Is 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' the Greatest Album of All Time?
'98 til infinity…
Image property of Ruffhouse and Columbia Records.
Some albums carve themselves into the headstone of musical history, whereas others alter the bedrock upon which the rest of modern music lies. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is a monumental example of an album that has done both. This remarkable body of work, released in August 1998 by a then 23-year-old Lauryn Hill, became an immediate classic. Within seven days, the album sold more than 422,000 copies, smashing the record for the most first-week sales by any female artist.
It spent 81 weeks on the Billboard 200 and eventually went eight times platinum in the USA alone. In 1999, the album was nominated for a record-breaking ten Grammys, winning five, including Album of The Year, becoming the first-ever hip-hop album to be crowned with this title.
Today, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill ages more beautifully with each passing decade and still stands tall as an unmatched, critically acclaimed, timeless sensation. Recently, it achieved the number one spot on Apple Music's List of the 100 Best Albums in history. Although music is subjective, one thing is undeniable: this masterpiece is one of our time's most impactful artistic offerings.
Lauryn Hill was raised just outside Newark, New Jersey, in the diverse suburban neighbourhood of South Orange. Music filled her household, and she grew up with the voices of icons such as Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder in her ears. They were her music teachers, and she soaked in what they taught her with an almost religious passion.
Since the wires of her headphones could not reach her bed, Lauryn slept on the floor of her room so she could listen to music all night. She diligently nurtured her craft, and in 1990, she became the frontwoman of hip hop trio The Fugees alongside Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel, who went on to curate a legendary discography including "Ready or Not", "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and "Fu-Gee-La". After the group disbanded in 1997, Ms. Hill spread her wings and began working on her first and only solo studio album—little did she know it would change her life and the musical landscape forever.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is expansive in its glory. It is a coming-of-age story told through the sonic fusion of hip-hop, reggae, gospel, and soul, with tales uttered in breathtaking vocal performances and inimitable flows. Some say that no other artist has heralded such talent in both rapping and singing alike.
Through this creative outpouring, Ms. Hill takes us on her journey towards peace and self-actualisation. Together, we traverse an array of tumultuous life lessons that paint an all-encompassing picture of the album's main tenet: love in its many iterations.
The songs are woven together by a series of school-time skits punctuating the album: the charming interludes portray a classroom of children discussing love with their teacher. These innocent conversations may remind us of our younger selves, envisioning a love untainted by heartache, betrayal or broken dreams—a powerful sentiment juxtaposed with the mature truths declared in Hill's lyrics.
In the introductory skit that forms track one, we learn that the young Lauryn Hill is actually absent when the register is called. Thus, the album tells the story of a missed education and a miseducation. Lauryn is her own teacher and student, sharing self-taught lessons learnt outside the classroom whilst navigating life.
“The album is a kaleidoscopic and unfiltered exploration of love through the eyes of its creator; a little rough around the edges, a little raw and unrefined and ultimately, an honest depiction because isn’t that how life goes?”
Each song is a triumph in its own right, but the album as a whole is a thing of wonder. It has a wide-ranging soundscape, almost orchestral in its beauty, and is adorned with deeply meaningful lyricism rich enough to be studied at length. When it comes to exploring love and loss, Ms. Hill leaves no stone unturned.
From the brazen affront of "Lost Ones", a lyrical assault on her ex-lover and bandmate Wyclef Jean, to the vulnerable and yearning heartbreak expressed in the renowned ballad "Ex Factor"; to the soul-bearing and impassioned "Nothing Even Matters", a duet with D'Angelo and a love song for the ages. Ms. Lauryn Hill also makes confronting worldly statements, for example, addressing shallow sexualisation and materialism in the groundbreaking "Doo Wop (That Thing)" and calling out the exploitation of contemporary hip-hop in "Superstar".
Throughout the carefully curated collection of songs, she goes on to honour herself, forgive, and pour into her relationship with God, speaking of a love that transcends all earthly things. As the album progresses to its climax, Ms. Hill learns that the answers she has sought have always existed within her.
Perhaps the most important song on the album is "To Zion". In this remarkable track, Lauryn depicts the spiritual blessing of a mother's love and dismantles societal notions that a flourishing career and motherhood cannot coexist. Ms. Hill recorded much of The Miseducation at the tender age of 21 whilst heavily pregnant with her firstborn son, Zion. Despite external pressures to end her pregnancy, she embraced her unborn blessing and spun gold from the newfound feelings growing within her.
It is from this creative inspiration that the album was born. In the lyrics of "To Zion", she shares this story: "Look at your career they said / Lauryn, baby, use your head / But instead I chose to use my heart / Now the joy of my world is in Zion." This track perfectly depicts the unfiltered love, deep resilience and rebellious passion that led Ms. Lauryn Hill to create what would become one of the most influential albums of our time.
Lauryn Hill in 1998. Images property of Jonathan Mannion, Anthony Barboza, Marc Baptiste and Sony Music.The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is nothing short of magnificent, from the track arrangements and groundbreaking production to the passionate vocals and intricate rap flows and the quintessential ad-libs and subtle samples. Through this singular piece of art, Ms. Hill tells an enlightening story of great love and deep pain, liberation and rebellion, forgiveness and faith, and ultimately inner peace.
This album paved the way for many of the great artists of today whilst drawing from the great artists of yesterday; even now, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill continues to be discovered and rediscovered, providing further inspiration for the great artists of tomorrow.
But equally, the album provides a cathartic experience for the humble listener who has no intention beyond simply enjoying music that stirs the soul. This project will stay with you long after the final notes of the closing track; it will outlive Lauryn Hill and all of us. To call an album the greatest of all time is a tall feat, but The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is a worthy suitor, and this is why.
Stream The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill below: