“The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” is one of history’s best projects and albums. This gem was born on August 25, 1998, and produced and written by Lauryn Hill. What makes this album so great is Lauryn expresses her emotions deeply in her songs which allows her listeners to be heavily influenced. This album contains neo-soul, r&b, hip-hop soul, rap & reggae songs which are smoothly diverse and done so well, her first debut album won five Grammys including Best New Artist, Best R&B Song and etc. In my opinion, she deserved an Oscar for such a raw and emotional album!
This album allows me to grow and fully change as a person. It allows me to change how I think and want others to perceive me. Her sound is so personal and raw as if she isn’t trying to show off her voice, how loud she can sing, or bellow, she is simply pouring her heart out. This allows me to envision myself as a strong woman who can be her true and better self, speak up for herself, and be accountable and honest. Her various mentions of God push me to put my faith in him and work on my relationship with Him. It also makes me love our people so much more than I could ever imagine. It makes me feel comfortable in my skin and my culture as the world tries so hard at times to tear it down. It speaks to me in ways that I can’t even put into words. Its timeless sound after so many years is amazing. For example, in the song “To Zion” with Carlos Santana, she talks about her pregnancy and the impact of it so early in her career, along with her excessive joy to welcome her newborn child, Zion, into the world.
But while her career was at its peak, people tried to convince her to get an abortion as it would be best for her career as it was just starting. She professes her love for Zion and how her joy now lies in Zion. I believe that she did the right thing considering the fact it’s her own body and should be obligated to do whatever she pleases with it. In an article for HuffPost, Wyclef Jean said, “In that moment something died between us. I was married and Lauryn and I were having an affair, but she led me to believe that the baby was mine, and I couldn’t forgive that.” After this situation, the band broke up, and in the song “Ex Factor,” she speaks about her dysfunctional relationship and the inconsistencies that lie in it. She talks about how it feels like she’s fighting so hard for someone who isn’t fighting as hard as she is for their love. This song is one of my favorites as Lauryn is expressing her broken heart from all the empty promises that were made to her. For instance, she says in the song, “Tell me, who have I have to be (I know what we gotta do) To get some reciprocity.” Although I was not romantically involved with someone like that, I did have friends where at first, we were super close but we started to drift apart. I tried to prevent that as I loved our friendship and didn’t want it to end but it got to a point where it felt like I was the only one putting any effort into keeping the friendship together. So I reached a point where I gave up, and the friendship eventually ended. In some ways, I was relieved, but when I lost them, it was hard. I was attached and used to their presence. I felt alone in the effort to fix the friendship and all I wanted was for that same energy in return. Lauryn was also attached to her person so the betrayal was hard for her.
Lauryn Hill is truly one of the best writers and is a lyrical genius who captivates her audience with her amazing talent. This album alone is something spectacular, but I recommend Lauryn Hill altogether to anyone. She’s extremely versatile and a great songwriter. She expresses emotion like no other that you know what she is feeling is real and that we, as the listeners, can truly feel it.
