The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is the debut solo studio album by American rapper and singer-songwriter Lauryn Hill. It was released on August 18, 1998, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. Recorded after Hill's band Fugees went on hiatus, the album is almost entirely written and produced by Hill. It is a concept album about educating oneself on love, with lyrical themes encompassing relationship complexities, interpersonal conflicts, motherhood, and faith. Predominantly a neo soul and R&B record, Miseducation also incorporates hip-hop, reggae, and soul, and features guest appearances from Carlos Santana, Mary J. Blige, and D'Angelo.

After touring with the Fugees, Hill became romantically involved with Jamaican entrepreneur Rohan Marley and became pregnant with their first child. The pregnancy, as well as other circumstances in her life, inspired Hill to create a solo album. Recording sessions for Miseducation took place from September 1997 to June 1998, initially in New York and New Jersey, before relocating to the Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston. There, Hill collaborated with a group of musicians known as New Ark to write and produce the songs. "Commissioner" Gordon Williams supervised the project, and Che Pope and James Poyser contributed to a majority of the tracks. Hill strived to differentiate her musical style from that of the Fugees, and wrote songs discussing the turmoil within the group. To avoid mainstream trends and an overproduced sound, live instrumentation was incorporated into the recordings.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was met with universal critical acclaim, with most praise directed towards Hill's presentation of a woman's view on life and love, and her artistic range. A substantial commercial success, the album debuted atop the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 422,000 copies, the most for a woman at the time. At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, it won Album of the Year and Best R&B Album, and Hill broke records for most nominations and wins at a single ceremony for a woman. Miseducation produced three singles—"Doo Wop (That Thing)", which peaked atop the US Billboard Hot 100 and broke numerous chart records; "Ex-Factor", and "Everything Is Everything". Hill promoted the record with multiple televised performances and The Miseducation Tour. New Ark, however, felt their contributions were not properly credited and filed a lawsuit, which was settled out of court in 2001.

MiseducationTemplate:'s success propelled Hill to global prominence, and contributed to bringing hip-hop and neo soul to the forefront of popular music. Critics have continued to exalt the album as one of the best of its era and of all time, and several artists have acknowledged its influence on their music. Miseducation has been inducted into several cultural institutions such as the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, and the Grammy Hall of Fame. The album is among the best-selling of all time, with sales of 20 million copies worldwide. In the US, it is certified diamond for combined sales and album-equivalent units of 10 million. In 2018 and 2023, Hill embarked on anniversary tours to celebrate the album. Miseducation remains Hill's only studio album.

Background and development

Template:Quote box In 1996, Lauryn Hill met Rohan Marley, son of Bob Marley, while touring as a member of the Fugees, in support of their widely successful second studio album The Score. Hill and Marley gradually formed a close relationship, and during the tour, Hill became pregnant with his child.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> After contributing to fellow Fugees member Wyclef Jean's solo debut The Carnival (1997), Hill refrained from touring and recording due to her pregnancy and cases of writer's block.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="nickson132">Template:Harvnb</ref> However, circumstances in her life stimulated her to record a solo album, having already expressed the desire to do so and depart from the Fugees. She credited her pregnancy for rejuvenating her songwriting; according to her then-manager Jayson Jackson, the songwriting was prompted by Wendy Williams revealing Hill's pregnancy on her radio show and the intense media scrutiny over the identity of the child's father, as Hill had never publicized her relationship with Marley prior to the pregnancy.<ref name="Inside"/>

Of the early writing process, Hill said: "Every time I got hurt, every time I was disappointed, every time I learned, I just wrote a song."<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> While inspired, Hill wrote over 30 songs in her attic studio in South Orange, New Jersey.<ref name="nickson132"/> Many of these songs drew upon the turbulence in the Fugees, as well as past love experiences.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> In the summer of 1997, as Hill was due to give birth to her first child, she was requested to write a song for gospel musician CeCe Winans.<ref name="nickson132"/> Several months later, she went to Detroit to work with soul singer Aretha Franklin, writing and producing her single "A Rose Is Still a Rose". Franklin would later have Hill direct the song's music video.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Shortly after this, Hill did songwriting work for Whitney Houston.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Having written songs for artists in gospel, hip-hop, and R&B, she drew on these influences and experiences to record The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

Recording and production

Julian Marley (pictured) was one of several members of Bob Marley's family who participated in the album's recording sessions in Jamaica.

Hill began recording The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in September 1997 at the Chung King Studios in New York City.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> In an interview, Hill described the first day of recording: "The first day in the studio I ordered every instrument I ever fell in love with: harps, strings, timpani, organs, clarinets. It was my idea to record it so the human element stayed in. I didn't want it to be too technically perfect."<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Furthermore, she herself played the guitar on "Superstar".<ref name="nickson166">Template:Harvnb</ref> Gordon "Commissioner Gordon" Williams, who engineered most of the record, acted as the project supervisor.<ref name="liner"/><ref name="Inside"/> Initially, Wyclef Jean did not support Hill recording a solo album, but eventually offered to help as a producer, which she rejected.<ref name="Mystery">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Columbia Records considered bringing in an outside producer for the album and had early talks with RZA of Wu-Tang Clan. However, Hill was adamant about writing, arranging, and producing the album herself,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> with Ruffhouse Records executive Chris Swartz ensuring her artistic freedom while recording the album.<ref name="Furman; Leah, Elina. 1999. P:140">Template:Harvnb</ref>

To produce The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Hill formed a team of collaborators named New Ark, with programmer Vada Nobles, songwriter Rasheem Pugh, pianist Tejumold Newton, and guitarist Johari Newton. Two of the earliest recordings Hill and New Ark worked on—"Ex-Factor" and "Loved Real Hard Once", which was later retitled "When It Hurts So Bad"—were originally intended for other artists, before being retained due to their personal content.<ref name="Inside"/> Che Pope was credited as a co-producer of "Lost Ones" and "To Zion", under his pseudonym Che Guevara. He revealed he produced "To Zion" in a small studio apartment in Brooklyn in 20 minutes,<ref name="Inside"/> and Hill subsequently recorded it at Chung King and the Perfect Pair Studios in East Orange, New Jersey.<ref name="liner"/> John Legend, then an obscure artist, played the piano on "Everything Is Everything", which marked his commercial debut.<ref name="Inside"/>

Throughout most of the initial sessions, Hill simultaneously recorded at multiple locations throughout New York City and New Jersey; even parts of a single song would be recorded at multiple studios.<ref name="Nickson149">Template:Harvnb</ref> Furthermore, "Final Hour" was partly recorded at the Metropolis Studio in London.<ref name="liner"/> The majority of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, however, was recorded at Tuff Gong, the studio built by Bob Marley, in Kingston, Jamaica,<ref name="Nickson150">Template:Harvnb</ref> where the album would be completed in June 1998.<ref name="furman151">Template:Harvnb</ref> Regarding the shift in environment, Hill stated: "When I started recording in New York and New Jersey, lots of people were talking to me about going different routes. I could feel people up in my face, and I was picking up on bad vibes. I wanted a place where there was good vibes, where I was among family, and it was Tuff Gong."<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Numerous members of the Marley family were present in the studio during the recording sessions, among them Julian Marley, who contributed with guitar elements to "Forgive Them Father".<ref name="Nickson150"/> In an interview, Williams recalled the recording of "Lost Ones", stating: "It was our first morning in Jamaica and I saw all of these kids gathered around Lauryn, screaming and dancing. Lauryn was in the living room next to the studio with about fifteen Marley grandchildren around her, the children of Ziggy, and Stephen, and Julian, and she starts singing this rap verse, and all the kids start repeating the last word of each line, chiming in very spontaneously because they were so into the song."<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

