The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

It's great but I think it hasn't aged as well as some other music from its era. Again I wish I could go back to the 90s and tell every artist that you do not need to fill an entire CD.

It's been nine months since I listened to Fugees' The Score, which I remember enjoying, and I recognize how Lauryn Hill stood out in that group for her ability to seamlessly switch from rapping to singing on top of songwriting. So, with her solo debut spurred on by her first pregnancy and other such life events at the time, I was curious to hear how it panned out for her. Suffice it to say, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill blew whatever expectations I had out of the water.

I think the keyword in describing this record is versatility. Like I already mentioned, Lauryn already proved she can rap and sing well, and it's only expanded upon here on her own. But in addition, the production on this album, which she did alongside Che Pope and Vada Nobles, was just as varied. Hopping across soul, R&B, hip hop, and reggae, the genre blending is impeccable, without ever overwhelming any single element. The hard-hitting snares and record scratching on the backdrop of the reggae and hip-hop mix of "Lost Ones", the elegant piano keys over the Wu-Tang Clan sample on "Ex-Factor", the rollicking acoustic guitar licks from Carlos Santana on "To Zion", that phat beat paired with the blaring horns and vocal harmonies on "Doo Wop (That Thing)", the harpsichord incorporation on an interpolation of The Doors' "Light My Fire" with "Superstar", the elegant harp strings in the background of "When It Hurts So Bad", the Stevie Wonder-esque funk romp of "Every Ghetto, Every City", the spare electric piano and finger snapping of "Nothing Even Matters", the emphatic string arrangements that punctuate the beat on "Everything Is Everything", the sprawling jazz piece of the title track; it's amazing how all these different styles and soundscapes come together without coming off as jarring at any point. Even the hidden tracks were well done, with the beatboxing rendition of Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" and the fingerstyle guitar playing over a wooden block beat on "Tell Him".

Along the way, Lauryn interweaves a personal narrative about re-educating herself on love and its many facets. Whether it's reconciling with a broken relationship on "Ex-Factor", avoiding the exploitation for sex on "Doo Wop (That Thing)", cherishing her newborn son on "To Zion", dealing with the ramifications of newfound success on "Superstar", reminiscing on her childhood in "Every Ghetto, Every City", or seeking forgiveness from God on "Forgive Them Father" and subsequently finding strength through her devotion to Him on the title track, Lauryn does some meaningful reflecting on how she got here and how she can move on with her partner and their child. Sure, it can get a tad preachy with the multiple Biblical references throughout the record. Not to mention, several tracks throughout can be interpreted as shots aimed at her ex-lover and Fugees mate Wyclef Jean, and she can lay the contempt toward him pretty thick. But I do feel that it all comes off genuinely earnest, and she did manage to keep it as self-empowering and optimistic as possible given her circumstances, alongside the upbeat and varied compositions. This is especially true with that wonderful duet opposite D'Angelo on "Nothing Even Matters" in laying out her devotion to her partner, and "Everything Is Everything" with the full-on acceptance of all that has come before for her, with the stride to look ahead. Plus, it was a nice gesture for her to bring on poet and educator Ras Baraka to provide an impromptu lecture on love to a group of children, making for some pleasantly incorporated interludes throughout.

Overall, I was genuinely surprised by The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. It was a bona fide neo soul record that showcased a talented woman who went through so much change in life and tried to reconcile with it all. Of course, if you know the story of Lauryn Hill, her overnight success with this album would be short. The pressure of fame overwhelmed her, and she would largely seclude herself from the spotlight. Her appearances solo and with Fugees would be sporadic at best, and she has yet to properly follow up Miseducation. It sucks, given how promising that record was. I can only pray that she finds peace.

Never heard this, but I see it all the time in "best album" threads. Reviews here make it sound like a "you had to be there" phenomenon. It sounded like an ok R&B album, nothing outstanding to my ears. I never enjoy skits. This was fine, not best album ever category.

*She has a great voice but I don't think this album shows all that it can do, as it gets a little one dimensional at times.
*I would give this a 3.5 if I could
*Some great features and solid tracks, but feels a little long at times as well

A fantastic summer album. Pretty much set the direction for modern R&B in many ways.
Best tracks:
Doo Woo (That Thing)
Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Jeg syns denne er litt vanskelig å bedømme. Skjønner at det skal være bra, men jeg kjeder meg så mye og syns det er litt mye vokalrunk

Remember the TV show Room 101? This would be in there for me. There is nothing about it I enjoyed.

A rap album where I actually enjoyed the talking in between songs, when I could hear it. I got bored pretty quickly with this album though. Can't believe Apple music named it the #1 best album of all time.

Por fin escuché EL álbum de Lauryn Hill y veo el porqué de su fama. Supongo que antes que ella no habían cantantes así en este género y con esas letras. Nombrarlo mejor álbum de la historia, al menos en Apple Music, mmmmmm no sé, pero no cabe duda que es muy bueno

A masterpiece

Nostalgic

Masterpiece. The first album to really marry R&B quality singing with top-tier rapping - and it was a woman! Incredibly influential and one of the best debut albums of all time.

did not listen to this album. Lauryn Hill is a bit of a controversial figure in the rap world so I think I will avoid her for the time being

This is a tough one. I can see why this is a beloved album and an era-defining artistic statement. I agree that it holds up decades later. But in its era and now; it just doesn’t move me emotionally for some reason. I had a playlist for years called “inspiration station” which was uplifting gospel-adjacent stuff … far from who I am but stuff I enjoy. I had “Zion” on it but eventually took it off because it doesn’t make me feel the way that, say, “No One” by Alicia Keys does.

So yes it deserves all the accolades. But if I’m honest listening to the album as a whole has always made me kind of sad. I’m sure it’s because it never had a follow-up. But I think it is also something about the end of the 90s and the transition to our present culture of constant surveillance and repackaging of the self. In the time just before, Lauryn Hill made this statement of who she was, and the record itself was the place to do it. Not the social media feed or the podcast or the photo op, but the *record.* I know may other folks are still doing that, but damn it’s hard best this album in that respect

4/5. Despite being a music lover, I’ve actually never listened to the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill prior to this despite it making most publications “best albums of all time” lists. And after listening I can immediately understand its universal acclaim. First and most obvious, Lauryn Hill just has a great voice both as a singer and rapper. And she fits perfectly with the production of this album. Very good album though it doesn’t quite land as one of my personal all-timers and it’s a shame that she hasn’t put anything out since (outside of an MTV unplugged performance which from what I understand is very divisive.)

Fav Songs: Ex-Factor, Doo Wop (That Thing), Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You, When It Hurts So Bad, Lost Ones, To Zion

Least Fav: Nothing Even Matters

9.5/10

Pretty great R&B/rap album if only a bit too long. Disappointing Lauryn Hill didn’t have much of a career after this. What I’ve heard of her unplugged album I even think is pretty interesting and not the disaster a lot of people portray it as

I had convinced myself this could be a potential 5 and I've heard the album before.
She has a great vocal, I want to give extra credit for her writing most of the songs and producing it but theres a lot of evidence to show she didn't credit her collaborators correctly.
The "uh uh uh" on every 2nd song gets tiresome, it also runs too long.

4/5.

slično kao i s the fugees, u kojima je lauryn hill bila - premda ne bih slušao, nije za mene, kvalitetan i raznovrstan album koji itekako mogu cijeniti

I get why this is such a classic and so well loved. The hits are fantastic and apparently, John Legend, who was then an unknown, played many of the piano pieces on this album. My complaint is that some of these songs are kinda meh and it felt a little samey at times.