista is also really great

Jul 26 2022 Author

Ooo la la la! Classic hip hop album. What's not to love in it? Plus, someone like me, who loves to keep the *score*, is bound give this one a five, isn't he? Inventive rap flows, Lauryn Hill's mellifluous voice, an all-around pristine production, interesting covers, great originals... This record is killing me softly with its songs every time I play it. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 848 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory: 83 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 38 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 32

Feb 01 2022 Author

Honest and raw, this album oozes truth.

Feb 07 2021 Author

How have I never listened to this album all the way through. Beats, production, samples, singing, rap, features were truly perfect. They perfected their sound

Mar 25 2025 Author

The. Sheer. Talent. In these artists on this album. Not typically music that I'd reach for but hotttddamn that cover of Killing Me Softly is magestic.

Mar 23 2025 Author

Not a big hip-hop fan but I do enjoy the 90s stuff, some great songs, Hill in particular is a remarkable talented

Oct 10 2023 Author

yeah this was pretty great. i'm not a big rap guy but there were several songs on here i already knew before this. the quality of the rapping and the beats/production were great. the skits were kind of corny - we don't have to talk about the restaurant one... but otherwise OK. overall, I really enjoyed my time with this album!

Mar 20 2021 Author

“The Score” by Fugees (1996) First time listen. Nice grooves, interesting reggae feel, well recorded and mixed. Sampling is not overdone (but really, Enya’s “Boadicea” on “Ready or Not”?). It’s hip hop I could listen to on a long drive. Tasteful reverb. Very good sound. But what stands out on this album is Lauryn Hill’s voice—powerful, throaty, and resonant. I could listen to a lot more of that. Hill’s “Killing Me Softly” is better than Roberta Flack’s. It’s that good. I bought it. Lyrics are full of references that require the listener to pay attention and maybe do some research, which is appealing, but they often lack significance. Or sometimes I wonder if the artists are even aware of the fact that, for instance, the skillfully rapid “la-las” on the chorus of “Fu-Gee-La” came straight off the intro to Billy Stewart’s cover of “Summertime”(1966). But again, to what end? It’s cool, but why? It’s rather like Mozart to a guy who is more into Mahler. I could do with less of the standard 1990s rap lyric boastfulness, but maybe it (or I) will develop. This is very good album. In the history of American recorded music, Fugees are here to stay. I love this country. 4/5

Sep 01 2025 Author

Overrated with songs that are too long. Not a bad listen though

Aug 28 2025 Author

Does this album hold up? Maybe? Maybe not? It's a little concerning that the best tracks are cover songs. But the beats and samples are still good. And Miss Lauryn Hill is there, so, 3 stars.

Aug 28 2025 Author

Decent enough album, younger me would have probably rated it higher. 3.5 stars

Mar 25 2024 Author

This was EVERYWHERE in 1996, so much that it sounds like wallpaper to me today. One Time. Essentially, Lauryn Hill and a pair of clowns, with variation in quality accordingly. Scrapes 3* from a fond memory of a bus ride along Ladbroke Grove with a gang of local schoolchildren singing "Killing Me Softly" perfectly, harmonies and all. Two Times.

Dec 16 2021 Author

J'avais bien évidemment des a priori au sujet de Lauryn Hill avant de lancer cet album. La presse s'en donne généralement à cœur joie pour critiquer son comportement capricieux. Je lançai toutefois la lecture du projet en question. Mais alors que les pistes défilaient, toujours pas la moindre trace de Lauryn. "Patientez encore un instant, Lauryn Hill devrait arriver d'une minute à l'autre." annonçait régulièrement une voix. Je patientai donc encore un peu. Alors que je vis sur mon écran que l'avant-dernière piste venait de commencer et que la star n'avait toujours pas prononcé le moindre mot, je décidai d'abandonner l'écoute, très énervé et remonté.

Dec 16 2021 Author

Attention Robert, après une période d'eldorado du générateur, voila que tu te remets a nous proposer une longue serie d'albums de qualité insuffisante pour obtenir un 4/5. Nous ne céderons pas à la panique, mais restons néammoins sur nos gardes.

May 13 2025 Author

Yeah, not a fan. I do not understand the appeal of this band or album. Killing Me Softly is the only listenable track, and it can’t touch Roberta Flack’s masterpiece.

Jul 25 2025 Author

Beside a few known simple melodies - help! Relief after 15min stop listening.

Feb 26 2025 Author

HipHop, Rap, 1996 -> 1

Dec 07 2020 Author

Dont like 90s rap. This album sucks

Jan 11 2021 Author

Not a fan

Nov 24 2025 Author

Oh that’s why people still wait for Lauryn Hill to show up to gigs

Nov 24 2025 Author

треки супер, переходы как я люблю, альбом отличный

Nov 22 2025 Author

Maybe it's just the knowledge of where the protagonists all ended up - Pras in prison, Lauryn on the edge of sanity, Wyclef giving keynotes at meetings of the Legion of Doom or some shit - but the tragic notes in this album feel especially tragic now. Perhaps that's to be expected as we all age (speaking as someone who grew up with this album). And perhaps it's an expression of what I hear more than anything else here - the paradox of youth, of being both incredible artists at the height of their creative powers and simultaneously powerless to transcend the personal and social circumstances that cultivated those gifts. I guess I can't do anything more than look back with some sadness - and gratitude that "Family Business" still slaps, "Ready or Not" still feels vital, "No Woman, No Cry" still wrestles the original to a draw. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, I guess.

Nov 20 2025 Author

Amazing

Nov 18 2025 Author

Ready or Not ist 10 von 10 Wert, auch wenn es nur gesampelt wurde.

Nov 13 2025 Author

Great lyricism!

Nov 11 2025 Author

Really solid, I was shocked at how much I recognized from this.

