#1 - Lauryn Hill, Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Release Year: 1998
Genre: Hip Hop
How much do I like my favorite track on the album? 15.52 points
Doo Wop (That Thing)
The flows. The ease that Lauryn has from rapping to singing is almost unbelievable, except she does it track after track. Teeters on the edge of being overproduced and is just pleasing as all get out to listen to.
How did/does this album influence my own taste in music overall? 16 points
Responsible for cultivating my deep, deep love for R&B and rap music in general.
Does this album hold up since its release? 16 points
One word: yes. That’s it.
What percentage of the album do I listen to? 10 points
All of it. Every last track. And maybe it’s because this is the only one we ever got from her.
What did/do the critics think of this album? 8.7 points
They love it, it still is the only R&B album by a female artist to win Album of the Year (seriously that needs to change ASAP).
What is the sentimental value to me of the album? 15.2 points
This will always be near and dear to my heart. There’s just something about this being the only one released by Lauryn that makes it all the more special.
What was the artists involvement of the production of the album - songwriting, instrumentals, vocals, uniqueness? 15.2 points
She writes the tracks and produces it. She also sings and raps better than most people on the planet.
Overall Rating out of 100 points = 96.62 points
If you know me, and what music I like. Who I want to see perform, living or dead. You knew this was coming, and you best had known it would be taking down the Number One overall spot. It’s the single greatest album ever made by a female artist. Period. End of Story. Earlier in the list I talked about the enigma of Norah Jones. Well, if Norah is an enigma, Lauryn Hill is the Yeti, Abominable Snowman, Lochness Monster, Chupacabra, and Unicorn all wrapped into one singular album release. Because sadly, this is the only one we got from her as far as solo works. The industry chewed her up and spat her out. Regardless of that, though, this is the album. And it is phenomenal. Poetic. Deeply personal. Tragic. And Triumphant. When she’s talked about this album, she has said she intended to create a whole new genre, which, she kind of did. There’s a sharing of wisdom, both in her own vocals and the spoken word narration throughout. One of the reasons you can’t miss it. This is also the OG (rumored) diss album (sorry Taylor Swift), with public call outs of The Fugees and ex-lovers. The historical significance of this album also cannot be overlooked. As an example, Rolling Stones originally ranked this album at #314 in 2003. When they updated the list in 2020, it skyrocketed all the way to the top of the list at #10. Part of that change is unfortunately, there's not been any real progress in critical recognition of black female artists since this album. And it's a damn shame. It really is a catharsis of an album, and so so good. Oh, all without mentioning a relative unknown piano prodigy got his first credits on this album as well. Maybe you've heard of him, John R. Stephens. Better known as John Legend. Some day I hope Lauryn can find it within herself to be joyful again regarding music and record another piece of magic. Or even tour. And if that doesn't happen, at least she's given us what I consider to be the single greatest album of all time.
