In September 2004, it was announced that the Fugees had settled their differences and were currently working on a new album. They appeared onstage together at an exclusive block party in New York City that month, hosted by Dave Chappelle. On June 28, 2005, they opened the BET awards with a surprise performance featuring several of their hit songs. One track, "Take It Easy", off their upcoming album was leaked online and eventually released as a single on the internet in September 2005. In February, 2006, a track was leaked titled "Foxy". Also, recently, one more track was leaked titled "Wannabe." But, according to Pras, the group has disbanded again, and the chances for another reunion seem very slim.
Red Intro
Fugees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A Refugee Camp production
Fugees, The Score
And now, for our feature presentation
Yo, this fucker I was wit the other day,
I was chillin' with Scott and nigga was like
The minute that we got in front of our crib with a shotgun.
Trying to get food, clothing, shelter, TV's, forks
Radios or whatever they can get there hands on kid.
Shit is getting mad ill out here man.
Joker's running out here with masks on,
I was with my man Pete, think he like Charlie Chan or Robert De Niro
Or Bruce Lee or some shit, jumping from behind trees on muhfuckers,
Cowboys bang bang or whatever you know.
Trying to shoot a joker he had beef with,
He wound up shootin' my man up in the street, trying to be Cowboys
They can't even shoot,
Trying to be gangsta's but when the Beast come on the muthafuckin' block
Everybody break out
They beat my man Bob G. Up the other day,
Cops, pigs just vampin' on him, everybody just standin' around
Just watching that shit take place, always takes place
'Cause they only gangsta's when it comes to being gangsta's to they selves.
They want to be Corleone, Luigi or Gambino or Gotti
Or whatever the fuck that is, who people don't even like know what I'm sayin'
They run around callin' themselves Rahiem or Fuquan or Mustapha
'Cause we think they got power, fuck them, I got power.
I got power, I got family I got Family Business on Avon,
On Chancellor, on Prince Street
Chadwick or Stratford, Chancellor uh Vailsburg.
All of the Brick City boy that's my family.
We gonna settle The Score, once and for all.
I ain't gonna sit around and let jokers kill me softly kid
I'm goin' out, I'm goin' out like a bandit
All of these zealots trying to steal and trying to bite and take what I got
Like all of these big record companies,
These corporations these stores they try to rob me.
Naw man, I'm going I'm a get mine.
And my girl we gonna go out together
She gonna be a soldier kid, when I go out, she go out.
And we gonna make what we believe Manifest
Fuck that 'cause if you ain't ready now,
You ain't never gonna be ready I'm always ready
The intro to The Fugees' album The Score, "Red Intro", is a spoken word piece by an uncredited male speaker. He starts by announcing the presentation, "A Refugee Camp Production" and declares that things are getting out of hand in his home of Colombia. He describes how desperate and dangerous the situation has become that people are now forced to arm themselves with shotguns just to protect their homes from thieves breaking in for basic necessities like food, clothing, and shelter. The singers are getting restless, and violence is escalating. He also describes how some people are trying to be gangsters, but when the real trouble comes and the police arrive, they all run away. He is frustrated with people putting on a show and pretending to have power, the same way that big corporations and record companies "try to rob" him.
Overall, the "Red Intro" sets the tone for the entire album, with its focus on themes of violence, desperation, and struggling for power. It shows how the world can be a harsh place, and people are forced to do whatever it takes to survive, even if that means arming themselves with weapons. The singer also highlights issues of greed and corruption present in society, comparing his struggles to those of big corporations.
Line by Line Meaning
Colombia Ruffhouse Records present
The production company, Ruffhouse Records, presents a new album called The Score by Fugees.
A Refugee Camp production
A production by Refugee Camp, a hip-hop collective from New Jersey.
And now, for our feature presentation
The main event is about to begin.
Yo, this fucker I was wit the other day,
I was with someone the other day.
I was chillin' with Scott and nigga was like
I was hanging out with someone named Scott who said something like this.
The minute that we got in front of our crib with a shotgun.
As soon as we got in front of our house, we had a shotgun ready.
'Cause jokers gonna be bustin' up in there
We anticipated people breaking into our home.
