The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill
The idea of the female gender in the Hip-Hop community, was, for a long time, seen as a sexual trinket like a "hoe" or a figure of love such as a mom or girlfriend. This idea was thrown into the culture as a sign of masculinity for rappers that wanted to be edgy or to show an emotional depth. However, the voice of women could never be kept down for long, with influential artists such as Salt N' Pepper, Queen Latifah and Lil Kim proving that all women were allowed to express themselves in the culture. One of the most influential female artists who broke the ground is the incomparable Ms. Lauryn Hill, who, in 1998, had broken out of the very successful group The Fugees and released her debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
The story of this album is mired in controversy: an alleged baby, the breakup of a hip-hop group and the beginning of a lot drama in the culture. It's famous for it, but I never knew. The first time I had listened to the entire album was by accident. Whenever I write anything, I tend to go on Youtube and play any random hip-hop artist; I had pressed autoplay, permitting the album to start playing. After my initial run through of the album, I talked to other members of the community and they espoused to me story after story about this album and its conception.
The album begins strong with 'Intro' and continues on a strong string of songs until the 11th song of the album, 'Every Ghetto, Every City'. It's the only sore spot on the otherwise stellar album. It is a lyrical masterpiece throughout. As a general rule of thumb, I don't like to listen to interludes and skits. They tend to give nothing to the story album. However, the ones present in the Miseducation are arguably some of the best ones that Hip-Hop has to offer. All the while, it bolsters a strong selection of featuring artists, which are Mary J. Blige, D'Angelo and Carlos Santana.
This album is worth a listen, as it broadens the idea of love and life through the lense of a strong and empowered woman. It's the type of record that needs to be listened to multiple times to understand the vivid social imagery that it provides. As well, to listen to the multi-genre project is something that I propose people to do multiple times in their lives, as it is relates to life in its multiple stages in the manner of the biography of Malcolm X. I give it a very solid rating of 9/10. The impeccable beat selection is transic in nature; you get sucked into the album's vibes. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is most definetly one of the greatest Hip-Hop albums, but it goes beyond that due to it's multigenre base: therefore, I'm ready to stick my hand out and say that it is arguably one of the best musical projects of the 1990's and a must listen to.