‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,’ 20 years later, is still iconic
For much of her early career, Lauryn Hill sang a fusion of reggae, hip-hop and classic soul as a member of the Fugees. Leading up to the release of “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” the artist said she “wanted to write songs that lyrically move me and have the integrity of reggae and the knock of hip-hop and the instrumentation of classic soul.”
Hill accomplished this in the 16-song album through honest lyrics and a perfect fusion of styles and melodies.
Growing up in a household of musicians and listening to the music of Curtis Mayfield, Gladys Knight and Aretha Franklin, classic soul inevitably influenced Hill’s style. Throughout the album she uses riffs, harmonies and vocal inflections that resemble these iconic artists — especially in “Doo Wop (That Thing)” and the cover of the 1967 single by Frankie Valli, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”
The influence of reggae is evident on many tracks. She speeds up a sample of Bob Marley’s “Concrete Jungle” for the beat of “Forgive Them Father.” On “Lost Ones,” she uses the tempo of a 1982 song by Sister Nancy called “Bam Bam” to create a classic.
In the song “Nothing Even Matters,” Lauryn paired up with neo-soul singer D’Angelo for a harmony about unconditional love. “To Zion” is an ode to her soon-to-be born son at the time, named Zion. Both of these tracks showed off her capacity as a versatile vocalist, switching between gentle and resonant tones. The smooth sounds of bass, strings and piano made it resemble R&B, but with a unique twist.
This album was not only revolutionary for its sound, but also its success. It opened to more than 420,000 copies in first week sales, making it the best-selling debut week for a female artist at the time. The project received critical acclaim, five Grammys and went platinum eight times. Few albums before — or since — have been able to combine a genuine artistic effort and massive commercial success. In that sense, Hill was a pioneer.
While she wasn’t the first to fuse hip-hop and R&B, this album was released at a time when both genres were very different. Hip-hop was still in shock from the deaths of Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur. With R&B, groups including Dru Hill and performers such as Usher were on top. Because of Hill’s unique fusing of both genres, few artists sounded like her.
The legendary Mary J. Blige called the album “one of the most incredible albums ever made.” A record that was undoubtedly influenced by the then-contemporary style that had an even greater effect on the genre post-release. Current singers such as H.E.R. and Kehlani often sample beats, chords and vocals from this album. Teyana Taylor dedicated an entire mixtape to its legacy.
While many musicians have used it for inspiration, its value runs deeper. Hill created an album that was both an honest reflection of herself, as well as a testament to progress. Its beats are legendary and its rhythm is iconic — but the greatness of this album comes from its impact.
Jalen Nash is a junior political science major. His music column appears weekly in Pulp. You can email him at janash@syr.edu or follow him on Twitter @ja_nash3.
