The Score

Hyper cool! Vraiment bonnes vibes et quelques pistes iconiques comme Zealots et Killing me Softly 4/5

This album came out the year I graduated from high school and I remember it being a staple album that was spun up on the regular no matter where I was. The mix of Lauryn, Wyclef and Pras works perfectly throughout every song on this album. I have listened to it more times than I care to admit and even today it is solid from start to finish. Definite 5 stars for this album, it is a classic and needs to be heard at least once.

Come on, perfection. Immediately transported back to my living room watching MTV. Feel blessed to have seen them with Kendrick so recently.

A very high 3, but still a 3

Enjoyed much of this despite it not being my favourite genre- I think thanks to knowing a couple of tunes already. Having Lauryn Hill vocals instead of exclusively ‘gangsta fellas’ also helps. Good little samples of other things too like the Bob Marley. 2.2/5

Loved the tracks with the samples, especially Killing Me Softly. The mixture of Lauryn Hill and the guys worked for me.

Enjoyed. Particularly the familiar sample and mixed-gender vocals. 3..4/5

Fu-Gee-La - this song transported me right back to the 90s and made me very happy. Love this cover of Killing Me Softly. The songs where Lauryn Hill is front and centre are the better ones. Overall enjoyed this - a very nice surprise. Rating: 4.0

This is a solid 3.5, beats are awesome, Lauryn Hill is awesome. Other verses are just meh

The best hip-hop album I've heard and enjoyed here so far here. Lauryn Hill is such a great rapper and vocalist. 4 stars.

Really great samples, I hear this album everywhere even though I've never listened to it before. Kind of corny sometimes, some parts of it don't really hold up imo but lots of it is really good.

These dudes were holding Lauryn hill back

3.5/5

I knew this would be good since I liked The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill so much and I think it was even better. Really crisp mixing and layered in such a satisfying way. Great transitions. That one skit was kinda weird though. 8/10

Album #308 Fugees: The Score The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was an album which, on paper, I didn’t think I’d care for much; yet despite being in genres I don’t typically like, it had an undeniable charm and infectiousness to it, and I just couldn’t deny its greatness. So I’m going into The Score already sold on the talent of Lauryn Hill; the only thing preventing me from holding this album to a similar standard to Miseducation would be the performances of Wyclef and Pras. After listening to the album, I can confirm that Lauryn was clearly the talent in the group, but the men do enough to keep the album from dropping below a high quality. The first half is pretty much all great; the beats are amazing, the bars are witty, I enjoyed all of the pop culture references, and of course Lauryn Hill’s verses are always great. But my main issue with the album is that it just never really changes. After five tracks, I was definitely feeling four stars, but the rest of the album just felt like I was hearing the same song over and over again. I enjoyed it the first three times they referenced a song they sang the chorus of; they didn’t need to do it another ten times. Wyclef's Rastafarian ad-libs were entertaining at the start, but when Killing Me Softly came on I just wanted him to shut up and let Lauryn sing. That’s not to say that for the most part the album doesn’t work; the group actually do have good chemistry and work off each other well, which is best displayed on the song How Many Mics. I actually did enjoy almost every foray into another genre, whether it be soul, reggae, or RnB, but the rap verses didn’t start to feel formulaic. And it almost goes without saying, since this is a 90s rap album, but they really could have done with cutting this one down a bit and removing all skits; I mean, seriously, those never work. I didn’t expect to spend most of the review criticizing the album, because I definitely still enjoyed it; I’m just a little disappointed because I think it had the potential to be something a lot better. Best Songs: Killing Me Softly With His Song, Ready or Not, No Woman, No Cry Worst Song: Family Business Score out of 10: 7

Can you believe that its been 52 days since i got a hip hop album? I’ve had an elvis costello record, five albums from the top 20 highest rated on the site, an album from an unnamed man who could put someone who’s just had 15 coffees asleep, and two Eric Clapton flavored turds since I had a hip hop album. Well here I am reviewing the Fugees. As for the album, it was okay. I’ve heard Lauryn Hill’s solo album and I would definitely rather listen to that. There are definitely some better rap albums from the mid 90s that could replace this one. It’s still not a bad album.