Lawsuit

Though The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was largely a collaborative work between Hill and New Ark, there was "label pressure to do the Prince thing", wherein all tracks would be credited as written and produced by the artist with little outside help.<ref name="Inside"/> While recording the album, Hill was against the idea of creating documentation defining each musician's role.<ref name="Mystery"/> In November 1998, New Ark filed a 50-page lawsuit against Hill, her management and her record label, stating that Hill "used their songs and production skills, but failed to properly credit them for the work."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> New Ark demanded writing and/or production credits for 13 of the album's 14 tracks, excluding "To Zion", alongside monetary reimbursement.<ref name="tinsley">Template:Cite web</ref> The musicians stated that they were primary songwriters of "Nothing Even Matters" and "Everything Is Everything", and major contributors on others.<ref name="The Legal Tangle of Miseducation"/>

Despite this, Williams described the project as a "powerfully personal effort by Hill ... It was definitely her vision."<ref name="The Legal Tangle of Miseducation"/> Audio engineer Tony Prendatt, who also worked on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, defended Hill, concluding that "Lauryn's genius is her own".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In response to the lawsuit, Hill remarked that New Ark took advantage of her success.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court in February 2001, for a reported $5 million.<ref name="Inside"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> While Che Pope was not involved in the lawsuit, he disclosed that he solely produced "To Zion", despite being merely credited as a co-producer, and contemplated filing a lawsuit of his own but ultimately abandoned the idea.<ref name="Inside"/>

Musical style

Template:Listen The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is predominantly considered a neo soul and R&B album.Template:Efn Its musical style emerges from genres such as traditional soul, hip-hop, and reggae, and heavily utilizes live instruments and layered harmonies.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Price">Template:Harvnb</ref> According to the authors of Encyclopedia of African American Music (2010), although a substantial amount of tracks are based in hip-hop soul rather than neo soul, the musical style fuses hip-hop, R&B, and traditional soul against live instrumentations, and as such is constitutionally a work of neo soul.<ref name="Price"/> Meanwhile, Christopher John Farley and David E. Thigpen of Time identified the record's neo soul quality through its "unabashedly personal, unrelentingly confrontational, uncommonly inventive" characteristics.<ref name="farley"/> Hill eschewed evocations of the Fugees' artistry, endeavoring to create a record which would be inherently hers.<ref name="Furman; Leah, Elina. 1999. P:140"/> She did not intend for the record's sound to be commercially appealing or overproduced, shunning Billboard chart trends in favor of 1960s–1970s influences from Aretha Franklin, Al Green, and Sam Cooke.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Throughout the album, Hill maintains her signature rap-singing style.<ref name="iandoli"/><ref name="Browne"/> Responding to conflicted perceptions of its musical style, Hill told The Source: "I know this sounds crazy, but sometimes I treat rapping like singing, and other times I treat singing like rapping. But still, it's all done within the context of hip-hop".<ref name="simmons">Template:Cite web</ref> Biographer Chris Nickson accentuated Hill's vocal progression since The Score, both through the expansion of her range and her acquired musical versatility, specifically on "To Zion", "When It Hurts So Bad", and "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill",<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> which author Kathy Iandoli attributed to Hill's pregnancy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

"Lost Ones" fuses hip-hop with reggae, and is built on tight snares embellished with spirited toasting and scratching.<ref name="wallace"/><ref name="Spin"/> Its hook interpolates Sister Nancy's "Bam Bam".<ref name="wallace"/> 1960s-influenced soul track "Ex-Factor" received comparisons to Minnie Riperton and Aretha Franklin. It replays elements of Wu-Tang Clan's "Can It Be All So Simple", and ends with a guitar solo by Johari Newton.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Carlos Santana plays rolling acoustic Spanish guitar licks in the background of hip-hop track "To Zion".<ref name="Lieberman"/><ref name="Toure"/><ref name="Spin"/> Musically a "short trip through black music", "Doo Wop (That Thing)" fuses doo-wop harmonies, soul horns, contemporary hip-hop, and turntable work before transitioning into an R&B-styled chorus.<ref name="nickson164"/> Although a track intertwining R&B, hip-hop, and soul, "Superstar" contains an interpolation of the rock song "Light My Fire" by The Doors, against a percussion, harpsichord and harp-driven background.<ref name="nickson166"/><ref name="Spin"/> The flute-accompanied "Final Hour" blends jazz and hip-hop, while "When It Hurts So Bad" fuses roots reggae, traditional soul, and contemporary R&B.<ref name="nickson168">Template:Harvnb</ref> Another roots reggae-influenced track, "Forgive Them Father" is an interpretation of "Concrete Jungle" by Bob Marley and the Wailers. "Every Ghetto, Every City" is a funk track redolent of Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City", and replays elements of David Axelrod's "Tony Poem" and Steve "Silk" Hurley's "Jack Your Body".<ref name="nickson173">Template:Harvnb</ref> Neo soul ballad "Nothing Even Matters" is a collaboration with D'Angelo, who also plays the electric piano, interspersed with a guitar and Hammond organ.<ref name="nickson174">Template:Harvnb</ref> Similarly, the jazz-influenced titular track is built on the Hammond organ, piano, and strings.<ref name="nickson177">Template:Harvnb</ref> The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill concludes with two hidden tracks—a cover of Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", which merges 1960s soul with contemporary hip hop and incorporates beatboxing,<ref name="P.Schrodt"/><ref name="nickson177"/> and the fingerstyle guitar-driven "Tell Him".<ref name="nickson178">Template:Harvnb</ref>

Lyrical themes

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is lyrically a concept album about educating oneself on love.<ref name="nickson154">Template:Harvnb</ref> In reference to the theme, Hill originally wanted to title the album after Sonny Carson's autobiographical novel The Education of Sonny Carson and its 1974 film adaptation. However, her collaborators urged a more "self-deprecating" title,<ref name="Inside">Template:Cite magazine</ref> inspired by Carter G. Woodson's 1933 book The Mis-Education of the Negro, hence devising the title The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.<ref name="P.Schrodt"/> In a retrospective analysis, Pitchfork writer Carvell Wallace observed Hill educating herself on love of God through love of her child on "To Zion", love of others and its nuisances on "When It Hurts So Bad", and ultimately love of self on the titular track.<ref name="wallace"/> The complex themes prompted multiple critics to characterize the album as a progressive rap work.<ref name="succeed"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Throughout the record, several interludes of a teacher, speaking to what is implied to be a classroom of children, are played. The teacher was portrayed by American poet and politician Ras Baraka, who was recorded speaking to a group of children in the living room of Hill's New Jersey home. Hill requested that Baraka speak to the children about the concept of love, to which he improvised in the lecture.<ref name="Inside"/> Regarding the influence of The Mis-Education of the Negro, Hill "adopts Woodson's thesis and makes it part of her own artistic process. Like the songs themselves, the intro/outro classroom scenes suggest a larger community working to redefine itself", according to Paul Schrodt of Slant Magazine.<ref name="P.Schrodt"/> On the spoken-word intro, Baraka portrays the teacher taking attendance, with Hill as the sole student absent from the class, in reference to the album's title.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

