Lauryn Hill occupies an almost saint-like place in the rap/R&B canon. In 1998, after the dissolution of The Fugees, a 23-year-old Hill released her debut album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and set the record for first-week sales by a female artist. She hasn't released a proper album and has largely avoided the public eye since. Thus, her nearly unbelievable possession of both a voice of gold and a snarling, swaggering, technically proficient rapping persona takes on the feeling of a myth that grows larger with each retelling.
Click through to revisit 10 of Hill's best tracks.
The Fugees - "Ready Or Not"
"Ready or Not" features a three-second section that puts Hill's versatility in sharp relief -- she flaunts the fact that she is "defecating on your microphone" immediately before launching into the sultry melody of the chorus. The song's video had the feeling of a Michael Bay film and set a new standard for music video production value at the time.
The Fugees - "Fu-Gee-La"
The Fugees modeled the "Fu-Gee-La" video after the '70s Jamaican crime film "The Harder They Come," which incidentally has one of the hardest soundtracks in cinema history. Shoutout Jimmy Cliff!!!!!!
The Fugees - "Killing Me Softly"
Before Lauryn Hill, the best known version of "Killing Me Softly" was sung by Roberta Flack. While Flack sang over a serene bossa nova groove, Hill sang over a spare funk groove, giving the record a relatable, DIY feel. She reinvented a classic.
"Nothing Even Matters" feat. D'Angelo
While Hill's breakup with Wyclef Jean provided most of the fuel for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, "Nothing Even Matters," is about her relationship with Rohan Marley, son of Bob, and how true love makes the rest of the universe melt away. The spirit of Voodoo, which D'Angelo was recording at the time, is present.
"Doo-Wop (That Thing)"
"Doo-Wop" is a song about men who use women for sex, and the women who enable those men. Hill good-naturedly chastises both with an equal amount of force, so that no one can take offense and the only acceptable recourse is to dance to the beat.
"Ex-Factor"
The production on "Ex-Factor" is the sound of springtime. The sun is out, the birds are chirping. But Hill is reeling in a post-breakup confusion. "Tell me, who I have to be / To get some reciprocity?" she laments, seemingly referring to Jean, who, according to fellow Fugees member Pras was "kinda playing with her emotions.”
"Everything Is Everything"
Hill dedicates Miseducation single "Everything Is Everything" to "everyone who struggles in their youth." While she seeks to provide guidance and hope, the elusive repetition of the phrase "Everything to everything" on the chorus seems to wink that she herself is still figuring things out, that the mystery of life is an unsolvable puzzle.
Nas - "If I Ruled The World" feat. Lauryn Hill
Hill plays a small but important role on Nas' memorable It Was Written track "IF I Ruled The World." By appearing periodically to sing the refrain, she embodies the spirit of Nas' utopian vision. "Imagine smoking weed in the streets without cops harassing?"
"Can't Take My Eyes Off You"
"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" was originally popularized by two of the whitest singers of all time, Frankie Valli and Andy Williams (word to Nelson Muntz). As with "Killing Me Softly," Hill reinvented it with little more than a boom bap beat and her immaculate vocals.
"I Find It Hard To Say/Rebel"
Although Hill's 2002 MTV Unplugged 2.0 did not receive the sparkling reviews of Miseducation, it had a few breathtaking moments. "I Find It Hard To Say/Rebel" is a tribute to Amadou Diallo, a black victim of police brutality who has been canonized in several protest songs. As history repeats...