Review #134: The Score, Fugees
#134: The Score, Fugees
The Score is the Fugees’ best album bar none, but in some ways I prefer their debut, Blunted On Reality. It has “Vocab” on it, which is just so fun! They truly have the Gift of Gab.
The Fugees were made up of Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel, and the inimitable Lauryn Hill. They only released two albums, and then Lauryn Hill decided to bail to become the greatest solo female rapper ever. Well, okay, it was more complicated than that — but at the same time, was it?
An EXTREMELY fun fact that I learned about this band: When they made their last real stab at being a band in 1997, they were going to release a song called “Lips Don’t Lie,” but Lauryn Hill hated it. So they decided to give it to Shakira, who changed it to “Hips Don’t Lie,” which is a song probably everybody on the planet knows. Then the reunion was canceled.
That’s right! “Hips Don’t Lie” broke up the Fugees!
FAVORITE SONGS:
“Red Intro” — The introduction is spoken by Kool DJ Red Alert, who I guess is a big deal in hip hop for breaking A Tribe Called Quest.
“How Many Mics” — Okay, everybody say Say me say many money/ Say me say manymanymany.
“Ready or Not” — Did you know that Enya almost sued the Fugees over their sample of “Song of Boadicea”?! Fortunately, Enya backtracked when she realized that the Fugees weren’t “gangster rap.” Lol.
“The Beast” — The Chinese restaurant skit cracks me up every time.
“Fu-Gee-La” — Ooh la la la! This is a great song to listen to when you’re doing your thing.
“Family Business (feat. John Forte)” — John Forte introduced Lauryn Hill to the rest of the Fugees!
“Killing Me Softly With His Song” — Lauryn Hill has such a killer voice, and this song is such a weird centerpiece to this album, I love it. Roberta Flack approves of this cover! But of course the original rules as well.
“Cowboys (feat. Outsidaz)” — Yodelayeee!
“No Woman, No Cry” — It’s kind of cheating to include a Bob Marley cover, but I don’t care.
“Manifest/Outro” — This is Lauryn Hill’s darkest rap yet. She really was done dirty, I wonder if the industry would have treated her better if she was born twenty years after the fact.
LEAST FAVORITE SONGS:
“The Mask” — For the most part I love when they really lean into the rhythm bouncy thing with their voices, but this one drives me nuts for some reason.
IS RS FULL OF IT?
I personally think the Fugees should be number ten, or maybe even permanent at one, but what do I know.
