The Score

I got The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill a few days back.
This could be even better but it's possibly just on par.
Could be a shorter/tighter album and the best songs aren't originals.

4/5.

Even goed als Miseducation wat mij betreft. Flows waar je u tegen zegt, scherpe lyrics. En laten we niet vergeten: twee absolute stone cold classics in hiphop op 1 album.

The trio works realy well with each member, singing parts of their tracks; beats remind me of ATCQ. Skits revolve around ghetto East Coast life

Für mich ist es eines dieser Alben, die einfach nie a Kraft verlieren. Es fühlt es sich für mich wie ein warmes, souliges R&B‑nahes Gesamtwerk an. Die gibt dem Album diesen organischen, leicht rauen Charakter, der mich jedes Mal packt. Lauryn Hills Stimme ist für mich das absolute Highlight, und Songs wie „Killing me Softly“ oder „No woman no cry“ funktionieren bis heute perfekt. Ein paar Skits sind aus heutiger Sicht verzichtbar, aber das ändert nichts daran, wie stimmig das Album ist. Insgesamt es für mich knapp hinter Thriller – weniger perfekt, aber emotional und atmosphärisch unglaublich stark.

Confession time. I just couldn't get the whole poetry thing when I was at school. So I'm not surprised that, what is essentially someone reading "poetry" over single bar repetitive samples doesn't float my boat.

But this isn't really poetry either. It's a lot of shouting, talking over each other, a bit of arguing, and a lot of "nigga"s and general potty mouthing. It also follows the standard hip-hop tedium formula of having 'skits' between tracks. Whoever thought of that idea needs poppin', know waaaaaaam sayin' know waaaaaam sayin'?

And if you're going to sample 'Recuerdos de la Alhambra', then why stick an out-of-sync drum beat over the top and totally gnore the rhythm of the tune itself? Fuckwits.

It's quite sad because Lauryn Hill has a nice voice when she uses it for singing.

Ok then stone me to death, because this is shite.

I "came of age" in the late 90s and missed this album by a few years. I remember my childhood best friend's older sister had it, but that's as much as I knew about it at the time. I do have distinct memories of the Lauren Hill and Wyclef Jean solo albums, and owned the former. I always wanted to circle back to this record because I understood it was a big deal, but never could justify spending money on this few-year-old CD when there were newer things I also wanted. The pitfalls of being a young, broke, hypebeast, I guess.

Sometimes this list serves you albums in a way that seems like it's intentionally helping you build context. In this case, I got The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill last week, and Liquid Swords by GZA earlier this week. The Lauryn Hill connection is obvious, but the GZA piece is interesting. I tend to think of the mid-90s as being prime 'gangsta rap' era, but between WuTang, Fugees, and I'm sure plenty others, the roots of 'alt hiphop' are also here. The Chinese restaurant skit on "The Beast" really helps underscore the spiritual connection to GZA/WuTang; but let's all be glad the skit era is over, right? Still, if I have to pick a cringiest moment here, it's "No Woman, No Cry" - I appreciate the intent but, at the end of the album, it just feels kinda corny and beneath them. "Killiing Me Softly With His Song" is the showstopper that I think "No Woman, No Cry" wanted to be; there's no doubt these tracks switched position on the live setlist.

Anyway, I didn't just listen to this one time (one time), but two times (two times) and really enjoyed it; I get the hype. I'd buy it on vinyl, but only if you promise the bonus versions of "Fu-Gee-La" won't be included. The bonus tracks really make this feel long in the tooth; let's just end it with "Manifesto/Outro" like they clearly intended.

this was perfect actually

If I'm honest, I'd always thought of the Fugees as Lauryn Hill and the two blokes who were holding her back. I owe Pras and Wyclef an apology - she's the standout here, but this is clearly a group effort and a lot better than I remembered.

I can't remember if I've listened to this one before (I've definitely listened to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill), but not recognizing anything from it other than the big hit, Killing Me Softly.

But yeah, totally understand why this is a landmark in hip hop music. It just vibes and goes. Particularly the songs Ready or Not, The Score, and The Manifest, at least for me. The rest of the tracklist is no slouch either.

I will say, this would have been an easy five star all day every day if it weren't for the skits peppered throughout, particularly that Chinese Restaurant one. And it doesn't help that some of the skits are included in the same tracks as actual songs. Just really broke up the flow for me.

I’m obviously not cool enough to like this sort of thing … 😴

Lauryn Hill is one of the best rappers ever. Period Full stop. Not one of the best female rappers, one of the best rappers ever. Not a single wasted bar here, where her brilliance is commonplace and taken for granted throughout this album. Her verse on How Many Mics is deadly … dropping ColecoVision and Deuteronomy in back to back lines, rhyming licorice with syphylis and callous with Dallas - intricacies and knowledge that make other rappers look foolish. Wyclef’s creative and layered approach is a perfect complement to Pras’s clean technical edginess in the production elements.
While there are great songs throughout, the skits and interludes don’t really hold up 30 years later. Between that and the legendary douches that Wyclef and ‘Ms. Hill’ have developed into, I’m tempted to ‘score’ this album a 4. But it is too good to let those things pull it down. I can’t deny how amazing and unique these tracks are amongst the sea of sameness that was 90s rap.

So of course I've heard individual tracks off this record, but it's mainly been in the context of those end-of-year "best 1,000 songs since 1960" type radio shows, sandwiched between Oasis and Janis Joplin or whatever. It's completely different to listen to the whole album and really pay attention to it. Lauryn Hill's voice is both strong and beautiful (I like this version of "Killing Me Softly" better than the original), and the way the three of them work together makes every track imaginative and forceful.

5/5 stars for this one. The generator is turning me into a hip-hop fan!

(I have to add that I'm happy to have finally heard the track that was sampled on that song that then ended up being redone as The Gilla Band's "Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage")

i can see the influence this album had on songs to come, but hip hop still isn't my thing, fun listen tho

PS i've just forgotten about killing stalking, guess my teenage years will haunt me forever

This one has banger after banger! I loved every second of it. Old school hip hop at its best. Nothing was as good as this one during those times, and mainly because it had some amazing singing by Lauryn Hill. Also, the beats are just smashing. Great great record.

fun but not my usual sound

Favorite track(s): Fu-Gee-La, Killing Me Softly With His Song, Cowboys

This was so good? Great song and good production.

Probably top 3 of worst albums on this list, to listen to if you're driving, because of all the police sirens.

It runs a bit long for me, and a few of the skits are extremely unnecessary, but the good stuff is damn good. And some of the lyrics hit especially hard today, considering where we're at in our society right now. "Zealots", in particular.

3.5/5

Ganz netter Hip Hop, aber ich muss hier mal eben das Ranking wieder auf normales Niveau bringen, ist doch kein 3x5 Sterne Album ihr Spinnerbande

Not too much filler or any duds really. The skits at the end of the tracks feel a bit awkward but a superb sounding album overall.