Amazing

The Fugees.... I could see the rise of rap into the mainstream slowing happening at least three years before this was released. Around 1992 there seemed to be a steady uptick in these Rap/ Hip Hop artiste appearing at festivals, albeit low down the lineups, so many acts gaining popularity. I did not like this changing tide at all. It is one of the reasons I stopped going to alternative nightclubs in London around late '93/ early '94 as the amount of Rap being played by the DJ's was getting insufferable. I dont like it, their argument is not my argument, certainly not the lyrical agendas pushed by US rappers. The only reason I can see why this sold by the shed load is because of Laren Hill's vocals shining through the mud like a downed firefly. The rest of this is standard fare and could have been any other Hip Hop act with the same old boring tropes.

I liked all of the references to other music, including one of their own songs. Killing me Softly is a whole vibe and reminds me of my middle school years. I did not like the skits on this one at all.

Incredible beats and Lauryn Hill’s voice is beautiful. I am so happy I listened to this album!

Good memories of this coming out, the big hits are pretty amazing.

i like "killing me softly" but i'll be honest the rest is just pretty good, not great. i think the album and group are notable because of lauryn hill's input. wild that she has not done anything since her solo album. idk anyone clamoring for more wyclef jean or the other guy (who is the other guy?).

I ended up loving this. I wasn't sure what to expect, as I knew Lauryn Hill's work, but understood that this would be a lot more centred on Hip-Hop, but it worked in the best way possible. 'Ready Or Not', 'Zealots', 'Killing Me Softly' and 'Cowboys', were my personal favourites. I found the whole album to be quite soulful, but 'Killing Me Softly' was really the peak of that element, but even in the Hip-Hop parts, I found the lyricism to be genius. It's full of so many references, and so much smart and - at times - funny wordplay! I'm pretty sure that at one point they literally rhyme "Orgies" with "Porgy and Bess", and that could potentially be the greatest line I have EVER heard!

Clearly a massively influential album. Some massive songs on here. Enjoyed it, but not a favourite for me. Weirdly a few mentions of pooing during it too, which was unexpected.

Oh damn, someone set this recording to "nothing but bangers" mode!

Only knew ready or not and killing me softly before, but the rest was enjoyable. I enjoy more melodic hip hop albums like this one (for lack of a better descriptor). Skits continue to be dumb af. 4* Highlights: ready or not, zealots, killing me softly

7.4/10. A huge mix of various sounds evoling from Africa and African diaspora, it blended them all perfectly. This album was built off the backs of Ms. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras, and created a sound meant to be inspired from across the globe to remove hateful narratives towards immigrants. It had many references to other songs to connect to genres not put into the album, and overall was inspiring to listen to. I enjoyed the vibes it created, a nice flow throughout with distinct songs and messages.

Extremely well-performed, confident and interesting. Some of the skits dragged on for too long and felt lower quality than the songs which took me out the immersion. All around an undeniably important piece of work.

Impeccable. A vibe, a game changer.

first time listening to anything Fugees or Lauryn Hill in full. liked it but i’ve never been a fan of interludes thats mostly talking/bits.

I'll be as objective as possible here, because Fugees and this album is one of the single projects i've listened to and love the most in my life. The singles are eternal, many deep cuts are as good as the singles, just not as known, and deeper tracks do become relitively predictable with the same style boom-bappy production, same cadance and turn around from starting with Wyclef, then a powerful verse from Lauryn and finishing with a quippy contribution from Praswell. The skits are really funny and tie together the album with an overall narrative that didn't quite come through on their debut. Some artists prolificaly start at the top of their powers putting projects together; most others evolve over time to become or learn how to achieve their artistic goals. I feel that Ms Hill and Fugees in general were in the process of evolving. The Misseducation is proof of it, and Wyclef's The Carnival as well. It's a shame that we never got more albums with them to know where their evolution would take them, although it seems that the result was that they would evolve apart.

I can definitely see why this is such a well known hiphop album and I’ve been meaning to listen to this for some time now. It’s really great, I liked the beats and the cover of Killing Me Softly is just awesome. A bit too long and I could have done without some of the skits, but still great.

