As we all know by now, 1996 was a very good year for hip-hop. If it’s not from actually listening to the music, it’s from me pounding it into your heads every other week. In this edition of Taking A Look Back we’re going to be looking at The Score by The Fugees. While pure hip-hop was in abundance in 1996, The Fugees were easily the most original and unique group around. While their debut Blunted On Reality was hot (check that out),  The Score was just a ridiculously well put together masterpiece of an album that blended pure hip-hop, the smooth vocals of Lauryn Hill, and the Haitian stylings of Wyclef Jean.

The Fugees were one of a kind in every sense of the term in that even though they had two male MC’s, Lauryn Hill was easily the most talented rapper in the crew. Also, Wyclef’s abilities as a musician are stellar and he showed that in all his instrument playing as well as singing. Also impressive was the fact that the trio was involved with the production of all but one song on the album, which was “Fu-Gee-La” where Salaam Remi took over the boards. The beat was grimy and energetic and let Pras, Wyclef, and Lauryn showcase their abilities as MC’s.

Lauryn stole the show with her tongue twisting flow and commanding lyrics. On the cover of Roberta Flak’s “Killing Me Softly” is where Lauryn truly showed her singing chops and vocal range. These were just two of the hits on the insanely successful album. “Ready Or Not” was another massive hit that just has an amazing feel to it. The accompanying video was hot so you should check that as well.

The Score was almost completely feature free as well with the exception of two verses, one by Refugee Camp affiliate John Forte and one by Diamond D. DJ Red Alert also jumped on the intro to help out. If you’re a true Fugees fan you’ll also know that today’s favorite crooner, Akon, was featured on the Sly and Robbie remix to “Fu-Gee-La”. Other tracks like “Zealots”, “No Woman, No Cry”, “The Score”, and “How Many Mics” round out the album perfectly. This album is a hands down classic and it’s hard to dispute that fact with over 18 million records sold worldwide. If only The Fugees would get back together for one more score.

“Fu-Gee-La”- The Fugees