Following the initial disbanding of Fugees in 1997, Lauryn Hill released her phenomenal solo debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill the following year.
Blending hip-hop with R&B, soul, and reggae, Miseducation refuses to be defined by a specific genre template. This allows the album to remain timeless, even though it’s from an era where rap was—as a whole—preoccupied with clichés that leave the majority of albums feeling dated in a contemporary context.
As a rapper, Hill is one of the best of her generation, balancing the complex poeticism that has typified East Coast hip-hop, with catchy and heartfelt R&B vocals. Hill is still seen as one of the benchmarks for artists who can both sing and rap. As such, both her solo work and her work with Fugees was seen as revolutionary and one of the key components in making hip hop more accessible to the mainstream.
Miseducation showcases Hill’s fierce lyrical intelligence, calling out those who are fake in the game, like in “Doo Wop (That Thing),” and giving a clarion call for honesty in hip-hop in “Everything is Everything.”
Almost 20 years after its initial release, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill remains as relevant and honest today as it was back in 1998, and stands as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time.
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