Lauryn Hill Drops ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ Album: Today in Hip-Hop

On this day, Aug. 25, in hip-hop history...

1998: Few albums in hip-hop history have reverberated as loudly as Lauryn Hill's debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, released on Aug. 25, 1998.

In the aftermath of the brutal breakups of the Fugees and Lauryn's intimate relationship with band member, Wyclef Jean, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill was an album coded in the personal struggle. Dealing with issues of motherhood, loss, spirituality and relationship strife, Lauryn created an album that felt like the personal anthem for struggling, young women everywhere.

A diverse album musically, Lauryn explores the boundaries of hip-hop by incorporating elements of rap, neo-soul, reggae and R&B on the album. Hill's remarkable talents form a cohesive album that feels fresh and triumphant while still dealing with some of the realest ideals of personal struggle that an artist has ever placed on wax.

Songs like "To Zion," "When It Hurts So Bad", "Lost Ones" and "Ex-Factor" bleed with raw emotion and personal gravitas while "Doo Wop (That Thing)" and "Everything Is Everything" had an entire generation of young women bouncing to positive messages. The scope of sound on the album proves that Hill was not only one of her generation's respected MCs but a transcendent talent that knew few boundaries.

Although The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill would remain Hill's only official studio album of her career, it was one that solidified her status as one of the genre's most revered talents. The album would go on to dominate the Grammy Awards the following year, earning five awards—including the coveted Album of The Year trophy - and becoming both massively critically acclaimed and beloved amongst fans to this day.

In the summer of 2018, Hill commemorated the 20th anniversary of her seminal LP by embarking on a tour for the LP.

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