Wednesday, Apple released the top 10 in their 100 Best Albums List, which set social media aflame. There are so many albums out there and so many differing tastes, that settling on a consensus of the 100 best albums of all time is nearly impossible. Topping the list, however, is one of the most beloved albums in hip-hop and R&B history. Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, the 1998 masterpiece, is Apple’s Best Album of all time. The album was impactful in its time and still is now; it truly offers a lot within its 70-minute runtime.
Lauryn was already a known commodity, thanks to her work as a member of The Fugees. But being a solo act, where all of the focus is on her output, was something else entirely. Her talent was always apparent, but there will always be heightened expectations on the first member to go solo. Lauryn rose above all of that, delivering a classic that was unique in its time for quite a few reasons. The album features Lauryn rapping as if she had something to prove (“Lost Ones,” “Doo Wop (That Thing),” ”Final Hour”) packed with emotion, incredible delivery and potent lyrics. Those songs exist right next to deep R&B ballads (“Ex-Factor,“ “Nothing Even Matters”) about love, her new child with Rohan Marley, and the trials and tribulations she’s experienced in her life. The lines between both kinds of creation were simultaneously blurred and distinct, whenever Lauryn felt like making them so.
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Best guide to hip hop, soul, reggae concerts & events in San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles & New York City + music, videos, radio and more
J Boog
Tuesday, June 16 @ UC Theater, Berkeley
DaBoyDame w/ Keyshia Cole, Plies +more
Friday, June 19 @ Fox Theater, Oakland
Buju Banton & Stephen Marley
Saturday, June 20 @ Fox Theater, Oakland
Kev Choice Ensemble
Friday, June 26 @ Yoshi's, Oakland
Khalid
Friday, June 26 @ Greek Theatre, Berkeley
Thee Sacred Souls
Saturday, Aug 15 @ Greek Theatre, Berkeley
Jungle
Wednesday, Oct 7 @ Greek Theatre, Berkeley
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