Everything Really is Everything
Thoughts on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
Hello! Taking a break from working and studying to listen to these 28 Essential Black Albums this month and write some quick thoughts as I do. Please enjoy this non-fashion Fashion Person content.
I’m thinking about the creative process.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill feels very natural and real and raw. Like she reached flow state and created this perfectly articulated, beautifully executed, and widely celebrated project, and then there wasn’t anything more to do. Like the power of that creativity just overtakes the artist and they become a vessel. That’s what The Miseducation feels like.
I hate that I’m immediately drawing comparisons to other artists here, but I’m thinking about Rihanna’s Anti and how people complain that she hasn’t released a new album in 10 years. But honestly when you get it all just right the first time, what else is there to say?
It’s as if we as listeners are there in the room experiencing the feeling exactly the way Hill experienced it in her mind and soul. It feels the same going in as it did coming out. It feels so good. She sounds confident and knowledgeable. Not like she is still learning but that she has gained understanding and is compelled to share what she knows with the world.
All of this, not even to mention her incredible vocals, lyrics, flows, artistry. Just perfect. She is singing her ass off up and down this entire album. Every one of these songs could’ve been a radio hit but it doesn’t feel like that was the goal. Hill simply had something to say, said it, and left.
(I also love the interludes of kids talking about love.)
Highlights:
To Zion
Superstar
When It Hurts So Bad
Every Ghetto, Every City
Now enjoy some iconic Lauryn Hill aesthetic pics pulled from Pinterest
And, please enjoy this exploration of Hill’s iconery throughout the years in Essence.
Her fashion choices punctuate her confidence. Her writing is never questioning, timid, or unsure, and neither is her style.