The group split and whilst Hill struggled with personal issues, Wyclef undertook a frenzy of inappropriate collaborations (Brian Harvey?) leaving this record as their last testament for posterity. No wonder it went multi-platinum, leaving its creators with the world at their feet. At a time when communication and travel were going global, this was the ultimate eclectic post-modernist album - of Chinese food, cognac, Westerns, Kung Fu, sitars and reggae. The Fugees wear their influences on their sleeves both musically and lyrically, name-checking Santana and Bob Marley, artists who, like them, took their culture mainstream. I think the Fugees feel like ‘You didn’t do well by me, but we’re never going to get together and address the. The album plays extremely smoothly and cohesively, without much (if any) filler material. Sometimes you have unfinished business, and I’m not talking about numbers.
Where Nas’ Illmatic and Common Sense’s Resurrection succeeded in producing top-notch material but ultimately failed to achieve any sort of crossover success, The Score did both. The album ends with some interesting but inferior remixes and “Mista Mista” - an unsubtle, sentimental plea to a junkie to kick the habit. It’s more like The Fugees did almost everything right here. “Family Business” is classic moody mid-nineties hip hop, “The Mask” utilizes smooth fretless bass and muted trumpet, and “No Woman No Cry” avoids becoming too R&B with the aid of acoustic guitar that can be likened to Ben Harper. Combining awesome Salaam Remi production with exuberant turns by Wyclef and Hill - including her incredible eerie laughter at the midway point – it is the album’s centre. As much as I give praise to the lyricism of Wyclef and Pras, the star of the album is without a doubt Lauryn Hill, with her cunning lyrical ability filled with. Its left-field, multi-platinum success proved there was a substantial untapped audience with an appreciation for rap music but little interest in thug life. Although the “Killing Me Softly” cover was, and remains, the record’s biggest hit, the highlight is undoubtedly "Fugee La". A breath of fresh air in the gangsta-dominated mid-'90s, the Fugees ' breakthrough album, The Score, marked the beginning of a resurgence in alternative hip-hop. A near-constant stream of profanity flows through more than 73 minutes of audio sludge. It begins inauspiciously with “Red Intro”, building with the laid-back “How Many Mics”, before bringing out the big pop guns and Lauryn’s mature yet spirited voice for “Ready Or Not”. The Score Album Review Pro-Social Content. It wasn’t long before their well-balanced blend of hip hop, pop, roots and R&B established Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras as global stars. In 1996 the Fugees, after the limited but respectable sales of their debut Blunted On Reality, released sophomore effort The Score to worldwide acclaim.