Given the brilliance of
The Score
and the shortage of
Fugees
albums in the '90s, many fans probably sought out
Blunted on Reality
. Those fans no doubt were a little shocked, though, by what they found. Yes,
Blunted
features
Wyclef
,
Lauryn Hill
, and
Pras
, but it's not quite the same trio that fans of
have come to know. Here they offer their take on
rap
circa 1993. However, rather than use
as a starting point and depart from there into a myriad of other directions as they did on
, they used
as a starting point and never depart, instead emulating the popular style of the era. In that sense, it comes across as a bit derived and undoubtedly confined by its stifled creative ambitions. If you think back, you'll probably remember 1993 as being the pinnacle of
gangsta rap
--
Dr. Dre
's
The Chronic
was ubiquitous with not only its reach but also its influence, and
Death Row
was literally changing the game. If you keep this context in mind, it's a little easier to understand why
sounds nothing like
. It's essentially
the Fugees
trying to earn respect in an era of gangstas, chronic, bitches, and guns by trying to come across as being hardcore. And, unfortunately, as hard as
portray themselves here, it can't help but seem a little silly in retrospect. It's an album that is best seen as novelty. Devoted fans may wish to seek it out for curiosity's sake, and that's understandable, but no one should approach this album expecting the prequel to
. ~ Jason Birchmeier