CLEVELAND, Ohio – Singer-songwriter Lauryn is up for her first nomination into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and similar to Jeff Buckley, Hill’s candidacy hinges largely on the artistic strength and lasting impact of her debut and to date, lone solo album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” released in 1998.
But unlike Buckley, Hill’s album wasn’t a little-known steam engine that caught people’s attention slowly. “Miseducation” was an eagerly awaited bullet train with Hill as the already beloved conductor from her years in The Fugees. Absolutely no one was surprised when the group went on hiatus and news of her upcoming solo joint began gaining momentum.
The album was a loose concept record with themes of finding self-love, pride in being a woman, pride in being black, accepting love from and giving love to others, spirituality, enduring heartbreak and hard times. It was also about not letting mainstream culture determine your place and your destiny.
Musically, the album deftly mixed straight-up boom-bap hip hop found in tracks like the scathing dis cut “Lost Ones” with crossover radio-ready rap as in the bouncy, girl-group isnpired cautionary tale “Doo Wop (That Thing).” The latter earned Hill her only number one single and won her a Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards…