The Fugees
Album : Greatest Hits
Realase : July 02, 1996
Label : Ruffhouse/Columbia

Customer review :
The Fugees brought a breath of fresh air to the rap game in the mid 1990s. As gangster rap, with the likes of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Tupac, dominated mainstream rap, the Fugees offered an alternative to those listeners who did not want every song to be about graphic violence and crime (although some of their songs still deal with similar subject matter). Their lyrics were clever and introspective, and their music was...in general, softer. Their beats were different too, often sampling jazz or soul in the middle of their songs. So, it’s no surprise that they stand tall as one of the greatest rap groups of all time, for their talent as well as their inovation. Lauren Hill’s voice is absolutely beautiful, and Wyclef actually plays an instrument (the guitar...and quite well), which is rare in rap music.

That being said, this cd falls short of my expectations. The fact is, the Fugees, for the most part, did not write a bad song. Indeed, their cd "The Score" could itself be a greatest hits cd.

This cd offers a nice sampling of their music, but leaves out some very good songs (Zealots, for example). And, while the cd is advertised as including some work from the separate members of the Fugees (recorded after the ’breakup’), it merely has Lauren Hill’s "The Sweetest Thing," and leaves off any of Wyclef’s solo work. If you include Lauren Hill’s "The Sweetest Thing," you should certainly have Wyclef’s "Gone Till November," his remix of "Stayin’ Alive," "Perfect Gentleman," and/or "Street Jeopardy." However, this cd unfortunately does not. Finally, the cd contains a remix version of "Ready or Not," while the original version (whic appears on "The Score")is far superior.

The remix on this cd does not showcase Lauren Hill’s voice nearly as well, nor does it have a groove or beat that should be on any greatest hits compilation. Because the Fugees only released a few albums, this cd was obviously a record company’s attempt to capitalize and make more money. Therefor, the Fugees can hardly be hald responsible for the tracks that made the final cut. That is why I still gave the cd 5 stars. Every song is good...but it has so much more potential. While many fans would have preferred a new album to a greatest hits one, this one should bring in a few new fans.

Tracklisting :

greatest hits - US version
Nappy Heads (Remix)
Vocab (Remix)
Boof Baf (Remix)
Fu-Gee-La
Ready or Not
Killing Me Softly
How Many Mics
No Woman No Cry
Cowboys
The Score
Gone Til November (Remix)
911
Sweetest Thing
Ghetto Superstar

Greatest hits - DOUBLE CD

Audio CD 1 :
Fu-Gee-La
No Woman, No Cry
Ready Or Not
Killing Me Softly With His Song
The Score
How Many Mics
Cowboys
Nappy Heads (Remix Radio Edit)
Vocab (Refugees Hip Hop Remix)
The Sweetest Thing (Mahogany Mix)
A Change Is Gonna Come (Live from BBC/Radio 1)
Killing Me Softly With His Song (Live from MCM)
Freestyle (Live from BBC/Radio 1)

Audio CD 2 :
Ready Or Not (Clarke Kent Remix)
Ready Or Not (Salaam’s Ready For The Show Remix) (Instrumental)
Fu-Gee-La (Refugee Camp Remix)
Fu-Gee-La (Sly & Robbie Mix)
Killing Me Softly With His Song (Sound Barrier Remix)
No Woman, No Cry (Remix w/Steve Marley)

No profanity, or inaproppriate remarks.