8/10

Like it 3/5

Not bad for hip hop—some of it is quite good—but too much “nigger this” and “nigger that” lowbrow lyrics.

Hørt på på togtur i Trøndelag. Passet ikke helt til scenarioet, men men.

9 - total classic

Take your 2 stars and don’t let me catch you around here again.

I had Blunted on Reality on cassette. I wasn't really buying cassettes in 1994, so someone must have given it to me who didn't like it. I liked it but it didn't make a huge impression on me. When The Score came out, I heard their songs on the radio but didn't seek the album out. At some point, one of my roommates had a copy, and I listened to it a lot. The album is really strong all the way through (not counting the skits). The production, samples, live instruments, rapping, and singing are all really good. At the time, singing by rappers was not common and most of the singing was back-up singers or samples (or Biz Markie doing his thing). There's even some yodeling on this album (and it's perfect). Lyrically, they merge light-hearted and darker observations on day-to-day life and day-by-day survival with capital P politics with more abstract stuff and standard teardowns of imaginary rivals. Listening to it now, I hear a lot more Wu Tang influence in the production and rapping and even the lyrics at points. Another thing that is hard to appreciate now is that a lot of hip hop at that time was put into pretty distinct categories: mainstream stuff that would be on the radio and cable music channels, East Coast and West Coast hardcore and gangsta rap, and then everything else (alternative, conscious, backpacker, turntablism, etc.). Not that it was ever too rigid (anyone remember the weird dance tracks on the second side of Straight Outta Compton?), but as the 90s went on gangsta rap became more mainstream, the Wu Tang Clan eclipsed almost everything else, Biggie and Tupac got done, Southern hip-hop became a major force, and styles started to merge and reconfigure. From the beginning, the Fugees didn't limit themselves to any niche and derived musical influences from all over. Too bad they couldn't keep it together. Each of them had a significant post-Fugees highpoint and then fell off pretty hard. The songs everyone knows speak for themselves but How Many Mics, Zealots, The Beast, Family Business, The Mask are all great too. Essential listen: yes Desert island disc: yes, but I will need some technology capable of extracting the worst skits and implanting them in the brains of my enemies

MI SONO ROTTO LE PALLE A METÀ BLABLABLA SOGLIA DELL’ATTENZIONE DI TIKTOK VA BENE FRA CONTINUA COSÌ CI SENTIAMO PRESTO. 2/5

Sounds like a NYC rap battle. No thanks.

Fine for a rap/hip-hop album, but it started to get a little monotonous after a while.

This hasn’t aged well as far as I’m concerned. Too many of the tropes of the age and while there is interest I didn’t have fun. The hits were ok I guess, but I think a lot of the love for it comes through rose tinted glasses.

The stylistic variety is what makes this album so appealing. I felt like it could've been a West Side or an East Side release. It's neither of those, it's a Fugees release. Not confined to a specific genre or cultural movement, this hip hop album presents itself as a unique and therefore more respectable and complete collection of tunes. I could listen again and again and again

Lauryn Hill was the clear standout of this album

6.5/10

Some of it is really good. Iconic. Parts are meh, and the skits are awful

I wish that Lauryn Hill wasn't such a notoriously bad performer, because I absolutely love her and the Fugee's work. This album is incredible Best Song: Killing Me Softly with His Song Rating: 9/10 Stars: 5

The best Fugees album. Maybe 4.5 stars.

Amazing

interesting album

Заебумбный альбом сэмпл на сэмпле

I never would've picked this up on my own but i'm so glad it's included. It's a masterclass in constructing an album which is a lost art now. each song flows into the next seamlessly. The atmosphere is set perfectly with the droning notes in the background. I'm lowkey obsessed with the harmonies in ready or not.

The more I listened to this one the more I loved it. Their lyrics are whip smart and blade sharp. They are fierce and pull no punches. I also love the way they have this almost tongue in cheek vibe. Love their social commentary and comments on current events.

