For the un-initiated, The Fugees are (were!) a New Jersey based trio consisting of; lead rapper and producer, Wyclef Jean; MC and singer Lauryn Hill; and MC Pras. Following their solid if unremarkable debut album Blunted on Reality they blew the music world away in 96 with The Score.

What is at the heart of this album is Lauryn Hill. She is one of the most multi-talented artists of the last 20 years: FACT. As a female MC she is unparalleled and as a singer she has a truly remarkable, beautiful voice. Fu-Gee-La, one of the album’s giant smash singles, demonstrates aptly why with an infectious bassline and an absolutely ridiculously catchy anthem of a chorus… supplied, of course, by Hill. The crescendo of Lauyrn’s vocal talent comes with her beautiful rendering of Roberta Flack’s Killing Me Softly, a 5 minute tour-de-force that for once shows a cover can reinterpret a classic original without having to stoop to mere imitation. Ready or Not demonstrates the perfect fusion of musical styles that The Fugees bring to the table, as an eerie, haunting vocal sample chairs the beat, Wyclef and Pras bring post-apocalyptic nihilism to their verses, and Lauyrn delivers one of the most memorable hit single rap verses ever – you know, “I play my enemies like a game of chess…” and all that. And I haven’t even mentioned the hook, which has entered popular cultural memory.

The Score weaves a delicate path between a number of various musical styles. Wyclef Jean utilises aspects of rap, R&B, reggae, blues, gospel and soul, amongst others, giving it a universal appeal that few albums can match – something that is demonstrated by The Score's mindblowing sales figures. But the album’s heartbeat is hip hop. The opener How Many Mics introduces us to the 3 emcees distinct styles. Wyclef has a steady flow, reasonably intricate lyrics and a melodic ragga-inspired voice; Pras has a deep, recognisable baritone voice with an awkward flow and slightly clumsy lyrics; Lauryn Hill has cutting diction, a sharp voice, razor-sharp lyrics, and a versatile, fluid flow that moves in and out of song. And pure hip hop tracks like Zealots and Cowboys are among the best on the album. The former includes a quite stunning vocalisation-segue-into rap segment that is probably the best I have ever heard from you know who, and the female MC also comes up with an oft quoted lyrical gem: “And even after all my logic and my theory, I add a motherfucker so you ig'nant niggaz hear me”. The latter song finds underrated NJ crew Tha Outsidaz (in particular the now-forgotten Pacewon & Young Zee) jumping on the track with The Fugees and spraying lyrical mayhem over an understated but pretty cool ‘Western’ themed type beat. The straight up hip hop flow continues with The Beast; a not-so-thinly-disguised attack on the US government and its racial profiling, as well as Family Business which takes a slightly Mafioso inspired approach (mainly with a Godfather-esque mandolin stringed beat) to a straightforward 'crew represent' banger. Manifest might just be my favourite song on the album; it’s a beautifully pure, contemplative track where the 3 emcees spit short and emotionally-charged verses about some kind of personal struggle.

The closest The Score gets to a bad track is where ego hurts the group; namely, Clef’s Bob Marley jacking No Woman No Cry. This is not a dud but it does drag, and perhaps Clef should have left the difficult-cover-a-legend job strictly to the group’s MVP (Hill). The Fu-Gee-La remixes thrown on at the end of the album; while decent songs in their own right simply destroy the essence of what was originally an absolute anthem.

The Score is a bonafide hip hop classic. Not a controversial opinion, but I feel when you listen to this album its mix of the elements just works far too powerfully. Lauryn Hill is on genuine world-class form here, Wyclef Jean contributes versatile production and strong vocals and Pras – well he’s not Rakim but he DOES offer variety. Virtually every song is 5 stars and really, my only beef with this album is its success; because it is the catalyst to the ego-wrangling that prevented this highly talented group releasing anything further.