#10 Lauryn Hill, 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' (1998)

Previously #314

Previously #314

Not only is this a major leap for Lauryn Hill, it’s a major leap for women in general. Last time around, the highest placed record by a female solo artist was ‘Blue’ by Joni Mitchell at #30. Now, not only has a woman smashed through the glass ceiling of #10, but it’s a woman of colour, something that the last Top 10 severely lacked too (Marvin Gaye was the only black artist in the last Top 10). Hill’s debut, and in fact, only record. As The Fugees was breaking down internally both Hill and Wyclef Jean engaged in new relationships while still involved with each other. Jean got married, while Hill began a relationship with Rohan Marley, son of Bob Marley, and subsequently gave birth to their first child when she was only 22-years-old. After suffering a major bout of writer’s block, Hill has stated that the pregnancy renewed her creativity, writing over thirty songs. "When some women are pregnant, their hair and their nails grow, but for me it was my mind and ability to create. I had the desire to write in a capacity that I hadn't done in a while. I don't know if it's a hormonal or emotional thing ... I was very in touch with my feelings at the time," said Hill about that time.

Hill sojourned to Bob Marley’s studio, Tuff Gong Studios in Jamaica to record the album, mixing elements of Neo-Soul, Hip Hop and Reggae. Hill specifically avoided making this record sound like the Fugees, insisting it should specifically sound like a Lauryn Hill album. The songs dealt with themes of love, G-d, heartbreak, motherhood, and of course, the Fugees. Critics have speculated that ‘Lost Ones,’ ‘Superstar,’ ‘Ex-Factor’ and ‘Forgive Them Father’ are about former bandmates, Wyclef Jean and Pras. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear that ‘Superstar’ heavily borrows from The Doors’ ‘Light My Fire,’ not quite sampling it, but rather interpolating. Hill duets with Neo-Soul king, D’Angelo on ‘Nothing Even Matters,’ her attempt at something that Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway would do. ‘To Zion,’ featuring Carlos Santana on guitar, is a song about her son, Zion, and how, against everyone’s advice, she decided not to abort the pregnancy and keep the baby; “I knew his life deserved a chance/But everybody told me to be smart/"Look at your career, " they said/"Lauryn, baby use your head"/But instead I chose to use my heart.” The album also included the hit singles ‘Doo Wop (That Thing),’ ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You’ and ‘Everything Is Everything,’ which featured a 19-year-old unknown pianist named John R. Stephens, later to be dubbed John Legend. Hill would become the first Hip Hop artist to appear on the cover of Time Magazine, a major statement for both Black women and Hip Hop music. The album received 9 Grammy nominations in 1999, while Hill would receive one other nomination that same year for writing Aretha Franklin’s ‘A Rose Is A Rose,’ making her the first woman to be nominated that many times in one year. The record walked away with 5 Grammys, as well as Album Of The Year, the first Hip Hop album to receive that award. ‘The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill’ would go on to sell in excess of 20 million copies worldwide and peaked at #1 on the charts. Hill chose to pursue a private life following the success of the record, raising six children. Her influence is still felt to this day, catapulting her into the Top 10.

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#9 Bob Dylan, 'Blood on the Tracks' (1975)

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#11 The Beatles, 'Revolver' (1966)