Some killer covers and Lauryn Hill at her finest

Hip hop

Je vais même pas l’écouter, je le connais très bien ! J’adore, j’adore, j’adore

This takes me back. I generally like hip-hop, but in 96 I wasn't converted yet, but I did like this album. I didn't own it, but everyone knew it.

honestly a 2.5. dumbass skits

OK not my style

A bit dated, and a bit overrated, but its hard to argue against melodies, lyrics, and beats this good. A tad overlong, but some stone-cold classics make up for that ("Ready or Not," "Fu-Gee-La," their superior cover of "Killing Me Softly." Also crazy to hear a rap album with actually funny skits!

3.5 rounded down. Feels a bit harsh but the non-hits had nothing about them, and two of the hits were covers.

Alright with a couple of obvious stand outs

Not my cup of tea…

As a hip hop fan, this album is perfect. The beat, rap skills and everything is perfect. My fav track is ‘ready or not’

I absolutely hated this band as a teenager. I couldn’t stand Killing Me Softly when it came out. These days I’m a bit more open to listening to it, but it still doesn’t trigger a particularly positive reaction. At least it’s not the typical vulgar hip hop trash that I’ve been subjected to along this journey.

This album really hit on my night drive and I thought it was great

So good. However, a little too much fluff, a few too many men.

Solid

Bra skit

I remember Fugees from the 90s. Not entirely my genre, but very good. I guess I was more Black Eyed Peas than Fugees, as BEP weren't quite as heavy. The hits off this album (Ready or Not, Killing Me Softly spring to mind) as well as Fu-Gee-La were great, but some of the others were a bit too much for me. A solid 3 stars for me.

Not for me. I'll be the first to admit that I struggle with hip-hop, at the best of times. Was listening with the lyrics in front of me to desperately try and get into the genre, but I found the bragging lyrics about how good they were at rapping throughout, as well as the rapping over each other too much. "Too many MCs" I agree with this lyric. Struggled through the whole thing. Even the tracks I was aware of (ready or not, killing me softly and fugeela, were a tricky listen for me. I did like Lauren Hill's singing, when she was singing, though. 1.5, but rounded down. I won't be listening again.

Album 330. The Score (https://open.spotify.com/album/18XFe4CPBgVezXkxZP6rTb?si=jkkZHJrwT_iFi7ADR8TXaA) — Fugees (1996) That's my territory. It's fucking A+, I could think about this album all day. Fugees skits are fun, can't tell they're dated or bad. And their sampling is right up there with Kanye's and other best of the best rappers. Lauryn Hill is phenomenal and probably the best female rapper ever. I'm so waiting for her solo album on the list 'cause I haven't heard all the songs on it. "I'm never gonna survive unless I get crazy like Seal 'Cause the whole world's out of order" Fugees dynamics and flow are extraordinary and Lauryn Hill is a cherry on the top. "High class get bypassed while my ass gets harrassed" Wyclef is also rocking af. "Where the fuck do I work? What the fuck is my occupation?" What gets me is how the songs flow into each other, this is the kind of album you need to listen to front to back because that transition from track to track is magic. It reminds me of OutKast. History, album vibes. It's also their last album before the end of the band. It was the peak and the end at the same time. The album is dense af, lyrically strong and smart. Has not just great original songs, but great covers as well. True classic of golden hip-hop 5/5 Liked: — Red Intro — How Many Mics — Ready or Not — Zealots — The Beast — Fu-Gee-La — Family Business — Killing Me Softly With His Song — The Score — The Mask — Cowboys — No Woman, No Cry — Manifest/Outro — Mista Mista

Great album.

I’m really trying not to hand 5’s out left right and centre but my jaw was on the floor practically throughout this what an ALBUM Jesus it’s one of the 90’s best for sure. The Chinese restaurant skit is ass though

Pretty solid to this day, aged pretty well compared to some other hip-hop/rap albums of the 90s. Vocals and production quality are really good. The rhymes were decent, some good some weak, but overall a very listenable album.

Me ha gustado mucho. No lo conocía, y obviamente es un clásico. Tiene varias canciones que conocía, pero es que además es muy variado, muy noventero. Gran descubrimiento.

The birth of a new era. A beautifully intentional and clever album that I couldn’t help but smile at

A true voice of a generation where three incredible artists (5 stars in their own right) started together and showed that the sum can be greater than the parts even when the parts are already great. Excellent choice.

Fine album, but the Chinese restaurant skit is unfortunate to say the least.

