In a time when the main focus of the rap and hip hop world was the East-West rivalry, as well as attention to established acts, the mid 1990s saw one of the most forward thinking hip hop albums ever come out that still has an impact on how the genre operates to this very day. That album was The Score by The Fugees. Featuring the trio of Pras Michel, Wyclef Jean, and Lauryn Hill, the Fugees took the style they had on their debut album, which was unsuccessful commercially, and gave it some polish as they took a hard right away from what was popular at the time. Instead of going towards gangster rap or traditional hip hop that originally crossed into the mainstream with acts like LL Cool J, they blended heavy amounts of reggae, soul, funk, and R&B to produce a sound utterly unique that separated from the rest of the pack. They also incorporated a lot of live instrumentation, being one of the first in the world of hip hop to do so. On top of that, Haitian Creole cultural influences were heavily part of their music as well, due in large part to Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel's Haitan heritages, even going so far as to rap in Creole on tracks. The result? An album that launched the group into the mainstream and became the most commercially successful albums of 1996, winning best rap album at the Grammys over 2Pac's All Eyez on Me, won best R&B song of the year, and almost won best album of the year. Lauryn Hill's vocals on this album is what launched her singles music career as she is amazing, either singing or rapping bars. Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel were also phenomenal on this album as well, both in their rapping, songwriting, and production of the record. You know the hits off this album even if you never knew that they were on The Score. Fu-Gee-La, Ready or Not, alongside the covers of Killing Me Softly and No Woman, No Cry. However it is the songs that aren't singles that show how deep this album is. The title track, Zealots, Family Business, The Mask. Just banger after banger. This is a must have album, even if hip hop and rap aren't your thing because of how impactful this was on many genres of music.