#31 The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill

The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time

2025 Album Rank

31

2011 Album Rank

81

Total Points

1611

Year Released

1998

Billboard 200 Chart Peak

1

Weeks at #1

4

RIAA Sales Certification

10,000,000 (Multi Platinum)

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The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Album Details

Released on August 25, 1998, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was Lauryn Hill's solo debut and the only studio album she would ever release. A bold fusion of hip-hop, soul, reggae, and neo-soul, the album arrived as a deeply personal and emotionally raw statement that explored love, identity, motherhood, spirituality, and Black womanhood. Hill, coming off her tenure with The Fugees, used the album to reassert her individual voice while pushing genre boundaries and redefining what hip-hop and R&B could sound like at the close of the 20th century.

Featuring now-classic tracks like Doo Wop (That Thing), Ex-Factor, To Zion, and Everything Is Everything, the album balances vulnerability with empowerment. Hill wrote, produced, and arranged most of the album herself, making it a singular creative vision. Its impact was seismic, not only commercially, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, but also culturally, influencing a generation of artists across genres. It became a landmark in both hip-hop and soul music, earning Hill five Grammy Awards in one night, including Album of the Year in 1999.

Interesting Facts about The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

• The album title was inspired by Carter G. Woodson's 1933 book The Mis-Education of the Negro and a speech by Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad. Hill connected both to her own experience of unlearning industry expectations and embracing self-knowledge.
• Several tracks, especially Ex-Factor and Lost Ones, were widely interpreted as addressing Hill's tumultuous relationship with Fugees bandmate Wyclef Jean, though Hill never publicly confirmed it.
• Hill was only 23 years old when the album was released. She recorded much of it while pregnant with her first son, Zion. To Zion is a heartfelt dedication to him, featuring guitar by Carlos Santana.
• The classroom interludes between tracks were recorded at Hill's former middle school in New Jersey. They were unscripted conversations with children about love and relationships, meant to echo the album's educational motif.
• Doo Wop (That Thing) debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Hill the first artist to achieve that with a debut solo single. It remains one of the few songs to do so in Billboard history.
• While Hill is credited as sole producer, a group of musicians known as New Ark later sued her, claiming they were denied credit and compensation for their contributions. The case was settled out of court in 2001.
• Forgive Them Father samples Bob Marley's Concrete Jungle and reflects Hill's Rastafarian and spiritual leanings. Her relationship with Rohan Marley, Bob Marley's son, also deeply influenced the album.
• Superstar was originally titled Hip-Hop's Chick and critiques the superficiality and ego of the music industry. It draws heavily from gospel and 1970s soul balladry in its arrangement.
• Despite never releasing a follow-up studio album, Hill's influence from Miseducation rippled through artists like Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Adele, and Drake, many of whom cite the album as a foundational influence.
• The music video for Doo Wop (That Thing) won MTV's Music Video of the Year award in 1999.
• The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2024 for its cultural and historical significance.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Tracklist

1. Intro
2. Lost Ones
3. Ex-Factor - Reached #21 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart
4. To Zion
5. Doo Wop (That Thing) - Reached #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart
6. Superstar
7. Final Hour
8. When It Hurts So Bad
9. I Used to Love Him
10. Forgive Them Father
11. Every Ghetto, Every City
12. Nothing Even Matters
13. Everything Is Everything - Reached #35 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart
14. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Doo Wop (That Thing) Music Video

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