Rating: 4.6/5 Short Review: Loud, melodic, messy, and emotional. Hüsker Dü have that great combination where everything sounds like it’s barely holding together, but underneath the distortion are genuinely beautiful pop songs. A little long, but the energy carries it. Favorite Track: Could You Be the One?

- ezen van a Ready or not, here I go lalala - fasza klasszik hip-hop groove

Undeniable hip hop classic. I feel like The Score was one of the great leaps forward for moving the sound forward.

Only halfway listening through this, this morning, but obviously this is a monster of an album. I know for sure at the very least it deserves strong 4 stars, it's an amazing work of Hip Hop, greatly produced, great influences and for me, this is Hip Hop at its best. WE will see if it can reach top marks, but probably clear 4.5 on RYM.

Is this the best hip hop album ever? Nah, not even close. BUT, sometimes it's all about timing. And The Score fits perfectly in that gap in 1996 when we were moving past the "gangster" rap and moving on to the "party" rap, and we needed something fresh that bumps and is just a tad weird. A bridge of sorts. And it's really great.

Love this album overall. The Fugees were a monumental hip-hop group that did so much crossover with the genres they loved and so much more. It's sometimes a lot to take in, and some of the sketches are a bit obnoxious, but they were writing the equivalent of literature for Black culture and socially contentious and marginalized youth alike. That production is so thick and juicy, and so hard to resist. Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill in particular cemented themselves as R&B/hip-hop legends with this. There’s lots of real instrumentation and vinyl scratching, not just sampling. "Ready or Not" is simply a classic, and I love the experimental hip-hop of tracks like "The Mask" and the title track. That cover of "Killing Me Softly"? Mythical. Classic stuff. I wish I could enjoy this more, but it'll require repeated listens over time, like any great book. 4 stars.

They really struck gold with this one. I can forgive the meandering between songs because the music itself is so good. I think Lauryn Hill does a lot of the heavy lifting here, she feels like the soul of the album. That being said, the production is fantastic, instrumentals setting them apart from their peers, same with the features. Just a great example of hip hop history.

Ready or not this is a great album! Wyclef is corny as hell but whenever Lauryn Hill was rapping I was transfixed. God damn she was so good. Weirdly a lot of this album felt heavily influenced by the Wu Tang Clan especially any songs with guest rappers. It’s just hit after hit after hit though so how can you not like it?!?Plus The Score does a fun thing where it samples songs that are still coming up on the album. That’s pretty neat!

Geniuenly nice

Fikk ikke hørt feridg, men dette var jo klassisk og definerende hip-hip/pop. kjempekult!

Helt ok. Noen bangers

Dette er musikk jeg kan sette pris på, klassealbum. en sterk 4-er

1st time listening to this LP. Love this. US Trip hop with a male & female duet. The haunting sample / music melody through Ready or Not is something else. Perfect for Summer day playing. Influence for Little Simz for sure. Clean chilled fresh beats. Called the Fugees cos Wyclef Jean & Pras Michel are from Haiti. The beat remains mellow. Gets a bit monotonous after a while though, started off as a 5 downgrading to a 3. Lauryn Hill clearly the standout on here.

I never realized how common it is for covers to get so popular that people never learn who made the original song, or better yet, even learn that the song is a cover in the first place. I could name three Bob Dylan songs with covers that are more popular than the original song. That being said, it damn-near overshadowed the whole album. Not to discount Wyclef Jean, but this group has a very clear star of the show. The whole album is pretty good, but the cover of Killing Me Softly and Manifest are the best. This would probably be higher if I were more in the mood for this kind of rap, but it's still really good.

Great stories, brilliant soundscape, genius samples, and it sounds bang up to date. Yes, all three's careers have gone off the rails since, but they are brilliant here

Great, just really long

EL FLOW ES DE OTRO UNIVERSO me encantó

Another big 90s hit that just isn't very good.

Its just three people talking over the top of each other and the same looped bar of background beat, pausing a couple of times for cringey skits or karaoke. I guess that must be the attraction for hip-hop, you don't need to be able to play any instruments or sing, you can just mumble about how great you think you are and boom you're a platinum star

Enjoyed mostly