This is a pivotal moment in the album and arguably the most important. They achieved success overseas as well with the song, taking the Fugees voice clear across to the other side of the world.įeaturing Diamond D Produced by Fugees, Diamond D, & Jerry Duplessis This became the most successful single from the album, earning them a Grammy award. They did, however, agree to let them cover the song. The original writers of the song refused to give permission to sample the song, which is common practice in Hip-Hop. Even though this song was not meant to be a cover at first. Staying true to Hip-Hop form, it’s only fitting this album include a song cover.
It’s common knowledge that you never snitch, never betray and fraternize with the enemy. Loyalty has been and always will be an important part of Hip-Hop. They speak about the unity that is made among the Hip-Hop community. Omega, one of the few features on the album, opens this track with a flow that most MC’s can not rival to this day. The Fugees use very subliminal messages to get their point across.įeaturing Omega Produced by Fugees, John Forté, & Jerry Duplessis They sampled Teena Marie’s “Ooo La La La” which was the highest charting song of her career. Hinting that as far as “the score” goes, they are in first place.
The Fugees continue their attack here, bringing attention back to the albums title. in the battle lost my finger, the mic became my arm”. This track opens with Wyclef saying “We used to be number 10, now we’re permanent one. This is exactly what hip hop is about, giving a voice to the people. They are using hip hop as their voice to fight back. High class get bypassed while my ass gets harassed. such as Alcatraz or shoo up like Hajj Malik Shabazz. The subconscious psychology that you use against me, if i lose control will send me to the penitentiary. They refer to these entities as “the beast,” which, in christianity, is often used as a synonym for the devil. Police brutality, corrupt politicians, the power they abuse and the money they legally steal from the people who are too afraid to do anything about it. Here the Fugees take a step away from trying to prove themselves Hip-Hop greats (They did a damn good job with that thus far) and tackle one of the elements that brought Hip-Hop about. Here, the Fugees have used the Zealots as an analogy to themselves and their want to remove those who use Hip-Hop for the wrong reasons (or the Roman Empire) away from the Holy Land (Hip-Hop). They are considered to be one of the first terrorist groups.
Zealotry was a party that sought to convince people that the Roman Empire should be removed from the Holy Land. He makes himself a parody of a “gangster” and makes shame of the lifestyle they live. Wyclef uses a very childish, yet fitting, form of mockery in his lyrics. I think this was a direct attack on the “Gangster Rap” genre, which was the dominant form of rap at that time. you cant hide”, from the game hide n’ seek. They use the popular childhood chant “Ready or not, here i come. I get mad frustrated when I rhyme, thinking of all the kids who try to do this for all the wrong reasons… it was you who was irregular, sold your soul for some secular.Īgain, they continue with their brutal assault on this new age of Hip-Hop with this track.
Around this time a formula was beginning to develop as the genre began to become more popular. Battling is a common practice among Hip-Hoppers and they’ve shown a nice display of word play with this track. DJ Red Alerts intro is comparing new Hip-Hop artists to the likes of the police. Here is where they make it known that The Score is about the state of Hip-Hop and the Fugees status in the genre. The second track is the key to understanding the album title and the intro. Police sirens and gun shots are heard in the background with DJ Red Alert speaking over them about day to day struggles. The Score album opens up with an intro featuring DJ Red Alert. Not safe for their careers or for their physical being. They changed the face of Hip-Hop in 1996, daring to go against the norm and challenging the entire Hip-Hop community in a time where it wasn’t considered safe to do so. With a new crop of Hip-Hoppers coming in to power and new sounds for the genre coming into popularity, I wonder how this piece of work will stand compared to the likes of what the culture has become today. The album has since been overlooked often by many. It’s been over 15 years since the Fugees released their sophomore effort The Score.
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