It is an extremely cold take to say that The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is one of the greatest hip-hop records of all time. From shattering previous records and making history with its release to the hold it has on hip-hop today, the release of Miseducation is a prominent black line on hip-hop’s historical timeline.

Released on August 25, 1998 by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records, Miseducation was an instant hit. With Lauryn Hill already having fame from her previous group Fugees, Miseducation was the breakout solo album her fans were waiting for. The record was an instant hit, selling almost 425,000 copies in its first week and reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

“[I wanted to] write songs that lyrically move me and have the integrity of reggae and the knock of hip-hop and the instrumentation of classic soul," she said in an interview with Rolling Stone in 1999. "[My engineer and I worked on] a sound that's raw. I like the rawness of you being able to hear the scratch in the vocals. I don't ever want that taken away."

The rawness has been received well. Since its release, Miseducation has sold 20 million copies worldwide according to Sony Music, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. In 2021, it became a certified diamond record by the Recording Industry Association of America, earning Ms. Hill the Guinness World Record for being the first female rapper to reach diamond status.

Miseducation is a glorious combination of neo soul, R&B, hip-hop and reggae. While the story of its creation plays out like a movie (check out this Rolling Stone interview for the full story), it's clear that this record is a Ms. Hill original through and through. Creating her own team after being effectively blacklisted by Fugees partner Wyclef Jean, Ms. Hill blazed her own path in her early twenties, using unknown producers and being pregnant while creating an industry-changing record.

Her relationship with Rohan Marley, the father to her five children, led her to move to Jamaica for a part of the album’s production to find peace of mind. “Forgive Them Father” and “Lost Ones” were made at the Bob Marley Museum on 56 Hope Road, which Ms. Hill references on “Lost Ones.” Both feature singing in patois, the common dialect in Jamaica.

One of the largest influences apparent in Miseducation is the influence of Christianity in her own life. Much of the song “Tell Him” is based on 1 Corinthians 13, while “To Zion” discusses her decision to carry her unborn son based on prayer. Perhaps the most obvious is “Forgive Them Father,” where she invokes Luke 23:34 and confirms her biblical references are intentional.

“Gospel music is music inspired by the gospels,” Hill said in the book “Lauryn Hill: She’s Got That Thing.” “In a huge respect, a lot of this music turned out to be just that. During this album, I turned to the Bible and wrote songs that I drew comfort from.”

Even in “non-religious” tracks, the influence is felt. D’Angelo, whose feature on “Nothing Even Matters” was laid down in the course of an hour, noted the importance of that song in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

“Churches were substituting God in the lyrics [for “Nothing Even Matters”],” D’Angelo said. “Whenever they make a gospel version from a secular song, that’s significant.”

Ms. Hill and Miseducation made history at the 41st GRAMMY Awards, being nominated for 10 GRAMMYs heading into the ceremony and walking out with four. “Doo Wop (That Thing)” won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song, and Miseducation took home Album of The Year and Best R&B Album. She herself won Best New Artist, making her the first female artist to ever win five or more awards at the GRAMMYs in one night. Miseducation was the first hip-hop album to win Album of The Year, making the world respect the art of hip-hop a little bit more.

Ms. Hill has done more than inspire the next generation of music — she’s helped create it. The vulnerability presented on Miseducation opened the door for more emotional records. An unknown John Legend started his career by playing piano on “Everything is Everything” before eventually signing to Kanye West’s GOOD Music, another Ms. Hill inspiree.

“Lauryn is innovative,” Janelle Monáe told British magazine NME. “She was hip-hop and R&B, but nobody had used [the combination] in the way she did. She created something that we had never tasted before. There was already a Lauryn Hill, there was already an Erykah Badu – but there was not a Janelle Monáe. They inspired me to create my own lane.”

Miseducation is a sample haven for all sorts of genres, but has mainly been used across hip-hop. Kanye West has been open about how Ms. Hill inspired him in his music, using her samples on multiple albums throughout his career and shouting her out in his 2007 song “Champion.” Drake’s chopped-up use of “Ex-Factor” for the chorus on “Nice For What” is one of the most notable samples, but his 2014 “Draft Day” sampled “Doo-Wop (That Thing)” is an equally impressive manner. From PnB Rock to Cardi B, “Ex-Factor” has been sampled over and over since its initial 1998 release.

Fabolous’s “Summertime Shootout” featuring Jazzy samples “Lost Ones” and shouts out Ms. Hill’s time in Fugees with “Heard she in between dudes, just like Lauryn.” J. Cole’s “Can I Holla At Ya” uses Santana’s rift from “To Zion” to talk to his father figures, remixing a Ms. Hill original with an equally emotional track. Ms. Hill has even been shouted out by rappers from other countries, as up-and-coming Portuguese rapper Pete Mcee compares the power of his girl’s lips to the music of Lauryn Hill.

