The Fugees (Refugee Camp) - The Score

You know how they say "You can't have it all?" Well, the Fugees have come remarkably close to turning that truism on its head. The Score is the complete hip-hop album for the mid '90s. On one hand, their eclectic musical and lyrical points of reference posit them in the De La Soul/Basehead organic school, but they hold fiercely to the braggadocio/"sucka MC" tradition that is at the roots of rap. While the threesome are on the conscious tip, they avoid the clichés that weigh down the protests of so many of their overbearing, off-centric brethren. All those skirmishes between the hip-hop and R&B camps are blithely brushed aside by the Fugees, who jack up Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly with His Song." --Steven Stolder Amazon.com

KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH THIS SONG

THAT WAS THE ONLY SONG THAT I ENJOY ON THE ENTIRE CD.
July 5, 2005

THE BEST IS WAY TO SCORE BIG!!!

tru hiphop reaggae headz and blazer should cop this album it is one of the most under rated CD. the beats are sick the lyrics are slick youll get glued to this like a stick. production is outstanding i miss dem so bad !peace! March 17, 2005

ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED ALBUMS OF THE '90S

When Lauryn Hill dropped "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill", critics and laymen alike tried to act like the excellence on that album had no precedent. Like they couldn't see it coming. Likewise, Wyclef's "The Carnival" was praised with no homage to the past. People tried to act like the Fugees were some mediocre trio which bred two phenomenally talented stars, with Pras as an afterthought. In reviews for Miseducation, I often saw folks saying "The Score" was alright, but...." Please! This is one of the best hip-hop albums I've ever heard! And, though Pras' solo turn produced such hokey material as "Ghetto Superstar", he was a big part of why the Fugees were so good. He and Lauryn are the star rappers here. Wyclef is better doing the eclectic, instrumental stuff highlighted on the middle and end part of Carnival. It makes me cringe when people point to "The Score" being famous only for "Killing Me Softly", which was a break from most of the rest of the album, in that it was a hip-hop/soul track rather than rap. KMS was a nice song, but the true gems on the album are the bleak-sounding, down-tempo numbers like "Family Business" and "Ready or Not". "Fu-gee-la" is great, also, as is the opener "How Many Mics". Their rhymes are not dumbed down. ...you get references to the Sword of Damocles and Parallax. The precise, intellectual MCing Lauryn was praised for on Miseducation was totally evident on this album, which predates that record by 3 years. I really can't think of a bad track on this record. And, 5 years later, I still listen to it and it's still better than just about anything in the mainstream today. And, this record sold something like 17 million copies worldwide. It's a shame these Jersey/Brooklyn kids (and they WERE kids then, which makes it more amazing..remember Lauryn was only 23 when TMOLH came out in '99) couldn't seem to get along. They were the bomb! August 5, 2001

Worth Your Time!

How can you go wrong with Wyclef and Lauryn? Intelligent lyrics and smooth rythmes fill this album. "Fu-gee-la" is almost guaranteed to get you hooked! Also, the editing job was non-distracting (always a plus). Listen to "The Score"...it will be worth your time. October 24, 1999

COOL CD

I bought this CD I knew the songs Fu-gee-la & Killing Me Softly but I soon found that it had many more excellent songs on it like: Ready or Not, Zealots, The Beast, and others. Each song has a hidden track at the end. I recomend this CD to everyone. A must have!!! September 30, 1999

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