Yes and Other Answers

The Fugees’ “The Score” as an example of Reconstructivist Art

The landmark sophomore album that introduced the Fugees to a worldwide audience, and transformed many people’s conception of hip-hop.

1. Nod to Artifice: The album was conceived as the soundtrack to a fictional movie (a theme explored in the music videos), and is introduced theatrically (“Columbia/Ruffhouse Records Present, a Refugee Camp Production”). In addition many of the songs are introduced with a chime-like sound recognizable to Generation X as the sound used to cue the advance of a filmstrip or a read-along book. Within the songs, explicit references are made to the artists (“we used to be underrated”) and to elements of the song structure (“take it to the bridge”).
2. Classic Structure: Although the fact has passed unnoticed by most critics, “The Score” has the same theatrical structure as “Sgt Pepper”, with an introduction (“Red Intro”), an intermission (side change), a second act introduction/reprise (“The Score”), a finale (“Manifest/Outro”) and a post-curtain coda (“Mista Mista”).
3. Transcontextual and Iconic Elements: As with any hip-hop album the samples used are inherently transcontextual elements of sound (and can be iconic if the source is recognizable and/or well-known). The Fugees take this one step futher by including mini-samples from the album itself during the second act intro (“The Score”). Other transcontexualized elements are the movie references in skits between songs (as in the parody of old kung-fu movies that introduces “Fu-Gee-La”), and the transgressive (for hip-hop) inclusion of covers of the songs “Killing Me Softly” and “No Woman No Cry”.
4. Moments of Genuine Emotion or Significance: Contrasting sharply with the flashy, big-spending pseudo-gansta rap that surrounded it, “The Score” reintroduced hip-hop to melodic samples, intellectual lyrics, social commentary and heartful performances.