Music artist Lauryn Hill is about quality not quantity
Lauryn Hill performs live at the Mayan Theatre in Los Angeles in 2019. (Wikimedia Commons)
Say what you want about Lauryn Hill, but the music artist offered an alternative to the hip-hop world a generation ago with her positive and insightful music as a member of the Fugees and as a solo recording artist.
The Fugees – formed in the early 1990s – were red hot, with their breakthrough album, “The Score,” (1996) becoming a commercial monster. Critics raved about the release, which dropped two years after the group’s debut album, “Blunted on Reality.”
However, shortly after dominating the Grammy Awards in 1997 with 10 nominations and two statuettes, the group split, and vocalist Hill went solo with remarkable success.
“The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” (1998) became one of the biggest selling albums and won Hill eight Grammys. The initial single, “Doo Wop (That Thing),” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and made Hill the first artist to debut at No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 with their first entries. Hill was also the first female rapper to earn a No. 1 on each chart.
By melding melodic rapping, soul and reggae, Hill mesmerized her audience. But at the height of her popularity, the straight-A student, star musician and athlete from New Jersey opted for a self-imposed exile in 2000. The pressure from the industry was wearing on her.
“I had to step away when I realized that for the sake of the machine, I was being way too compromised,” Hill told Essence in 2001. “I felt uncomfortable about having to smile in someone’s face when I really didn’t like them or even know them well enough to like them.”
And then there were the emotional struggles. “For two or three years I was away from all social interaction,” Hill said. “It was a very introspective time, because I had to confront my fears and master every demonic thought about inferiority, about insecurity or the fear of being Black, young and gifted in this western culture.”
Hill came back for a surprising raw and uneven MTV Unplugged performance in 2001. The new material from the show was released as an album. Some critics wrote her off but her fans remained supportive.
Hill returned to form. She toured behind “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” to celebrate the landmark album’s 20th anniversary.
In 2021, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America, making Hill the first female hip-hop artist to receive a Diamond certification in the United States. That same year, Rolling Stone tabbed her single “Doo Wop (That Thing),” and the Fugees version of “Killing Me Softly” on the revised list of the 500 Greatest Songs. The capper is the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture included “Doo Wop (That Thing)” on their “Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap” box set.
Some might criticize Hill for becoming an icon courtesy of just a pair of albums, the Fugees “The Score” and “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” but Guns N’ Roses became Rock & Roll Hall of Famers for about the same sonic output, and the Sex Pistols landed in the hallowed halls courtesy of a single album.
It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality and making a difference. In Hill’s case, it’s about being uncompromising and never worrying about what anyone else thinks, which is a lesson for fledgling singer-songwriters.
The Fugees came together in 2021 for a one-off gig in New York City. Members Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel planned to celebrate the Fugees’ 25th anniversary on tour, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was canceled. In June of this year, the Fugees came together once again, 18 months after canceling the tour, and performed in Philadelphia at the Roots Picnic.