Lauryn Hill, the most versatile artist of all time (a thread)

-A timeline of her career and rise to success
-Ranking and rating of her album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”
-Some of my favorite songs of hers and what they mean to me

Lauryn Noelle Hill was born on May 26, 1975 in East Orange, New Jersey. A naturally gifted performer, she began singing at the age of 13 for her school and for Harlem’s Apollo Theater as well.

Apollo Amateur Night 1987 would be a night Lauryn Hill would never forget. At just 13 years old, she was set to perform the song “Who’s Loving You” in front of a live crowd of around 1,000 people. Lauryn’s voice was off tune and she was booed off stage in a heartbreaking manner.

Many 13 year olds would put down a mic forever after this, but not Ms. Lauryn Hill. Shortly after her performance at The Apollo, she formed a musical group with her cousin Wyclef Jean and and friend Prakazwel Michel, who would later become the Fugees.

While also focusing on music, Lauryn tried her hand at acting for a good portion of her early life. In high school she landed a role on the television soap opera “As The World Turns” and a featured part in the film “Sister Act II”, starring Whoopi Goldberg.

Acting wasn’t what Lauryn wanted to pursue in the long run, so instead of heading to Hollywood she enrolled at Columbia University in 1993 and focused on her academics and music. In 1994 The Fugees released their first album “Blunted on Reality”, but it was met with poor sales.

After the groups unsuccessful first studio album, they looked to producer Salaam Remi. Salaam helped change the sound of the group and they slowly started to win fans over. Almost 2 years later the group released their widely successful sophomore album “The Score”.

Selling over 17 million copies and earning 2 Grammy awards, along with a hit single “Killing Me Softly”, The Fugees quickly became known as one of the most successful R&B groups of all time. Lauryn had know ascended to stardom, but she was now ready to branch off and go solo.

After expressing frustration to her manager about lack of respect from her crew about a solo record, she left The Fugees. “I don’t wanna fuck with them, I just wanna get a whole new crew.”

Lauryn put together a whole new team to help her work on her debut solo record. She called her group the “New-Ark”, consisting of producers such as Gordon Williams and Che Pope.

Lauryn recorded in a tiny attic studio in New Jersey while she was pregnant, then eventually finished in Kingston, Jamaica. The recording of “To Zion” was said to bring those around her to tears, while later revealing that her child’s father was Bob Marley’s son, Rohan Marley.

After months in the studio Lauryn was ready to release her debut solo album, titled “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”. The album was officially released on August 25, 1998. It immediately established her as a special talent in the music industry with lots of mainstream success.

This album would inspire music to come for decades, with it’s fusion of hip-hop and soul with a splash of reggae. Combined with deep meaningful lyrics, slick rap flows, and beautiful vocals, it established Lauryn as one of the most versatile artists to ever touch a mic.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill earned Lauryn 5 Grammy’s, 3 American Music Awards, a BillBoard Award and an MTV Music Award. 22 years later it is one of the best selling albums of all time with 8 million copies in the U.S. and 20 million worldwide.

All of Lauryn’s success unfortunately came with some problems. The crew that helped her work on her album was upset with their lack of credit given and eventually filed lawsuits against her. She also said she had suffered from a lack of inspiration after her debut album.

22 years after The Miseducation Lauryn is still yet to have released a sophomore solo album. It is not completely clear as to why she stopped making music but she’s made it clear that she wasn’t feeling inspired enough for a follow up album.

Ms. Lauryn Hil left us with an absolutely legendary body of work that is still regarded as one of the best albums of all time today. One of the greatest of all time who paved the way for so many artists today, music will never forget Lauryn Hill’s impact.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill: A personal rating of each track

1. Intro (skit)
2. Lost Ones-10/10
3. Ex-Factor-10/10
4. To Zion (feat. Carlos Santana)-10/10
5. Doo Wop (That Thing)-10/10
6. Superstar-9.2/10
7. Final Hour-9/10
8. When It Hurts so Bad-9.5/10

9. I Used to Love Him (feat. Mary J. Blige)-9.8/10
10. Forgive Them Father-9.8/10
11. Every Ghetto, Every City-9/10
12. Nothing Even Matters (feat. D’Angelo)-9.5/10
13. Everything Is Everything-9.3/10
14. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill-9.2/10

15. Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You - (I Love You Baby)-10/10
16. Tell Him-10/10

Overall Production: 10/10
Vocals and Lyricsm: 10/10

My top 5 favorite Lauryn Hill songs of all time and why

5. Lost Ones

An perfect way to start an album. A classic and simple 90’s hip-hop beat with Lauryn showcasing her rapping talents. The song being targeted at her former bandmate Wyclef Jean makes the hard hitting lines even better. The refrain on this song is amazing as well.

4. Doo Wop (That Thing)

Something about this song just makes me want to get up and jump around. The trumpets on this song are addictive and Lauryn’s lyrics on educating young men and women on “That Thing” add to the charm and message of the song.

3. Ex-Factor

I’m obviously a huge drake fan so hearing the sample from Nice For What is obviously cool for me lol. In all seriousness though, this song is so amazing and I love its slow paced vibe with lyrics to an ex. A work of art by Ms. Lauryn Hill.

2. To Zion

One of the most powerful songs I’ve ever heard. Almost brought me to tears the first time I listened. An uplifting and powerful song about Lauryn’s persistence to have her baby Zion. Not to mention Carlos Santana on the guitar is the cherry on top to this masterpiece

1. Tell Him

Words can’t express the emotion this song holds for me. On an album where she mainly throws shots at an ex, Lauryn concludes the project by admitting she loves him. This song is so beautiful and could make me tear up anytime. Art

thank you so much for reading Lauryn Hill is one of my favorite artists ever and i really enjoyed making this. make sure to follow if you don’t already i fb

idea credit: @AngelKnowsRap