Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
On Aug. 25, 1998, Lauryn Hill, the lyricist, actor and breakout star from hip-hop group The Fugees released her debut solo album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” To say that this album exploded on the pop culture scene would be an understatement. It was easily one of the most celebrated releases of 1998, selling over 400,000 physical units (back when that was a thing) in its first week — a record at the time for a female artist (eventually going diamond, another first). “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” would go on to be nominated for 10 Grammy Awards at the 41st annual Grammy Awards in February 1999; the album would win five awards, including the vaunted Album of the Year category.
“The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” is considered a classic album, regardless of genre, and is a feature album on any number of lists about albums you need to know or definitive albums of the ’90s, etc. The album, which takes a look at largely romantic but also interpersonal relationships through the lens of Lauryn and where she was during the making of the album, is almost universally considered to be a masterpiece. In 1998, while Lauryn was making the promotional rounds, I stood in line for hours with my friends and thousands of other fans at Northlake Mall in Atlanta to get her autograph on my CD booklet, an autograph I still have to this day. Lauryn, and “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” were a phenomenon, and to some extent, still very much are. People still speak fondly about the album and what it was and how good of a listen it is.
So it’s kind of bizarre to me that while reaching its 25th anniversary, I’ve…
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