The reintroduction of Miss Lauryn Hill
NEVER MIND the new global feminist movement and their pink knitted head doek icons, the 1990s were where the true riot girls made their mark on music and fashion. From the rock side girls all over the world were blessed with the likes of Courtney Love, Gwen Stefani and the ladies of L7 replete in torn jeans, Doc Martens and ripped lace nighties screeching into their microphones while head banging all over the stage. In the hip hop world, Da Brat, Missy Elliott and TLC were keeping it real for the soul sisters.
But the biggest shining star was without a doubt the Fugees femme fatale, Miss Lauryn Hill, who ruled the chick pack. Hill was the anomaly. She wasn’t just a triple threat of dancing, singing and writing, she could produce and it was this talent which was to be the undoing of The Fugees. Main member (debatable) Wyclef Jean was used to being the sole recipient of the band’s accolades for their unique sound, but Hill thought otherwise.
On her debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she was determined to show off her skills and when the album went multi-platinum (eight times in the US), winning a host of awards across the board, it was Hill who received all the praise, something she had craved through the years. But the fame and attention were her undoing and Hill disappeared off the music radar for nearly two decades, making a regrettable attempt at an MTV acoustic album, a half-hearted Fugees reunion in 2007 and a string of cancelled live tour dates in her wake.
Rumours abounded. Hill was obsessed with a spiritual guru, Brother Anthony, whom she claimed interpreted biblical scriptures, and steered all her decisions, professional and personal. Her marriage to Bob Marley’s son Rohan ended in shambles, though spawning her six children, then a stint in jail for tax evasion after a prolonged law suit and a public diagnosis of bipolar personality disorder, and Hill was forgotten in the wake of a new generation of tough female singers, addicted to the limelight and new social media age.
Then a few years ago, samples à la Miss Lauryn Hill started appearing on these new mega star’s hits. Though her catalogue only consists of two albums with the
Fugees, one remarkable solo album and one dismal live album, her track X Factor has been sampled over 12 times, including Drake’s 2018 hit, Nice For What. Kanye West, J Cole and Method Man are a few examples of mainstream rappers who have dug deep into her catalogue to embellish their music and in the process gained themselves the much lauded academic respect and virtue that comes with Hill. Even Beyoncé pitched in to the Hill renaissance crediting her for the inspiration behind Lemonade.
Riding on these successes and that this year is the 20th anniversary of Hill’s debut album, some guy in a suit in an ivory tower somewhere in America has come up with a plan to relaunch Hill back into the public eye and hopefully make a lot of cash doing it. It was announced to the music press last month that she will be embarking on a tour, with UK and US dates announced and depending on how well that goes, more global dates to follow. Hill will be performing The Miseducation in its entirety.however, no details about new tracks being added have been released.
For a young lady starting off her performing career on a TV soap opera (As the World Turns) to becoming a global success story and then a public disappointment, Hill’s life has been an interesting ride. One only hopes the trajectory of this next phase is towards the finish, as the twists and turns of the past two decades would have left anyone giddy and feeling slightly ill, maybe even in two minds what to make of it all.