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Artist: Lauryn Hill

Album: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Genre: Wow. . . hard to describe. I hate to use R&B, as that carries a negative stigma, so I'll call it SOUL. With enough Hip-Hop mixed in to keep the heads happy, of course.

Producers: Produced, written, arranged, and performed by Lauryn Hill.

Tracks: 74 minutes and 49 seconds stretched out over 16 tracks.

Label: Ruffhouse Records.

Year of Release: 1998

Date of Review: September 26, 1998

LYRICS: 9

FLOW: 10

MESSAGE: 9

BEATS: 9

ORIGINALITY: 8

HYPE: 10

CONSISTENCY: 9

SCORE: 91%

But, right now it's. . . LAURYN HILL!!! Damn, I LOVE Lauryn Hill. . . just check out my review of Wyclef's album (wow, my first review ever) to read my comments about L-Boogie. She's just. . . WOW. Listen to her voice. Lauryn Hill is the ONLY performer able to both sing AND rap as well as she does. Not to mention the fact that she's a complete BABE (I don't think I've had as much of a crush on any celebrity since the Pink Power Ranger). Quite simply, Ms. Hill is one of the most incredible entertainers to come along in a very, very long time.

She's also the one most point to as the main reason behind the success of the Fugees. Selling 11 million+ records worldwide with their sophomore album The Score, the Fugees took the world by storm, becoming one of Hip-Hop's greatest success stories of all time. The Fugees were able to appeal to pop audiences all over the world without losing even a bit of support from the Hip-Hop underground that first supported their debut effort, Blunted On Reality (which I don't think even sold half a million). You know how it goes. . . NOBODY can sell tons of records without being called a sell-out. Sometimes the criticism is fair (cases like Puff Daddy, Master P, etc.), while other times the artists accused of selling-out were unfairly dissed (Wu-Tang Clan is a PERFECT example). The Fugees become one of the world's most well-liked pop groups without losing even a shred of credibility. This continued with last year's release of Wyclef's outstandingThe Carnival, as well as new additions to the Refugee Camp family like John Forte and Canibus. All the while, though, fans everywhere were anxiously awaiting Lauryn Hill's solo album.

Now it's here. And it surpasses even the highest expectations.

First of all, I should say that this isn't really a RAP album. Before I purchased it, I was guessing that it would be about 2/3 rapping, 1/3 singing. In reality, it's closer to 3/4 singing, 1/4 rapping, placing the album moreso in the R&B category than true Hip-Hop. Now, modern R&B is a very depressing genre. In fact, it's a joke. Forget "Rhythm and Blues;" in the 90's, R&B stands for "Rap and Bullsh*t" (props to De La Soul for coming up with that all those years ago). Typical R&B consists of a track recycled from some previous hit, some lyrics about sexual promiscuity, and possibly the latest MC Popular showing up for a quick verse or two. Sadly, the genre which reached greatness with artists like Marvin Gaye is now the lowest of the low. It's utter pop trash.

Fortunately, there ARE still some shining lights. While artists like Next contaminate the airwaves, real music fans can check for Erykah Badu. What seperates the two is one word: SOUL. I don't even like to call artists like Badu R&B, as that very name strikes up some very bad feelings for me. So, I'll call her SOUL, instead.

Lauryn Hill is not an R&B singer. She's a SOUL singer. If she were an R&B singer, her debut album would be filled with pop-hooks, corny beats, and party-jams. None of the above is found on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Lauryn's voice is as deep as the ocean, and she uses it well, always coming with mature, responsible, positive lyrics.

The subject matter here is incredible. No resemblance of a "party-jam" is to be found. . . instead, she warns against sleeping around in "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (her first single that has been getting MEGA airplay lately). Where "Retrospect For Life," her touching duet with Common, left off, "To Zion" begins, proclaiming Lauryn's joy on making the right, moral choice of not having an abortion and instead giving birth to her son, Zion (who is also Bob Marley's grandson . . . think about the genes THAT kid has!). She even takes out the "fake emcees" on tracks like "Lost Ones" (which some heads are claiming is about Wyclef, even though Lauryn has denied this) and "Superstar."

While this soulful singing is very pleasing to the ear, it does leave one thing to be desired: some hardcore emceeing. It's no secret that Lauryn is one of the best rappers around. I'd go as far as saying that she's the greatest female emcee of ALL TIME. Perhaps the only flaw on Miseducation is that we didn't get to hear more of her incredibly captivating flow.

The rapping that is heard here is unbelievable, though. L-Boogie strikes again. On The Score, she had everyone's jaws dropping with her divine flow and intelligent lyrics, but here she outdoes herself, speeding up her flow and improving her lyrical quality even further. She doesn't slip once on the microphone. There aren't many punchlines that will make you say "DAMN!," but that was never Lauryn's style, anyway. She prefers to kill you softly with her subtle, yet powerful, songs.

All over some of the most beautiful music released in the 90's, at that. Lauryn proves that Wyclef isn't the only production genius in the Fugees, as she comes with tracks that just scream CLASSIC all over them. Ill record scratches, combined with live instruments and dope samples, make for the most consistent background music heard since the jazzy One Day It'll All Make Sense by Common. At times, the sound is a little too laid-back, and could be criticized as being "boring." All in all, it's a small flaw, and what these tracks lack in their hype factor are more than made up for in their complexity.

It's obvious, to me at least, that The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill will appeal to all audiences. It's already sat on top of the Billboard charts for over a month now, and I expect it to stay near #1 for quite some time. This is an album for everyone. I know I also said that about Wyclef's Carnival, but Lauryn's effort makes her fellow Fugee seem like he's rapping for a strictly niche audience. Lauryn's original fanbase, underground Hip-Hop heads, will love Miseducation. The audience that will probably be most exposed to this album, R&B and pop fans, will love Miseducation. Old folks that grew up listening to Motown soul records will love Miseducation. Chuck D once called Lauryn Hill "the Hip-Hop generation's Bob Marley." Chuck wasn't exaggerating a bit, as Lauryn possesses the ability to trancend race, gender, and age to become an artist who is respected by EVERYONE. Platinum success shouldn't hinder her credibility at all, as Lauryn truly is an artist that can appeal to the masses without "selling out" or "going pop."

What else can I say? This is probably the R&B, excuse me, SOUL album of the decade. Lauryn Hill is one of the most dignified, entertaining, beautiful, talented women in the public eye today. I'm already holding my breath for the next Fugees album. That one should be interesting. Lauryn and Wyclef have gone in very seperate directions (Pras is barely worth mentioning), and have both improved drastically since The Score. Until the Refugee Camp reunites, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, an instant classic, will hold everyone over. There's nothing to complain about here. Hats off to my new favorite artist, Lauryn Hill.

---Steve Clark