The Score (album)

Untitled

The Score is the second album by R&B/Hip-Hop trio The Fugees, released worldwide February 13, 1996, following their 1994 debut Blunted on Reality. The album features many aspects of alternative hip hop music that would come to dominate the scene in the late 1990s. Among these are reggae and soul influences, female vocals and "conscious" lyrics dealing with social problems rather than "gangsta" tales. The production was mostly handled by the Fugees themselves and Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis, but Salaam Remi, John Forté, Shawn King and Diamond D also produce. The guest raps are from Outsidaz' members Rah Digga, Young Zee and Pacewon as well as Omega, John Forte and Diamond D. In 2001, the album was re-released as The Complete Score, comprising the original album and The Bootleg Version, a compilation of b-sides and rarites.

Overview

Says Rolling Stone: "The album is sequenced like a movie, with spoken intros and outros.

The Score is highly acclaimed by many critics. Steve Huey of All Music Guide says that it "balances intelligence and accessibility with an easy assurance, and ranks as one of the most distinctive hip-hop albums of its era." He and others, also touted it for its eclecticism, group rapping with good chemistry and social consciousness. It also received the coveted "5 Mics" rating from The Source magazine.

Among the standout songs on The Score are the covers of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly" and Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry". The latter was performed with updated lyrics by Wyclef Jean as an homage to his Haitian ancestry, and the former was almost a solo performance by Lauryn Hill. Other hit singles include "Ready Or Not" and "Fu-Gee-La".

In 1998, the album was named one of the 100 best rap albums by The Source. Template:RS500

The album was certified 6X Platinum on October 3, 1997. To date, it has sold over 18 million copies worldwide.

The album featured three bonus tracks: two remixes of "Fu-Gee-La" and "Mista Mista", a short Wyclef Jean solo track.

The track "Ready or Not" samples Enya's "Boadicea". Initially this sample was uncredited, and Enya was prepared to sue for copyright infringement, however decided not to when she discovered that the Fugees are not gangsta rappers.

Production

The Score is produced by a variety of producers including each member of the Fugees as well as Diamond D, Salaam Remi and Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis. Although most tracks are built on sampled melodies, live instrumentation and DJing are incorporated into multiple tracks. Wyclef Jean plays the guitar on "Family Business," while DJ Scribble scratches on "Manifest/Outro," and the song "Fu-Gee-La (Sly & Robbie Remix)" is entirely instrumental. Still, samples are the predominant production tool on this album. "Fu-Gee-La" incorporates a sample of Teena Marie's "Ooh La La La," and it is interpolated in the song's chorus. "Ready or Not" also contains a sample that is interpolated--"Ready or Not (Here I Come)" by The Delfonics. Vocals from hip hop songs are also heavily sampled on The Score. "Manifest/Outro" contains a sample from "Rock Dis Funky Joint" by Poor Righteous Teachers, while the title track contains vocal samples from every track on the entire album. The wide array of samples and instrumentation on the Fugees' second album attributes to a diverse set of music.

Track listing

#	Title	Length	Producer(s)	Performer(s)
1	"Red Intro"	1:52		DJ Red Alert, Ras Baraka
2	"How Many Mics"	4:29	Wyclef Jean, Shawn King, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis	Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean
3	"Ready or Not"	3:47	Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis	Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean
4	"Zealots"	4:21	Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis	Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean
5	"The Beast"	5:37	Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis	Lauryn Hill, Pras, Talent, Wyclef Jean
6	"Fu-Gee-La"	4:20	Salaam Remi	Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean
7	"Family Business"	5:44	Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, John Forte, Pras, Jerry Duplessis	John Forte, Lauryn Hill, Omega, Wyclef Jean
8	"Killing Me Softly"	4:59	Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis	Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean
9	"The Score"	5:02	Diamond D, Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis	Diamond D, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean
10	"The Mask"	4:51	Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis	Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean
11	"Cowboys"	5:24	Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, John Forte, Pras, Jerry Duplessis	Wyclef Jean, Pace 1, Lauryn Hill, Rah Digga, Pras, Young Zee, John Forte
12	"No Woman, No Cry"	4:33	Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis	Wyclef Jean
13	"Manifest/Outro"	6:00	Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis	DJ Red Alert, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean
14	"Fu-Gee-La" (Refugee Camp remix)	4:24	Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis	John Forte, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean
15	"Fu-Gee-La" (Sly & Robbie remix)	5:28	Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Jerry Duplessis	John Forte, Lauryn Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean, Akon
16	"Mista Mista"	2:42	Wyclef Jean	Wyclef Jean
17	"Fu-Gee-La" (Refugee Camp Global mix) (bonus track)	4:20