“You use music as your vehicle to reach people you feel need to hear your message,” Monáe said. “That album gave me the fuel I needed to bring out the things that made me unique.”

Sydney Fluker is a staff writer.

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Thanks for making the last six years a little easier 💎

by Giovanni Recinos

After The Chronic by Dr. Dre was released on December 15, 1992, Death Row Records took over hip-hop.

It introduced the world to a powerful crew of rappers and performers such as Daz Dillinger and Kurupt (otherwise known as Tha Dogg Pound), Nate Dogg and Lady of Rage. While The Chronic was technically Dr. Dre's project, many of its most memorable moments were attributed to Dre’s trust in his then new and most popular protégé, Snoop Doggy Dogg.

Snoop Dogg would become an instant icon for his refreshing rap style, consisting of smooth flows paired with often violent or rough street themes. After the release of the instant classic that was The Chronic, people highly anticipated the release of Snoop Dogg’s own debut album, Doggystyle.

We will be comparing these two projects often, as Doggystyle is in many ways just a different flavor and portrayal of the same goals as The Chronic. For example, both projects focused on one Death Row member, but both were still flooded with in-house and affiliate features. Both of the projects were overseen and finalized with Dr. Dre as the head producer and both also shared similar controversy for their misogynistic and often graphic crime related lyricism.

Due to the high demand of the project, Doggystyle would eventually be rushed by its distributors and would be released on November 23, 1993. Despite being “rushed” the album within itself is a high feat, including stand out verses from the entire Death Row posse, catchy club bangers and aggressive storytelling of gang lifestyle. In fact, it was such a high feat that for the time it was the fastest selling rap record. Not just for a debut rap record, but for any rap album up until its release.

While The Chronic introduced G-Funk, Snoop Dogg helped it grow and blossom beyond, into further experimentation. The sound of Dr. Dre’s debut was much harsher in production, with often creepier loops and more in-your-face instrumentation, which would pair well with Dr. Dre’s confrontational and straightforward delivery. While Doggystyle had its own spine-chilling moments including the tracks, “Serial Killa” or “Murda Was the Case,” a majority of the album would feel more rhythmic and bouncy to couple with Snoop’s seamless flow.

The influence of Doggystyle would bleed far within hip-hop, starting at Death Row Records. With Snoop Dogg playing a huge part on Tha Dogg Pound’s debut, Dogg Food, by not only making multiple appearances on it, but also through an obvious influence from Doggystyle. Much of this stemming from the fact that Tha Dogg Pound’s, Daz Dillinger played an extremely vital role in producing the backbone for some critical Doggystyle tracks, including the controversial club banger, “Ain’t No Fun (If The Homies Can’t Have None).”

2Pac’s classic record, All Eyez On Me, would also be affected by not only Doggystyle, but also by Death Row as a whole. Many of the album's tracks would be produced by Daz Dillinger as well, further pushing this G-Funk sound. The album would carry over much of the catchy Death Row songwriting, which was pioneered by Snoop Dogg especially. Themes on 2Pac’s album often involved sex, partying and a gangster lifestyle, in the same vain as Snoop’s classic. Though it should be mentioned that Snoop’s style would not be praised solely in the West Coast, as artists such as Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Notorious B.I.G. (even despite the beef) would praise their styles.

Beyond the nineties, the influence of Dre and Snoop would not come to an end. While mostly with Dr. Dre to thank in terms of their success, Snoop’s style would bleed into some of the next generation of Dre’s pupils. Artists affected would include Eminem, 50 Cent and The Game. Stylistically, some could argue that some of the most popular hooks in songs like 50 Cent’s, “In Da Club” or The Game’s, “Hate It or Love It,” originate from Snoop’s songwriting ability and ability to blend the sonics of “authenticity” with the ear for “radio friendly hits.”

50 Cent in particular is often credited for having a great amount of Southern influence in his music, which is also true. But Snoop had his own influence on the South. After leaving Death Row Records, Snoop Doggy Dogg would don the shorter and more common, “Snoop Dogg” with his switch to No Limit Records. At No Limit, Snoop would assist during some of the most critical and most popular years of the label. These years would be innovative for the South, with the label playing a huge era of growth for sub-genres that would eventually lead to sounds and genres such as trap. Many of these sub-genres would have great effects on the mainstream, today especially.

Long story short, whether directly or indirectly, Death Row, Snoop and Doggystyle in particular would have a great impact on the hip-hop music of all coasts and on both the mainstream and underground of today.

Giovanni Recinos is a staff writer.

Thanks for reading! Make sure to follow us on Instagram to stay up-to-date with everything hip-hop.

A Hip-Hop Landmark: How “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” Created the Next Generation of Rap

“You use music as your vehicle to reach people you feel need to hear your message,” Monáe said. “That album gave me the fuel I needed to bring out the things that made me unique.”

A Dynamic and Dynastic Duo: How Snoop’s “Doggystyle” Shaped West Coast Rap