The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is an exquisite and genuine album that declares Lauryn Hill as a woman of her own. The 25th anniversary of Hill’s first and only album has prompted her to go on tour again and encourages people to revisit her music. This album is pure perfection, winning her five Grammy awards and Album of the Year. She uses a mix of hip-hop, reggae, and R&B which gives her music a distinct sound. In songs like ¨Ex-Factor¨ she uses a collage of distorted voices in the background expressing their pain over smooth drums. When first released, this album was fairly groundbreaking considering what mainstream hip-hop was like in 1988. Themes of violence and discrimination towards women were common during this era of music, but Hill provided a refreshing perspective of authenticity and soul.
The opening track on the album entitled Lost Ones is a diss to someone who has wronged Hill. She talks about betrayal and the consequences of this mistake. She repeats the line ¨You might win some, but you lost one¨ as a reminder to the person who hurt her that they gave up something treasured. More of her lyrics point out the repercussions of excessive pride or materialism in a relationship. The third track is the most successful of the album entitled Ex-Factor; it's a powerful song about abusive relationships. The song tells a story of the heartbreaking cycle of emotional abuse. She illustrates this by writing lyrics like “Loving you is like a battle and we both end up with scars.” Her courage and transparency while talking about difficult topics are inspiring and give her music uniqueness. You might have heard this song in Drake's song Nice For What, in which he sampled Hill. The ninth track entitled I Used to Love Him features Mary J. Blige; this song reflects on a past relationship and the feelings she's now lost for him. The song highlights finding happiness on your own and moving on. Hill accentuates not getting lost in a toxic relationship and listening to help.
Lauryn Hill kicked off her tour at Prudential Center in downtown Newark. Joining Hill is the Fugees, a band she used to be a member of. She opens with the wise choice of Everything is Everything this song resonates with many listeners for its moving lyrics that reveal themes of self-reflection and resilience. She plays several beautiful songs including a cover of Can't Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli. She provides a new sound to the classic song. Giving it a deeper beat and a catchy rhythm. She typically closes with Doo Wop (That thing). This song is a musical protest to the negative representation of women in Hip-Hop and the toxicity that surrounds relationships among young adults. Her set list does have certain songs she plays every night but at some locations she likes to switch things up, having certain artists join her on stage like Wyclef Jean. Occasionally she will play cover songs too, such as Killing Me Softly With His Song by Lori Lieberman. Overall Hill has created something special and one of a kind with her album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. As she relives her music by playing live venues, listeners are moved by hearing her voice in person.