Trying to get food, clothing, shelter, TV's, forks
These people would be looking for basic necessities and luxuries in our home.
Radios or whatever they can get there hands on kid.
They would try to steal anything they could grab.
Shit is getting mad ill out here man.
The situation is getting really bad.
Joker's running out here with masks on,
People are wearing masks to conceal their identity.
I was with my man Pete, think he like Charlie Chan or Robert De Niro
I was with someone named Pete who was acting like a detective or a gangster from a movie.
Or Bruce Lee or some shit, jumping from behind trees on muhfuckers,
He was also jumping out unexpectedly from behind trees on people.
Cowboys bang bang or whatever you know.
He was acting like a cowboy and making gun noises.
Trying to shoot a joker he had beef with,
He was trying to shoot someone he had a disagreement with.
He wound up shootin' my man up in the street, trying to be Cowboys
But instead, he accidentally shot and injured someone else.
They can't even shoot,
These people aren't even capable of shooting properly.
Trying to be gangsta's but when the Beast come on the muthafuckin' block
They act tough, but when real danger arrives, they back down.
Everybody break out
Everyone scattered.
They beat my man Bob G. Up the other day,
A man named Bob G. was beaten up recently.
Cops, pigs just vampin' on him, everybody just standin' around
The police didn't help the situation and bystanders watched instead of intervening.
Just watching that shit take place, always takes place
This kind of thing always happens and no one does anything about it.
'Cause they only gangsta's when it comes to being gangsta's to they selves.
These people only act tough by themselves.
They want to be Corleone, Luigi or Gambino or Gotti
They want to be like famous Italian-American mobsters from movies or real life.
Or whatever the fuck that is, who people don't even like know what I'm sayin'
Most people don't even know who those people are.
They run around callin' themselves Rahiem or Fuquan or Mustapha
They go by names that they think sound powerful or intimidating.
'Cause we think they got power, fuck them, I got power.
They think they're powerful, but I have real power.
I got power, I got family I got Family Business on Avon,
I have power because of my family and my business on Avon.
On Chancellor, on Prince Street
I also have businesses on Chancellor and Prince Street.
Chadwick or Stratford, Chancellor uh Vailsburg.
I have connections and influence in those areas of Newark.
All of the Brick City boy that's my family.
All of the people from our city are like family to me.
We gonna settle The Score, once and for all.
We're going to resolve things and make things right once and for all.
I ain't gonna sit around and let jokers kill me softly kid
I won't let people harm me or take advantage of me.
I'm goin' out, I'm goin' out like a bandit
If things are going to end for me, I'll go out on top like a criminal.
All of these zealots trying to steal and trying to bite and take what I got
People are trying to steal from me and take what I have.
Like all of these big record companies,
Big corporations like record companies are also trying to cheat me.
These corporations these stores they try to rob me.
These companies try to take advantage of me and steal from me.
Naw man, I'm going I'm a get mine.
I won't let them take what's mine.
And my girl we gonna go out together
My girlfriend and I will face whatever is coming together.
She gonna be a soldier kid, when I go out, she go out.
She'll be a brave and loyal partner until the end.
And we gonna make what we believe Manifest
We will make our goals and beliefs clear and apparent.
Fuck that 'cause if you ain't ready now,
We don't care about people who aren't ready or prepared now.
You ain't never gonna be ready I'm always ready
We are always ready for whatever comes our way.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@8stepstoperfection7734
Lovin the instrumental.
@africarib
All these years later and I just now notice he was able to fit the names of almost all the songs on the album in his speech. Brilliant!
@realdiallo224
I never knew that either until,I just read this lol
@savannah58
YEP!!!! Genius🤣
@stevecoyne1891
Saw them at smokin grooves 96 , I got on my beats now and I'm jammin The Score ! Never gets old !!
@marcusdouglas9511
I was literally kindergarten 1st grade bumping this shit... Peace to my father playing this shit for me
@thehawaiianjap6400
I'm a simple man. I see Fugees, I click and vibe
@pinkimietz3243
You do and me too. LOVE
@leovierge3670
I do same hermano
@bansheemakaveli6700
I swear there music is like the only surviving old school shit you’ll still hear and it’s sad how hip hop has turned out nowadays