Tracks such as "Lost Ones", "Superstar", and "Forgive Them Father" were widely speculated to be direct attacks at fellow Fugees members Jean and Pras.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Inside"/> Though mostly in English, "Lost Ones" and "Forgive Them Father" both feature singing and rapping in patois, the common dialect in Jamaica.<ref name="palmer"/><ref name="nickson171"/> While "Lost Ones" discusses the dissolution of Hill's business relationship with Jean, "Ex-Factor" addresses the end of their personal one.<ref name="wallace"/> "When It Hurts So Bad" details anguish caused by unrequited love, while "I Used to Love Him" follows the protagonist who is now dispassionately reflecting on the concluded relationship in a self-critical manner.<ref name="nickson169">Template:Harvnb</ref> Nickson noted a narrative constructed through the track order of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, calling "I Used to Love Him" thematically a logical successor to "When It Hurts So Bad", while the idea of asking God for forgiveness on "Forgive Them Father" flowed "quite naturally" from "I Used to Love Him".<ref name="nickson169"/> Although a large portion of love songs would turn out to be bitter from Hill's previous relationship, "Nothing Even Matters" showcased a brighter, more intimate perspective on the subject.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> It was inspired by Hill's relationship with Rohan Marley. Speaking about its lyrics, she remarked: "I wanted to make a love song, á la Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway, and give people a humanistic approach to love again without all the physicality and overt sexuality."<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> An optimistic view on love is also offered on the hidden track "Can't Take My Eyes Off You".<ref name="bradley">Template:Cite web</ref>

Hill aimed to convey various adversities, particularly those of African Americans, through the lyrical themes of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" highlights conflicting views between Black women and men, advising women to value themselves by not engaging in relationships with deceitful men, or succumbing to superficial trends, while criticizing men attempting to portray a false lifestyle of affluence and power while avoiding responsibility.<ref name="nickson164">Template:Harvnb</ref> On "Every Ghetto, Every City", Hill reminisces about her childhood in New Jersey.<ref name="nickson173"/> "Everything Is Everything" discusses life changes, and expresses dissatisfaction with adult cynicism prevailing over adolescent idealism. The album's titular track encourages self-examination and pursuit of one's individual destiny, branding traditional education insufficient.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Furthermore, Hill revealed that she frequently read the Bible, from which she sought inspiration for the album's gospel-oriented lyricism.<ref name="nickson154"/> Biblical allusions are present on "Final Hour", which cautions against hedonistic overindulgence and instead advocates focusing on one's fate in the afterlife,<ref name="nickson168"/> and "Forgive Them Father", which warns of individuals with hidden agendas and asks God to forgive them.<ref name="nickson171">Template:Harvnb</ref> "Lost Ones" also incorporates spiritual themes, centering on the concept of karma.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Among the more introspective tracks, "To Zion" reflected Hill prioritizing family over her career,<ref name="J. Bush"/> and her decision to have her first child, even though many at the time encouraged her to terminate the pregnancy, so as not to conflict with her burgeoning career.<ref name="Inside"/> Similarly, Nickson recognized the closing hidden track "Tell Him" as "a prayer that was sung, almost a hymn", and furtherly as a dedication to God, to Hill's son Zion David, and to Rohan Marley.<ref name="nickson178"/>

Marketing

Imagery

Having already established himself as a viable art director at Sony Music, Erwin Gorostiza was selected to manage art direction for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. As he concluded Hill was involved with her imagery more than any other artist he had previously worked with, he insisted she be given the art direction credit equal to his. Gorostiza soon enlisted photographer Eric Johnson for the album's accompanying artwork.<ref name="mshaka"/> Hill decided to set the photo shoot at the Columbia High School, her alma mater, to go along with the album's title and concept.<ref name="mshaka"/><ref name="palmer"/> While there were numerous images photographed inside a classroom, a hallway, a lavatory, and a school bus, a close-up image of Hill was chosen to be retouched, to look as if it was carved into a wooden desk, for the album cover.<ref name="mshaka"/> The cover has been included on numerous lists of best hip-hop and R&B album covers ever.Template:Efn The high school theme was maintained in the promotional televised teasers for the album, which featured voice-overs by Joan Baker.<ref name="mshaka"/>

The marketing strategy for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was highly concentrated on print media, with Hill appearing on the covers of Details, Essence, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Honey, Interview, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, The Source, Teen People, Time, and Vibe.<ref name="mshaka"/><ref name="glass">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Hill's publicist Miguel Baguer pushed fashion magazines to recognize Hill as "a cultural disruptor and a cover girl". Hill was also invested in her styling for the covers, envisioning gold-sprayed locks for the Details cover, as she and her styling team "didn't succumb to mainstream's definition of beauty".<ref name="mshaka"/> CR Fashion Book editor Faith Brown retrospectively remarked that Hill established herself as a fashion icon during the promotional cycle of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Tamara Palmer wrote for The Recording Academy that the "masterful" accompanying music videos for the album's singles "showed Hill as a woman who transcends the ages".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> "Doo Wop (That Thing)" featured a split screen showing a block party in Washington Heights; the left side displayed the party set in 1967, with Hill wearing a 1960s-inspired wig and a zebra-striped dress, while the right side showed the party set in 1998.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The video went on to win four MTV Video Music Awards in 1999, including Video of the Year,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> becoming the first hip-hop music video to win the award.<ref name="weingarten"/> "Ex-Factor" first pictures Hill in a light room, wearing white clothing, before transitioning into black and blue-tinged nightclub scenery, while "Everything Is Everything" shows Hill walking around New York City, which is depicted as spinning around on an enormous phonograph.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The latter was nominated for Best Short Form Music Video at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards.<ref name="grammy">Template:Cite web</ref>

Release and promotion

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was first released in Japan on August 19, 1998,<ref name="jpltd"/> before being released in the US on August 25,<ref name="palmer"/> and elsewhere throughout the following month. To commence its pre-release marketing campaign, Ruffhouse Records mailed a promotional vinyl of "Lost Ones" to select radio stations;<ref name="samuels">Template:Cite magazine</ref> the song managed to garner enough airplay to reach number 27 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> "Can't Take My Eyes Off You"—which originally appeared in the 1997 film Conspiracy Theory—began receiving heavy unsolicited airplay,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> prompting it to reach the top 40 on the US Hot 100 Airplay;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> consequently, the song was added on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill as a hidden track.<ref name="Inside"/> "Doo Wop (That Thing)" was then released as the album's official lead single on August 10, 1998,<ref name="samuels"/> debuting atop the US Billboard Hot 100 and breaking numerous chart records.Template:Efn Stephanie Gayle, senior director of marketing at Columbia Records, retrospectively analyzed: "'Lost Ones' set the tone for how Lauryn the solo artist would be embraced at Black radio (and anywhere hip-hop was being played). But 'Doo Wop (That Thing)' told the world there was nowhere this young lady of color would not be heard."<ref name="mshaka"/>

Hill further promoted The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill with televised performances on Saturday Night Live and at the Billboard Music Awards in December.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> "Ex-Factor" was released as the second single on December 14,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> but failed to replicate the success of its predecessor, peaking at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100,<ref name="hot100">Template:Cite web</ref> while reaching the top five in Iceland and the UK.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="uk"/> Meanwhile, "To Zion" had been released as a promotional single in November,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and would be performed with Carlos Santana at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards on February 24, 1999.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" was also released as a promotional single, exclusively in Japan, in March.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> "Everything Is Everything" was released as the third and final single on May 3,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> peaking at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100.<ref name="hot100"/> Hill performed the song alongside "Lost Ones" at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards on September 9.<ref name="weingarten">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Furthermore, she performed "Final Hour" at The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards on August 18.<ref name="vanhorn"/>

