Welcome to the latest edition of Masterpiece Reviews. Once again, we’ve thrown on our favorite velvet robe, turned up the fire, and are here to regale you with stories of the greatest and most classic albums of all time. It’s a fresh, new perspective on why these albums are filed under “M” for masterpiece.
Lauryn Hill was already a well-known name in hip-hop with The Fugees alongside Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel. But in 1997, Hill became pregnant with Rohan Marley’s child, which inspired the songwriter to begin working on a solo album. While she originally started working in New Jersey and New York, too many distractions interfered with her process, which prompted her to visit Kingston, Jamaica, where she completed the album at Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong Studios.
What Hill released was a brilliant combination of hip-hop, soul, and reggae-influenced songs. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill rocketed to the top of the charts and broke the record for highest first-week sales by a female artist. Spearheaded by the hit single, “Doo Wop (That Thing)”, Miseducation went on to sell over 19 million copies worldwide. It racked up 10 Grammy nominations and five wins including Album of the Year, marking the first time a hip-hop album had ever won the award, cementing its place as one of the finest albums to ever be released.
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