I’m a little late to this party. In 1996 the album “The Score” by Fugees was released, too much critical acclaim. A lot in fact. Winning a Grammy in 1997 for “Best Rap Album.” It sits on so many top 100 Hip-Hop album lists that it is just absurd. It is good. Like, really good. It also presents a landscape in which a Trio of emcees takes turns weaving their tale. Not many trio’s in the rap world. Especially when one of the trio is a woman- Lauren Hill. A woman who sings as beautifully as she rhymes. In many people’s opinions, she stole the show. My ears tend to agree. But before I delve into the music, I need to go back and tell the story of this album, and how it came into my possession.
In 1999, I remember hanging out with a guy in technical school in the Air Force. He used to tell me this was his favorite album at the time. He was always “woke” as too the latest, best hip-hop. He listened to Nas, Jay-Z, and The Roots. But he told me I had to listen to the “The Score.” I mean, I knew it existed, and I could hum along with the “hits.” “Ready or Not”, “Fu-Gee-La”, and the iconic “Killing me Softly.” I heard them plastered over MTV and terrestrial Radio. I heard them blasting out of this dude’s Volkswagen Passat speakers. I heard, but I never really listened.
Cut to 2021. COVID is in full swing, and I gotta mask up and get out of the house. The family and I went to the local Target to do some retail therapy. Target is one of the mega-store’s getting in on the Vinyl record craze and, up until this point, I had never bought an album from them. BUT, fortunately for the record collector’s in the world, Target has enough money to obtain certain variants of album’s. So as I’m standing and staring at their very limited selection, I saw a “Smoky White” 2 LP variant of “The Score.” I thought to myself “Why not?”
As soon as the needle hit the wax, I had to check my setup, the record itself, and clean the stylus. The Fugees added a good amount of pop and static to the sound on nearly every track. This is not a flaw. It is most definitely intentional. It makes the music sound rough and dirty. Raw. An intentionally raw urban excursion with a wholly unique sound.
Let’s pause here. 1996 was a beast of a year for the Hip-Hop and Rap scene. Redman’s “Muddy Waters,” Outkasts’ “ATLiens”, DJ Shadow’s “Endtroducing”, Ghostfaces’ “Ironman”, De La Soul’ “Stakes is High”, and Jay Z’s “Reasonable Doubt” are just a few of the albums released in 1996. It was a mega year for Hip Hop. And somehow, thrown into this mix, was this second and final album from The Fugees. Talk about going out on a high note.
In my opinion, there is not weak track on this album. Some of the skits go on a bit longer than I would like, but overall, the tracks are expertly interweaved, painting a hip-hop picture of mid-90’s iconography. Lauren Hill, Wyclef, Pras, and their guests spit fire on each and every track. It is just a solid, really good listen. To it’s testament, it not only holds up, but exceeds many of today’s offerings of what is now hip hop. Not to say that today’s hip-hop is worse, but that it just sounds different. Just like “The Score” sounded different than what else was out at the time.
Outside of the ever present dollar signs, there is a need to reissue albums. A desire to show current generations some “vintage” sound that made an impact. In the Hip-Hop world, I can’t think of many more albums to show future generations what hip hop was like in 1996. Pull up Spotify, Apple Music, or whatever you use and listen to it, from start to finish. Your ears will thank me.