Touring

Hill performing during The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 20th Anniversary Tour in 2019

Initially, there was no immediate tour planned in support of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, due to the album not needing further promotion and Hill being pregnant with her second child Selah.<ref name="Nickson185"/> However, shortly after giving birth in November 1998,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Hill recruited a band and began rehearsals for what would become The Miseducation Tour.<ref name="Nickson185"/> The tour featured Outkast, Busta Rhymes, and the Roots as opening acts.<ref name="MTV-Tour"/> Italian luxury brand Armani and American clothing brand Levi Strauss & Co. co-sponsored the tour.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Most tickets sold out as soon as the tour was announced,<ref name="Nickson185">Template:Harvnb</ref> including three sold-out nights at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The tour received widespread critical acclaim, predominantly directed towards Hill's vocal performance and stage presence.Template:Efn

The Miseducation Tour commenced at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on January 21, 1999, which was followed by three more concerts in Japan and one at the Brixton Academy in London, on February 5.<ref name="Nickson185" /> The 20-date first US leg of the tour began on February 18 in Detroit, and ended on April 1 in Hill's hometown of Newark.<ref name="Nickson188-189">Template:Harvnb</ref> Hill started the tour's European leg on May 13, when she performed at the Oslo Spektrum in Norway, ending the leg on June 2 at the Manchester Arena in England.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Hill would then embark on a second North American leg between June 30 and August 15.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="MTV-Tour">Template:Cite news</ref> Despite the possibility of the tour being extended, Hill ceased touring following the summer 1999 shows due to obligations to her family and the difficulties she had experienced touring with the Fugees in 1996, which she found desensitizing and isolating.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Los Angeles Times called the tour "quite possibly the most accomplished tour ever by a hip-hop artist" at the time,<ref name="hilburn">Template:Cite news</ref> while Keith Murphy of Andscape retrospectively declared it the greatest female hip-hop tour of all time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Anniversary tours

Though Hill had toured extensively in support of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she had not performed the album live in its entirety until August 2011, 13 years after its release, when she co-headlined the annual hip-hop festival Rock the Bells.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her performances were met with a mixed reception, with reviewers criticizing her alterations of the songs' arrangements.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Hill continued changing arrangements and tempos of the tracks in subsequent concerts, elaborating: "There's no way I could continue to play the same songs over and over as long as I've been performing them without some variation and exploration".<ref name="palmer"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Speculation arose over Hill being prohibited from performing original versions in the aftermath of New Ark's lawsuit against her, which she refuted.<ref name="empire"/>

In April 2018, Hill announced The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 20th Anniversary Tour,<ref name="variety"/> subsequently announcing a rotating line-up of guest performers, including original tour's opening acts Big Boi and Busta Rhymes, in addition to Nas, Dave Chappelle, M.I.A., Santigold, ASAP Rocky, SZA, De La Soul, Talib Kweli, and Shabazz Palaces.<ref name="blistein"/> The tour's first North American leg commenced in Boston on July 11, and finished in St. Louis on October 5.<ref name="blistein">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="variety">Template:Cite magazine</ref> A European leg started in Brussels, Belgium on November 18, and ended in Stockholm, Sweden on December 10.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The tour was extended into Oceania, Africa, and South America throughout 2019,<ref name="nunn">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> after which Hill toured various festival concerts across North America and Europe until September 2019.Template:Efn The tour received plaudits for its set list, as well as for Hill's performance skills, but elicited criticism over alterations of the songs' arrangements and Hill's frequent tardiness to shows.Template:Efn

In August 2023, Hill announced The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 25th Anniversary Tour, with initial dates spanning from September 8 to November 9, 2023, throughout North America and Oceania. With the Fugees as the opening act for the North American dates, the tour also served as the group's reunion tour.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In October, Hill announced 10 additional shows,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which were soon postponed due to a vocal strain.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In June 2024, the remainder of the tour was announced as The Celebration Continues Tour, which would be co-headlined with the Fugees to honor The Score in addition to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, with Hill's son YG Marley as a special guest.<ref name="grant">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Upon the announcement, Hill and Marley performed together on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and at the BET Awards 2024.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The tour was originally set to resume in Miami on August 9, 2024, with a European leg immediately announced.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, on August 7, Hill issued a statement elaborating the abrupt cancellation of the North American leg the previous day, citing low ticket sales, which she attributed to media sensationalism over the November 2023 tour postponement.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The European leg proceeded as planned, commencing in Dublin on October 7, 2024, and culminating in Hamburg on November 1.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Critical reception

Initial response

On release, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was met with widespread critical acclaim.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to Los Angeles Times journalist Geoff Boucher, it was the most acclaimed album of 1998, with reviewers frequently praising Hill's presentation of a woman's perspective on life and love.<ref name="The Legal Tangle of Miseducation">Template:Cite news</ref> Hill's multifaceted skills elicited particular praise; Eric Weisbard from Spin called her a "genre-bender", commending her layered vocals and proficient rapping displayed against vulnerable and sentimental lyrical themes.<ref name="Spin"/> Similarly, NMETemplate:'s John Mulvey regarded the album as a "document of triumph" with "astounding" lyrical and musical range;<ref name="NME"/> both Mulvey and Dream Hampton in The Village Voice emphasized Hill's assertive involvement in the record's creation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Writer Selwyn Seyfu Hinds described the album as possessive of a "distinctive and potent triple threat: sound, style, and steel", referring to its live instrument-driven musicality, Hill's fusion of rapping and singing, and lyricism, respectively.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot deemed the record a "vocal tour de force" with arrangements which "bristle with great ideas".<ref name="Kot">Template:Cite news</ref>

Progressive rap-oriented themes of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill also elicited acclaim. The Village VoiceTemplate:'s senior editor Robert Christgau and The Sydney Morning HeraldTemplate:'s Bernard Zuel accentuated the knowledge and moral authority Hill exhibited through the album's comprehensive lyricism,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while Paul Verna of Billboard hailed the record as "groundbreaking" for female rappers as Hill offered "much-needed societal lessons".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In The New York Times, Ann Powers found it exceptional for Hill to use her faith, based "more in experience and feeling than in doctrine", as a means of connecting "the sacred to the secular in music that touches the essence of soul."<ref name="A. Powers">Template:Cite news</ref> An editor of XXL wrote that The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill "not only verifies [Hill] as the most exciting voice of a young, progressive hip-hop nation, it raises the standards for it";<ref name="succeed">Template:Cite magazine</ref> the album was the first ever to receive an XXL rating.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In Entertainment Weekly, David Browne further declared the record one of the "rare" hip-hop soul albums not to lose focus with frivolous guest appearances.<ref name="Browne"/>

In less laudatory reviews, critics were ambivalent towards the balladry and interludes on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.Template:Efn PitchforkTemplate:'s Neil Lieberman found some of the ballads tedious and the melodies "cheesy",<ref name="Lieberman">Template:Cite web</ref> while Mulvey and Christgau dismissed the interludes as redundant.<ref name="NME"/><ref name="christgau"/> Citing "Lost Ones" and "Superstar" as highlights, Christgau further deemed the album the "PC record of the year" featuring exceptionally understated production and skillful rapping but also inconsistent lyrics and average singing.<ref name="christgau">Template:Cite news</ref> Writing for Q, Dom Phillips felt the record's sole flaw was "a lack of memorable melody", citing "Superstar" as an exception.<ref name="Q">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In the Los Angeles Times, Soren Baker believed Hill was more effective as a critical rapper than a singer on the more emotional songs, where her voice was "too thin to carry such heavy subject matter".<ref name="latimes">Template:Cite news</ref> Tim Perlich of Now was also critical of Hill's vocal performance, particularly her tendency to "excessively bend and stretch notes", but nonetheless positively compared her vocal skills to other R&B artists.<ref name="perlich"/>