Samples

The following lists songs and sounds sampled on The Score.

"How Many Mics"

• "Twilight Time" by The Moody Blues; written by Ray Thomas

"Ready or Not"

• "Boadicea" by Enya; written by Enya and Roma Ryan
• "Django" by Modern Jazz Quartet; written by John Lewis
• "Ready or Not, Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)" by The Delfonics; written by Thom Bell and William Hart
• "God Made Me Funky" by The Headhunters; written by Mike Clark, Paul Jackson, Bennie Maupin, Blackbyrd McKnight and Bill Summers

"Zealots"

• "I Only Have Eyes for You" by The Flamingos; written by Warren Dubin

"Fu-Gee-La"

• "Ooo La La La" by Teena Marie; written by Allen McGrier and Teena Marie
• "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" by Ramsey Lewis; written by Homer Banks, Carl Hampton and Raymond Jackson

"Family Business"

• "Je Vais T'Aimer" by Michael Sardou; written by Michel Sardou, Jacques Revaux and Gilles Thibaut

"Killing Me Softly"

• "Fool Yourself" by Little Feat; written by Fred Tackett
• "Memory Band" by Rotary Connection; written by Robert Rudolph and Charles Stephney
• "Killing Me Softly with His Song" by Roberta Flack; written by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel
• "The Day Begins" by The Moody Blues; written by Peter Knight

"The Score"

• "Dove" by Cymande; written by Cymande
• "My Melody" by Eric B. & Rakim; written by Eric B. & Rakim
• "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa; written by R. Allen, Arthur Baker, J. Miller, John Robie, and Alonzo Williams
• Multiple songs on The Score such as "No Woman, No Cry" and "Ready or Not"

"The Mask"

• "Nights in White Satin" by The Moody Blues; written by Justin Hayward

"Cowboys"

• "Something 'Bout Love" by The Main Ingredient; written by Stevie Wonder

"No Woman, No Cry"

• "No Woman, No Cry" by Bob Marley & The Wailers; written by Vincent Ford and Bob Marley

"Manifest/Outro"

• "Rock Dis Funky Joint" by Poor Righteous Teachers

Singles

Single information
"Fu-Gee-La" Released: January 9, 1996 B-side: "How Many Mics"
"Killing Me Softly" (Europe only release) Released: June 10, 1996 B-side: "Cowboys", "Nappy Heads" (Remix)
"Ready or Not" Released: September 2, 1996 B-side: "Cowboys"
"No Woman, No Cry" (Europe only release) Released: November 1, 1996 B-side: "Don't Cry, Dry Your Eyes"

Chart positions

Album

Year	Album	Chart positions
		Billboard 200	Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
1996	The Score	#1	#1

Singles

Year	Song	Chart positions
		Billboard Hot 100	Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	Rhythmic Top 40
1995	"Fu-Gee-La"	#29	#13	#1	#26
1996	"Killing Me Softly"	#2 (Airplay)	#1 (Airplay)	-	#1
1996	"Ready or Not"	#69 (Airplay)	#22 (Airplay)	-	#34

Certifications

Country	Certification	Sales
Austria	Platinum	20,000
Canada	5x Platinum	500,000
France	1x Diamond	1,000,000
Germany	Platinum	500,000
UK	4x Platinum	1,200,000
U.S.	6x Platinum	6,000,000