Nov 10 2025 Author

Solid album from start to finish.

Nov 10 2025 Author

This was massively successful in Switzerland when I was a teen - so I knew 4 singles already quite well. But listening as an album was something else: I never heard a more clever rhyming, the songs build a whole, Lauryn Hills singing is angelic. I listened to it in the train and half of it I was crying by the sheer beauty and the other half banging my head. A masterpiece.

Nov 10 2025 Author

I give The Score by Fugees a 5. So much fun. The instrumental harmonies uplift each track in a major way. I had heard “Ready or Not” before but I can’t believe I hadn’t heard anything else from this. The transitions between songs like “The Beast” and “Fu-Gee-La” are also incredible. The album rules and belongs in a cultural studies course about the 90s in America.

Nov 10 2025 Author

It's just so good.

Nov 10 2025 Author

So many great songs on this album outside of “Killing Me Softly” and “Ready or Not.” Even without those two, “Zealots,” “Fu-Gee-La,” and “The Score” would make this a 5/5. Unpopular opinion, but I really dislike the cover of “No Woman No Cry,” but the fact that the Fugees have funded a soup kitchen in Kingstown, Jamaica by crediting the owner as the original writer is awesome. And then “Manifest” comes in to save the album. Beautiful stuff.

Nov 10 2025 Author

Three decades later the bars, beats, and themes on this album still reign supreme. There aren’t many other hip-hop records as sharp or evergreen as this. Highlights: - Ms Lauryn Hill - Ms Lauryn Hill - Ms Lauryn Hill - Eat shit newt Gingrich - Star Wars mentioned - Ms Lauryn Hill I’m glad we got this after Ready To Die to hear the stark contrast, the Al Capone to Nina Simone. I think I’ll drop Biggie a star tbh, Fugees are the truth.

Nov 08 2025 Author

A peak of the hip hop genre that has aged better than almost any album from the period.

Nov 06 2025 Author

classic 90's hip hop/r and b

Nov 05 2025 Author

Lyricism, flows, and beats all on point here. Even the covers are fantastic. One of the best hip-hop albums of the 90s.

Nov 05 2025 Author

This album slaps! Well composed with some fun lyrics.

Nov 03 2025 Author

This album was a great weekend album. It’s too early in the morning to write out a full review lol

Nov 03 2025 Author

Fuckin awesome. I can't believe I've never listened to this album before. Might be a literally perfect album.

Nov 01 2025 Author

Remember this coming out and being a tiny bit mind blown. An awakening into a whole new genre for me, rnb, hip hop, social commentary and an education, set to complete bangers. Big shout out to Enya, only found out that was her sample on Ready or Not recently.

Oct 29 2025 Author

Forgot how much I love this album!

Oct 22 2025 Author

An all time great album! Such a big part of growing up. I know the most two familiar songs on this album are covers, but wow!

Oct 15 2025 Author

Perfect mix of old school hip hop , rnb and jazz

Oct 14 2025 Author

One of the most inventive hip hop albums of the 90s, and really by extension, ever. Elite lyricism, always entertaining fusions with pop and reggae. And Lauryn Hill absolutely is the star of the show, with her seamless flow and silky R&B chops, no need to hire singers or pay for chorus samples. Not many groups out there repping north Jersey outside of organised crime but these guys did it so well, a shame they only put out two albums

Oct 13 2025 Author

Definitely a top 10 hip hop album for me and also this gets a nostalgia bump. There's like a song or two on the album I wouldn't mind skipping, but for the most part this is a set it and forget it album, which puts it in the 5 space. Went with some non-hits for the playlist: "Zealots" (great sampling in this one) and "The Mask" (very traditional late 90s hip hop vibe). Always fun to listen to and I listen to it pretty regularly!

Oct 12 2025 Author

Excellent hip hop album. no notes

Oct 09 2025 Author

I definitely have some hip hop blind spots. However, I am pleased to report that my eyes are now open to The Score. There's great flow, great beats, great singing; just great songs. Lauren Hill's performance on this album is mind blowing. Would recommend. Five stars.

Oct 09 2025 Author

wowie zowie!! this whole album is SLICK. like, it's consistent, it's chill, and - dare i say - it's cool. it was fun for me to have a couple of moments where i thought "oh, this is where that song is from?" had otherwise never listened to fugees before, but now i have, and i will be listening to more. highlights - how many mics, zealots, fu-gee-la, the score, the mask, cowboys

Oct 09 2025 Author

Cooler Flow und echt ikonische Songs dabei! Tolles Hip Hop Album mit ihren besten Tracks

Oct 08 2025 Author

Some listening notes

Oct 07 2025 Author

Lauren Hill's performance on this album is mind blowing. Would recommend. Five stars.

Oct 07 2025 Author

Ms. Lauryn Hill's voice gives me chills every time I heard it. It's too bad fortune and fame got to her mental health the way it did.

Oct 07 2025 Author

LETS GOOOOOO

Oct 06 2025 Author

fantastic

Oct 02 2025 Author

We had this on CD back in the day. I never took time to listen to it properly. It's a good album. I had the displeasure of listening to the Lauryn Hill album on this list. I guess they were trying to recreate the vibe that was on this album and they failed massively in copying a great collection of original and cover songs along with the fillers that work. I'm adding it to my background music playlist and it is good. I think I'm going to give it a 5 as I really don't remember it being this good...

Aug 27 2025 Author

An absolute masterpiece!

Sep 30 2025 Author

Repeat listen

Sep 08 2025 Author

This is a major nostalgia for me. Have loved this album since it came out and listen to it at least a couple of times a year. Ready or Not is my jam and my karaoke song. The one thing I could do without is the interlude at the Chinese restaurant. Otherwise, yes please.