Retrospective commentary

Critical acclaim for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill persevered with retrospective commentaries. Multiple critics accentuated its introduction of introspection and vulnerability to hip-hop lyricism,<ref name="BlackPressUSA/NNPA"/><ref name="iandoli">Template:Cite web</ref> while Kelefa Sanneh heralded it as "the high-water mark" of the conscious hip-hop movement.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> AllMusic's John Bush was impressed by Hill designing the album "not as a crossover record, but as a collection of overtly personal and political statements", while demonstrating both vocal and songwriting competence.<ref name="J. Bush"/> Emphasizing its educational quality in the context of African-American history, Che Grayson of Teen Vogue wrote: "The American school system gave me the tools to build the master's house; The Mis-Education of Lauryn Hill gave me the tools to destroy it."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill has also been analyzed as a work of Black feminism, with journalist Kitty Empire calling it a "game-changing cri de coeur", proclaiming that it "channelled some precious learning for a generation or more of young women, black and white alike; one in which a ferociously talented artist preached self-determination and self-respect, self-knowledge and getting one's due".<ref name="empire"/> SalonTemplate:'s Nardos Haile reflected on Hill confronting misunderstandings between Black women and men in regard to money, sex, and power—themes predominant in hip-hop lyricism of the 1990s—and praised her for authentically depicting the coming of age experiences for Black women.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sharing those sentiments, Savannah Taylor of Ebony further elaborated that the album was "more than a representation of a coming of age per the tag of feminism; it was a realization of self in the midst of the world's dictation of how a Black woman should be".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill has also received significant plaudits for its broad appeal; in The Rough Guide to Rock (2003), author Peter Buckley hailed the album as the "ultimate cross-over album of the hip-hop era".<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Critics Piero Scaruffi and Colin Larkin lauded the record's versatile musicality and Hill's vocal performance, with Scaruffi adding: "Elegant and sincere, Hill exposes her street persona and attains universality with her simple stories of girlhood."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Larkin"/> Writing in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Jon Caramanica called the record "as earnest, unpretentious, and pleasantly sloppy an album as any woman of the hip-hop generation has ever made", crediting it with accomplishing filtering hip-hop through a "womanist lens", hence appealing to a wider spectrum of listeners.Template:Sfn Similarly, Lloyd Bradley of BBC emphasized its "astuteness and sensitivity disproving the notion that hip hop audiences have only two speeds – radical or licentious", adding that it introduced the stylings of singers-songwriters Carly Simon and Joni Mitchell to music of the 21st century.<ref name="bradley"/> Including the album in their 2003 listing The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone credited Hill with retrieving 1970s soul and popularizing it within the hip-hop culture.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the listing's 2020 edition, where the album appeared as the highest-ranking hip-hop album and 10th overall,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the magazine praised its displays of the commercial appeal of a "rawer" sound at a time "when pop was becoming increasingly slick and digitized in the go-go Nineties".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Accolades

Awards and honors

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was nominated for myriad industry awards, winning most of its nominations. At the 1998 Billboard Music Awards, the album won R&B Album of the Year, based on its performance on the Billboard charts.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Hill was among the biggest winners at the 1999 NAACP Image Awards with four awards, including Outstanding Album for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and the President's Award for "special achievement in furthering the cause of civil rights and public service".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Hill's 10 nominations at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards marked the most Grammy Award nominations in a single ceremony for a woman.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Winning five awards, Hill became the female artist with most wins in a single ceremony.<ref name="emmanuel">Template:Cite magazine</ref>Template:Efn Among the awards was Album of the Year for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which marked the first time a hip-hop artist won the award.<ref name="emmanuel"/> The album also won Best R&B Album, while Hill won Best New Artist.<ref name="grammy"/> Hill was the most awarded artist at the 1999 Soul Train Music Awards as well, winning four awards, including Best R&B/Soul or Rap Album of the Year and Best R&B/Soul Album – Female for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The album subsequently won the Source Hip-Hop Music Award and the Soul Train Lady of Soul Award, both for Album of the Year.<ref name="vanhorn">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the American Music Awards of 2000, Hill won Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist, while The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill won Favorite Soul/R&B Album.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Internationally, the album was nominated for Best Album at the 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and International Album of the Year at the inaugural NRJ Music Awards (2000).<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was declared "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress, and selected for inclusion in the 2014 class of the National Recording Registry,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> becoming the first female rap recording to enter the National Recording Registry.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2017, producer and professor 9th Wonder selected the album for the first batch of hip-hop albums to be preserved in Harvard University's Loeb Music Library.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The album has also been collected by Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> while The Recording Academy inducted it into the 2024 class of the Grammy Hall of Fame.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Listings

Listings for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Year	Publication	List	Position	Template:Abbr
1998	Billboard	Critics' Choice	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Rolling Stone	Albums of the Year	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Spin	The 20 Best Albums of 1998	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Time	The Best of 1998 Music	Template:Center	Template:Center
	The Village Voice	Pazz & Jop	Template:Center	Template:Center
1999	Ego Trip	Hip Hop's Greatest Albums by Year: 1998	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Q	The 90 Best Albums of the 90s	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Rolling Stone	The Essential Recordings of the '90s	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Spin	The Greatest Albums of the '90s	Template:Center	Template:Center
2000	Vanity Fair	Elvis Costello's 500 Essential Albums	Template:Center	Template:Center
2001	VH1	Top 100 Rock 'n' Roll Albums	Template:Center	Template:Center
2002	Blender	The 100 Greatest American Albums of All Time	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Rolling Stone	Women in Rock: The 50 Essential Albums	Template:Center	Template:Center
2003	Blender	500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Q	Top 100 Albums Ever	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Rolling Stone	The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time	Template:Center	Template:Center
2004	Helsingin Sanomat	50th Anniversary of Rock	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Vibe	51 Essential Albums	Template:Center	Template:Center
2005	Spin	100 Greatest Albums 1985–2005	Template:Center	Template:Center
2006	Hip-Hop Connection	The 100 Greatest Rap Albums 1995–2005	Template:Center	Template:Center
2007	The Guardian	1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Mojo	The Mojo Collection	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Rock and Roll Hall of Fame	Definitive 200	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Vibe	150 Albums That Define the Vibe Era	Template:Center	Template:Center
2008	1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die		Template:Center	Template:Center
	About.com	100 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums	Template:Center	Template:Center
		Best Rap Albums of 1998	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Entertainment Weekly	The 100 Best Albums from 1983 to 2008	Template:Center	Template:Center
2010	1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die		Template:Center	Template:Center
2011	Rolling Stone	100 Best Albums of the '90s	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Slant Magazine	The 100 Best Albums of the 1990s	Template:Center	Template:Center
2013	NME	The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time	Template:Center	Template:Center
2017	NPR	The 150 Greatest Albums Made by WomenTemplate:Efn	Template:Center	Template:Center
2018			Template:Center	Template:Center
	Pitchfork	The 50 Best Albums of 1998	Template:Center	Template:Center
2020	Entertainment Weekly	30 Essential Albums from the Last 30 Years	Template:Center	Template:Center
	The Independent	40 Essential Albums to Hear Before You Die	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Paste	The 90 Best Albums of the 1990s	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Rolling Stone	The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time	Template:Center	Template:Center
2021	Pitchfork	The 200 Best Albums of the Last 25 YearsTemplate:Efn	Template:Center	Template:Center
2022	Consequence	The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Pitchfork	The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s	Template:Center	Template:Center
2023	American Songwriter	5 Pioneering Hip-Hop Albums That Revolutionized Rap Music	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Consequence	50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of All Time	Template:Center	Template:Center
	British GQ	The Best R&B Albums of All Time	Template:Center	Template:Center
	The Recording Academy	10 Essential Albums by Female Rappers	Template:Center	Template:Center
2024	Apple Music	100 Best Albums	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Billboard	The 100 Greatest Rap Albums of All Time	Template:Center	Template:Center
	Paste	The 300 Greatest Albums of All Time	Template:Center	Template:Center

Commercial performance

In the US, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart dated September 12, 1998,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> becoming the first number-one album by an unaccompanied female rapper on the chart.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It also became the first debut album by a woman to debut atop the Billboard 200,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> which made Hill the first artist to debut atop both the Billboard 200 and Billboard Hot 100 with the first entries.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Selling 422,624 copies in its first week, the album broke the record for largest first-week sales for an album recorded by a woman;<ref name="palmer"/>Template:Efn the first-week sales are also the highest for a debut album released by a woman in the 20th century,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and the highest for a female rapper ever.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In its second week, the album remained at the summit, selling 265,000 copies, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for surpassing 500,000 units sold in the country.<ref name="reiss">Template:Cite web</ref> It stayed atop the chart in its third week,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> before descending to number two,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and returning to the top in its fifth week.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> By late October, it had spent nearly two consecutive months within the top three. The album's chart stability was considered rare for a hip-hop release at the time, since most high-debuting hip-hop albums would quickly plummet.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill had sold 2.9 million units in the US by December 1998, becoming one of the best-selling albums of the year,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and topping the year-end Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Sales increased after the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, as it sold 234,000 copies during the week of March 3, 1999,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 200,000 copies the following week.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The album spent a total of 92 weeks on the Billboard 200, being the longest-charting debut album by a female rapper until it was surpassed by Cardi B's Invasion of Privacy (2018).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill remains the only rap album by a woman to spend multiple weeks at number one, and one of the longest-running number-one rap albums ever on the Billboard 200.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In February 2021, the album was certified diamond by the RIAA, denoting combined sales and album-equivalent units of 10 million in the US;<ref name="RIAA" /> Hill thus became the first female rapper to receive a RIAA diamond certification.<ref name="guinness">Template:Cite web</ref>

In Canada, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill prematurely debuted at number 16 on the Canadian Albums Chart dated September 12, 1998,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and peaked atop the chart following its official release in the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="perlich">Template:Cite news</ref> By August 1999, it had sold 700,000 units in the country,<ref name="stevenson">Template:Cite news</ref> being certified septuple platinum.<ref name="mc"/> In the UK, the album debuted and peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart,<ref name="uk"/> while debuting atop the UK R&B Albums Chart, where it spent 18 non-consecutive weeks at the summit.<ref name="uk r&b"/> In 2022, it was certified quadruple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting album-equivalent units of 1,200,000.<ref name="bpi"/> As of October 2023, the album is among the 20 most streamed albums of the 1990s in the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In Ireland, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill became the first rap album to reach number one on the Irish Albums Chart.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Across Europe, it reached the top 10 in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, and Sweden,<ref name="hung"/><ref name="gre"/> as well as number two on the European Top 100 Albums.<ref name="eur"/> The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) certified the album double platinum, for sales of two million copies in Europe, in 1999.<ref name="ifpi"/>

In Japan, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill peaked at number six on the Oricon Albums Chart,<ref name="jp"/> and was certified million by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in September 1999.<ref name="riaj"/> In Australia, the album was a sleeper hit, debuting at number 47 and peaking at number two in its 23rd week;<ref name="hung"/> it was certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in 2019, denoting units of 140,000.<ref name="aria"/> In New Zealand, the album peaked at number five,<ref name="hung"/> and was certified triple platinum for shipments of 45,000 units.<ref name="rmnz"/> Within its first year, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill sold 10 million copies worldwide,<ref name="stevenson"/> having sold over 20 million by its 20th anniversary,Template:Efn when it was also confirmed as the most streamed 1998 album on Spotify.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In addition to being one of the best-selling albums of all time, it is also the best-selling neo soul album and the best-selling album by a female rapper ever.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="greenstein">Template:Cite web</ref>

Legacy

Impact

Hill in 2005

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is widely credited with bringing hip-hop and neo soul to the forefront of mainstream music.<ref name="iandoli"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In The New York Times, Danyel Smith stated that The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill "dragged rap back to the land of the living" after the twin drive-by murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> When Hill appeared on the cover of the February 8, 1999 issue of Time, she became the first rapper to do so.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Later that month, Hill broke a multitude of records at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, winning Album of the Year—often recognized as the most prestigious award in the music industry<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>—for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, among other awards.<ref name="emmanuel"/> According to music executive Clive Davis, the win helped the Grammy Awards become more accepting of rap and hip-hop music, while Amazon's former senior music editor Pete Hilgendorf stated the win marked the start of "the progression of R&B moving into hip-hop".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Along with Brown Sugar (1995) by D'Angelo, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite (1996) by Maxwell, and Baduizm (1997) by Erykah Badu,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite interview</ref> The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is considered to be one of the most important and definitive records in the history of neo soul;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> according to the Encyclopedia of African American Music, it is the genre's most critically acclaimed and popular album.<ref name="Price" />

Following the success of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Hill rose to international prominence and established herself as a pioneering woman in hip-hop,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="BlackPressUSA/NNPA">Template:Cite news</ref> as well as a "quadruple threat"—a successful rapper, singer, songwriter and producer.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> As early as March 1999, she was described as a hip-hop icon in Jet.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Brandon Tensley of Time remarked that she achieved the icon status through the impact of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill alone.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> However, the record remains Hill's only studio album as of 2025. After its success, she shunned her celebrity status and pursued a private life, raising six children, but both personal and professional difficulties followed. As Miami New Times reporter Juliana Accioly explained, Hill was reported to have spent years on a "spiritual quest while dealing with bipolar disorder. She was sued over songwriting credits. She served a three-month prison sentence in 2013 for tax evasion. She was deemed a diva for wanting to be called 'Ms. Hill' and criticized for her erratic performances."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Live album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0, released in May 2002 to critical polarity,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> remains Hill's sole full-length effort since The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. In 2021, Hill revealed that she had never released another album due to Columbia Records not offering her adequate support in producing it, and due to fearing jeopardizing her artistic authenticity by continuing to record for the label.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Influence

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is considered one of hip-hop's most influential records.<ref name="mitchell"/> It has been widely credited with redefining hip-hop, which had been established as a male-dominated genre with lyricism based on violence, materialism, and misogyny, according to Candace McDuffie of Vibe.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Radio personality Ed Lover agreed, adding that it offered a different perspective from other women in hip-hop, who generally rapped about sexual themes or being "rugged", while rapper Redman emphasized its empowerment of women and compared Hill's lyrical impact to Martin Luther King Jr.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chris Mench of Complex wrote that the album set a new creative standard for female rappers, and for hip-hop artists altogether,<ref name="mench">Template:Cite web</ref> while David Opie of Highsnobiety declared that it had "educated pretty much everyone" who has recorded music since its release;<ref name="opie">Template:Cite web</ref> both critics noted its influence extending beyond the context of hip-hop.<ref name="mench"/><ref name="opie"/> Similarly, while reviewing The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill for XXL, upon the album's 15th anniversary, Nas hailed it as a "timeless" model for artists of all genres to follow, adding that it represented "a serious moment in Black music, when young artists were taking charge and breaking through doors."<ref name="xxl">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Jay-Z also emphasized the record's timeless quality,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> while Cyndi Lauper credited it with changing phrasing and uniting hip-hop and gospel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The album has further been recognized as a pioneering work in fusing rapping and singing, a technique later popularized by artists such as Drake,<ref name="poupard">Template:Cite news</ref> with a writer of Genius stating that Hill could simultaneously "go toe-to-toe with the best rappers and sing alongside R&B greats".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> MTV's Kyle Anderson reflected on the album's influence on subsequent efforts from neo soul artists such as Erykah Badu, Alicia Keys, and Jill Scott,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> while journalist Emil Wilbekin attributed the broad utilization of live instruments in contemporary R&B to the album.<ref name="gardner">Template:Cite news</ref> Talent manager Nick Shymansky acknowledged The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill prompting him to search for an artist similar to Hill, which led him to discover Amy Winehouse,<ref>Template:Cite interview</ref> who eventually began working on her debut album Frank (2003) with Commissioner Gordon.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill has been credited with influencing numerous albums by R&B and hip-hop artists. Its feminist themes and autobiographical songwriting have been acknowledged as the herald of Lemonade (2016) by Beyoncé, Ctrl (2017) by SZA, and Dirty Computer (2018) by Janelle Monáe,<ref name="empire"/><ref name="williams">Template:Cite web</ref> while its lyrical honesty and vulnerability went on to inspire Confessions (2004) by Usher.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Influences of The MiseducationTemplate:'s musical style have been noted on Black Diamond (1999) by Angie Stone,<ref name="gardner"/> Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1 (2000) by Jill Scott,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 4 (2011) by Beyoncé,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Ivory (2022) by Omar Apollo.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Rappers Kanye West and Pusha T have credited The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill for influencing their albums The College Dropout (2004) and Daytona (2018), respectively,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> while Lizzo employed Hill's rap-singing style and political themes on her debut studio album Lizzobangers (2013).<ref name="feeney">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Fusion of jazz instrumentals with a spoken word rap style, in addition to a diverse array of collaborators, on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) has been attributed to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.<ref name="poupard"/> Some hip-hop artists have titled their recordings after the album, such as Freddie Gibbs with his mixtape The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs (2009), whose cover artwork also imitates Hill's,<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> Lil' Kim with her 2007 track "Mis-education of Lil' Kim", which heavily samples and interpolates "Lost Ones",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Teyana Taylor with her mixtape The Misunderstanding of Teyana Taylor (2012),<ref name="feeney"/> and Calboy and Lil Wayne with their 2021 single "Miseducation".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A multitude of albums derived from other genres have also been influenced by The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Jesse Carmichael of the pop rock band Maroon 5 credited it with determining the sound of the band's debut studio album Songs About Jane (2002),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with Hill's "Tell Him" influencing Maroon 5's "Sweetest Goodbye".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Americana-folk rock singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams drew on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill to incorporate soul stylings to her album World Without Tears (2003), particularly on its track "Righteously".<ref>Template:Cite interview</ref> Sweetener (2018) by the pop singer Ariana Grande was also influenced by The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, principally through chord changes on "No Tears Left to Cry".<ref>Template:Cite interview</ref> Soft rock singer-songwriter Clairo attributed the inclusion of children on her debut studio album Immunity (2019) to the intro and interludes of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Tributes

In 2015, Marvel Comics released a series of variant comic book covers inspired by influential contemporary rap albums, which included a reimagined The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill-themed Ms. Marvel comic cover.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Yerba Buena Center for the Arts music collective UnderCover Presents released the tribute album UnderCover Presents: A Tribute to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September 2018, in conjunction with the album's 20th anniversary, Legacy Recordings launched "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Album Cover Experience", which allowed users to recreate and personalize the cover, and subsequently post the final product on social media.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The album was the subject of the 2018 book She Begat This: 20 Years of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by author and journalist Joan Morgan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite interview</ref> To further commemorate the anniversary, Hill collaborated with American clothing company Woolrich to design The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill-inspired pieces for their collection "American Soul Since 1830", and starred in its accompanying advertising campaign.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She performed at New York Fashion Week to promote the collection.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Meanwhile, Spotify both presented the art installation "Dear Ms. Hill" in Brooklyn, which featured fan letters, and launched the miniseries Dissect, whose first season covered The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and its impact.<ref name="sonyca"/>

Track listing

Notes

• The interludes "Love", "How Many of You Have Ever", "Intelligent Women", "Love Is Confusion", "What Do You Think" (part one), and "What Do You Think" (part two) appear after "Lost Ones", "To Zion", "Doo Wop (That Thing)", "When It Hurts So Bad", "Forgive Them Father", and "Every Ghetto, Every City", respectively, as hidden tracks.
• On Japanese pressings, the interludes are listed as individual tracks. Japanese limited edition further includes a remix of "Ex-Factor" as the 23rd track.<ref name="jpltd"/>
• Some digital editions exclude "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and "Tell Him",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> while others include them as individual tracks.<ref name="spotify">Template:Cite web</ref>

Sample credits

• Songwriters of sampled recordings were uncredited in the original liner notes,<ref name="liner"/> but were later credited on digital editions.<ref name="spotify"/>
• "Lost Ones" contains replayed elements from "Bam Bam" by Toots and the Maytals, written by Frederick Hibbert.
• "Ex-Factor" contains replayed elements from "Can It Be All So Simple" by Wu-Tang Clan.
• "To Zion" contains elements from "And the Feeling's Good" by José Feliciano, written by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel.
• "Superstar" contains elements from "Light My Fire" by the Doors, written by Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger, John Densmore, and Ray Manzarek.
• "Forgive Them Father" is an interpretation of "Concrete Jungle" by Bob Marley and the Wailers, written by Bob Marley.
• "Every Ghetto, Every City" contains replayed elements from "Tony Poem" by David Axelrod, and "Jack Your Body" by Steve "Silk" Hurley.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.<ref name="liner"/>

• Al Anderson – guitar (track 12)
• Marc Baptiste – back cover photography, spine sheet photography
• Tom Barney – bass (tracks 1 and 11–13, and interludes)
• Bud Beadle – alto saxophone (tracks 1 and 7, and interludes), flute (tracks 1 and 7, and interludes), tenor saxophone (tracks 1 and 7, and interludes)
• Mary J. Blige – vocals (track 9)
• Errol Brown – engineering assistance (tracks 2 and 10)
• Robert Browne – guitar (track 2)
• Rudy Byrd – percussion (tracks 3, 6, and 8)
• Kenny Bobien – backing vocals (track 4)
• Chinah – backing vocals (track 9)
• Jared Crawford – live drums (track 4)
• D'Angelo – Rhodes piano (track 12), vocals (track 12)
• DJ Supreme – DJ elements (track 5)
• Don E – Hammond B-3 (track 1 and interludes), Rhodes piano (track 1 and interludes), piano (track 1 and interludes), Wurlitzer (track 1 and interludes)
• Francis Dunnery – guitar (tracks 1, 11, and 12, and interludes)
• Paul Fakhourie – bass (track 3)
• Veronica Fletcher – hair
• Tameka Foster – styling
• Dean Frasier – saxophone (tracks 5 and 10)
• Jenni Fujita – backing vocals (track 5)
• Anita Gibson – make-up
• Debra Ginyard – styling
• Erwin Gorostiza – art direction
• Lauryn Hill – arrangement (all tracks), art direction, executive production, guitar (track 6), vocals (tracks 2–16), production (all tracks), songwriting (tracks 1–14 and 16)
• Loris Holland – clarinet (track 11), electric piano (track 12), Hammond B-3 (tracks 1 and 12, and interludes), organ (track 14), Rhodes piano (tracks 1, 12, and 14, and interludes), piano (track 1 and interludes), Wurlitzer (tracks 1 and 12, and interludes)
• Matt Howe – recording (tracks 1 and 7, and interludes)
• Indigo Quartet – strings (tracks 5, 13, and 14)
• Derek Khan – styling
• Devon Kirkpatrick – digital editing
• Storm Jefferson – recording (tracks 8, 9, 11, and 12), mixing engineering assistance (tracks 2, 8, and 9)
• Eric Johnson – photography
• Fundisha Johnson – backing vocals (track 5)
• Sabrina Johnston – backing vocals (track 4)
• Ken Johnson – recording (track 9), recording engineering assistance (track 4)
• Julian Marley – guitar (track 10)
• Jenifer McNeil – backing vocals (track 9)
• Chris Meredith – bass (tracks 8, 10, and 12)
• Johari Newton – guitar (tracks 2, 3, and 8), lyrical songwriting (tracks 6 and 13)
• Tejumold Newton – musical songwriting (track 14), piano (track 3)
• Vada Nobles – additional production (track 2), drum programming (tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 13)
• Grace Paradise – harp (tracks 4, 6, and 8)
• Che "Guevara" Pope – drum programming (tracks 5, 6, 8–10, 12, and 13), production (tracks 2 and 4)
• Herb Powers, Jr. – mastering (all tracks)
• James Poyser – celeste (track 5), electric piano (track 5), harpsichord (track 6), Moog bass (tracks 6 and 9), musical songwriting (track 6), organ (track 3), piano (track 5), Rhodes piano (tracks 3, 5, and 12), synth bass (tracks 2 and 4), Wurlitzer (tracks 3, 5, and 6)
• Tony Prendatt – engineering (track 14), recording (tracks 1, 6, 7, 9, and 12–14, and interludes)
• Rasheem Pugh – backing vocals (track 5)
• Lenesha Randolph – backing vocals (tracks 4, 5, 9, and 13)
• Squiddly Ranks – live drums (track 8)
• Everol Ray – trumpet (tracks 5 and 10)
• Warren Riker – recording (tracks 4, 5, 8, and 12), mixing engineering (tracks 2 and 9)
• Ramon Rivera – backing vocals (track 9)
• Earl Robinson – backing vocals (track 4)
• Kevin Robinson – trumpet (tracks 1 and 7, and interludes), flugelhorn (tracks 1 and 7, and interludes)
• Ronald "Nambo" Robinson – trombone (tracks 5 and 10)
• Matthew Rubano – bass (tracks 9 and 13)
• Carlos Santana – guitar (track 4)
• Jamie Seigel – mixing engineering assistance (track 4)
• Andrea Simmons – backing vocals (tracks 4 and 9)
• Earl Chinna Smith – guitar (tracks 2 and 10)
• Andrew Smith – guitar (tracks 1 and 7, and interludes)
• John R. Stephens – piano (track 13)
• Eddie Stockley – backing vocals (track 4)
• Greg Thompson – mixing engineering assistance (track 3)
• Shelley Thunder – vocals (track 10)
• Neil Tucker – recording engineering assistance (tracks 1 and 7, and interludes)
• Elizabeth Valletti – harp (tracks 1 and 7, and interludes)
• Chip Verspyck – recording engineering assistance (tracks 1, 3, and 7, and interludes)
• Brian Vibberts – recording engineering assistance (tracks 6, 10, and 12)
• Fayyaz Virji – trombone (tracks 1 and 7, and interludes)
• Ahmed Wallace – backing vocals (tracks 9 and 13)
• Tara Watkins – backing vocals (track 9)
• Gordon "Commissioner Gordon" Williams – engineering (tracks 9 and 14), mixing (tracks 1, 2, 4–6, 8, 10, 11, 13, and 14, and interludes), project supervision, recording (tracks 2–6 and 8–12)
• Suzette Williams – A&R
• Joe Wilson – piano (track 14)
• Rachel Wilson – backing vocals (track 9)
• Johnny Wyndrx – recording (track 4)
• Chuck Young – backing vocals (track 3)
• Stuart Zender – bass (tracks 1 and 7, and interludes)

Charts

Weekly charts

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1998–1999 weekly chart performance for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Chart	Peak position
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	1
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	15
European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)<ref name="eur">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	2
Greek Albums (IFPI)<ref name="gre">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	7
Irish Albums (IRMA)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	1
Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref name="jp">Template:Cite web</ref>	12
Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref name="jpltd"/> Template:Small	6
Spanish Albums (AFYVE)<ref name="salaverri"/>	11
UK Albums (OCC)<ref name="uk">Template:Cite web</ref>	2

Template:Albumchart

2007 weekly chart performance for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Chart	Peak position

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2022–2025 weekly chart performance for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Chart	Peak position
Greek Albums (IFPI)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	2

Seasonal charts

1999 seasonal chart performance for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Chart	Position
Norwegian Russetid Albums (VG-lista)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	5
Norwegian Spring Albums (VG-lista)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	4

Year-end charts

1998 year-end chart performance for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Chart	Position
Canadian Top Albums/CDs (RPM)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	39
European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	47
French Albums (SNEP)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	31
Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	75
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	42
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	97
UK Albums (OCC)<ref name="uk"/>	82
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	24
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	1

1999 year-end chart performance for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Chart	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	46
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	19
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	31
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	58
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	40
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	34
European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	13
French Albums (SNEP)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	36
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	34
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	25
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	44
UK Albums (OCC)<ref name="uk"/>	17
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	11
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	3

2001 year-end chart performance for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Chart	Position
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	98

2002 year-end chart performance for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Chart	Position
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	133

Decade-end charts

1990s decade-end chart performance for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Chart	Position
US Billboard 200<ref name="1990sbb">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	40

All-time charts

All-time chart performance for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Chart	Position
Irish Female Albums (IRMA)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	42
US Billboard 200 (Women)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	61
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	28

Release history

Release dates and formats for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Region	Date	Edition(s)	Format(s)	Label(s)	Template:Abbr
Japan	August 19, 1998	Limited	CD	Sony Music Japan	Template:Center
United States	August 25, 1998	Standard	Template:Hlist	Template:Hlist	Template:Center
Australia	August 31, 1998		CD	Sony Music	Template:Center
France	September 25, 1998			Columbia	Template:Center
Germany				Sony Music	Template:Center
United Kingdom	September 28, 1998		Template:Hlist	Columbia	Template:Center
Canada	September 29, 1998		CD	Sony Music	Template:Center
Japan	October 21, 1998			Sony Music Japan	Template:Center

See also

• Lauryn Hill discography
• List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 1998
• List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 1998
• List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 1999
• List of number-one albums of 1998 (Canada)
• List of UK R&B Albums Chart number ones of 1998
• List of UK R&B Albums Chart number ones of 1999
• List of best-selling albums
• List of best-selling albums in the United States
• List of best-selling albums by women

References

Bibliography

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External links

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• Official website