#TBT Editorial: The Miseducation of @mslaurynhill by @RamseySaidWHAT

A lot of people give flack to Frank Ocean and his absence from the music scene. Question: why didn't Lauryn Hill get the same treatment?

The classic Miseducation of Lauryn Hill dropped in 1998 won five Grammy's and her unplugged album didn't drop for four years after that. Since then we didn't get new Lauryn material until last year. Let that sink in. Regardless, this is (in my opinion) the greatest Hip-Hop or R&B album ever. I can't believe I've never written about it. Let's take a trip in time to elementary school days and into the mind of Ms Lauryn Hill.

The story begins in class with a skit where Lauryn Hill ins't present in class. It fades into Lost Ones. L Boogie has always been multifaceted and she shows her emcee skills on a boom bap beat. "You might win some but you just lost one," Coos through your earphones. Along with some rapping she still laid down some smooth vocals in the chorus and hook. Class continues without her presence. Today's lesson: Love. The students (probably from some school in Orange, NJ) and their teacher have the exchange and track three begins. Ex-Factor must be every woman's breakup or reconciliation theme song. At least that's word to my high school sweetheart and her bestfriend Chante. At the time I don't think I really understood the lyrics. No matter how many times I googled the word "Reciprocity," I couldn't tell you the meaning until I lost at a later date. The harmonies are sick and blend lovely at the end of the song. Lauryn's vocal range is unrivaled from tenor to soprano. Then we cue a sicker electric guitar solo. The song is a certified R&B classic. To Zion follows up. The song is a beautiful ode to her son of the title's name. It's funny how life changes when you have children (so I hear). Priority is now on how to make the next generation better than the last. This song holds true to my heart and those who have children of their own. The class discussion skits take the opinion of a few children and their depiction of what love really is.

The lead single, Doo Wop (That Thing) is next. Without a doubt this is my favorite on this album and of all her music. I think I might be the only one I know that knows all the words. That includes that dreaded second verse where everyone around me got quiet and stared during her set at AfroPunk. Bars on Bars, and with quality content. Ladies and Gents, watch out! Some only have one intention. The song instrumental turns into a ballad and chorale. While it plays the skits continue with a question. "Are we too young to be in love?" I think at any age we could still ask that question.


Superstar, Final Hour, and When it Hurts So Bad take us to a deeper part of the mind of Lauryn. The mood of the album is glum.

"What you want might make you cry, what you need might pass you by if you don't catch it."

At the end of the song finally a young man weighs in on being confused and lead on when it comes to love. I Used to Love Him proceeds afterwards with an assist from Mary J. Blige. Let me remind you this is 1998 and it features the queen of R&B herself. The leading vocal divas at the time collaborated with a New York/New Jersey connection and created something special. I actually thought the song was going to be a metaphorical response to Common's I Used to Love H.E.R. Still, beautiful music. Things lighten up with Forgive Them Father and Every Ghetto, Every City. Perhaps the messages kept their sincerity but musically it was fun to listen and sing along to.

Can I tell a story within a story? It's my senior year of high school and I was attempting to form an acapella group within our high school band. Yes, I know vocalists within instrumentalists; some of us can blow, I'm serious. Let's just say that failed, horribly. What I do remember is on the side Chante (as mentioned earlier) and my homie Ebony used to emulate Lauryn and D'Angelo's harmony on Nothing Even Matters. Honestly I think they did it better but that's opinionated. Regardless this was an amazing track and wait, it gets better. The last single comes up next. Everything is Everything is on everyone's Lauryn Hill playlist (this whole album tbh) and for good reason. Rapping verses and singing chorus throughout was killing the radio, then and now. I think the rappers today need to revisit this and listen to Lauryn's message (shameless plug: I wrote about it in my editorial tomorrow).

The album wraps up with three songs and three more moods. The title track is probably my favorite song to sing home alone in the mirror and I'm not embarrassed to say it. The song takes us back into her world and she flexes what her voice can do. Her crooning goes to another level throughout. She plays with chords and runs from tenor to soprano range effortlessly. Her ad-libs are so creative and the way her brain, ears, and mouth work together make this an amazing song. In addition, I love the vinyl cracking sound in the beginning and end of the song, it gives it a really cool old aesthetic. The next song is a remake to Can't Take My Eyes Off of You. She gives the song some flavor with beat-boxing and hip-hop percussion. At this moment is when I realized she uses the same kick/snare combination in a lot of her songs like Everything is Everything and Doo Wop. I always thought that was funny. The album closes out with another favorite of mine, Tell Him. 1 Chorinthians 13:4 in the Holy Bible: Love is patient, kind, does not envy or isn't boastful. That is the message of the last track. Now we know what love is and isn't she still takes the time out to tell her lover she loves him regardless. Something I try to listen to after an argument with my partners. Deep stuff.

All in all, the Miseducation was a plethora of hits that took us deep into Lauryn's world. On that journey, we learned what we found there wasn't so different than lessons we learned on our own road through adolescence. Although I was only seven, I understood the severity that was the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Sure at the time I was like "Hey that's ole girl from Sister Act 2." As a music blogger I'm embarrassed that I never wrote about this classic because that's exactly what it is, a classic. This wasn't exactly supposed to be a review but if I had to ever give a perfect rating with no skips this is the one. Five of Five on the Ramsey Rating Scale. Take it back with me and listen to the Miseducation below after the break.

Listen: Jay Electronica - Road To Perdition feat. Jay-Z

NOLA emcee Jay Electronica has been hip hop's biggest enigma for a few years now.  He flexed his immense lyrical muscles on 2009's masterpiece single Exhibit C and has sporadically dropped songs, a short mixtape, and some solid guest verses ever since. While he's always been talented and very intriguing as an artist, his forthcoming debut album (Act II: Patents of Nobility (The Turn) still has no actual release date and seems to exist more as mythology instead of actual soon-to-be-released music. This recently changed as a song that was seen on the Act II tracklist found its way online. 


Road To Perdition sees Jay Electronica spitting his usual top notch lyrics over crashing drums and regal sounding horns.  While it says that Jigga features on this song, he's only present in the form of a vocal sample.  It doesn't much matter as the song is still Jay Elect's best solo work since Exhibit C.  I'm not sure if this is a single serving leak or maybe a segue into promotion of an a release date for his long-awaited debut album.  Still, it's good to get new music from him.  And hell, even D'Angelo dropped new shit in December so this might be the year of music from the hip hop/r&b recluses.  Check the Road to Perdition featuring Jay-Z below.

Black Messiah - D'Angelo and The Vanguard album review by Niles Cavanaugh

Christmas came early for many people when the ever mysterious and reclusive R&B crooner D’Angelo released his long-awaited album Black Messiah with a backing band known as The Vanguard.  This is his first album in 14 years since his 2000 classic Voodoo was released.  After many years of inactivity and personal turmoil D’Angelo started to re-emerge in 2012 with concert and tour appearances, a GQ magazine cover story, an appearance on the BET Awards, and a lecture at the Red Bull Music Academy.  The entire 14 year hiatus was peppered with rumors, promises, and updates from his label and friend/collaborator Questlove (of the band no one can actively dislike, The Roots.)  After some teasing and the streaming release of its first single “Sugah Daddy”, Black Messiah was finally released at the stroke of midnight on December 15th on iTunes.

Choosing a handful of favorite tracks is a chore because this is one of those albums that can be played from start to finish.  And what’s really amazing is that each of the album’s twelve tracks has a distinct sound that simultaneously finds an overall common ground in cohesiveness.  “1000 Deaths” has a distinct rock vibe with distorted vocals and a pulsating baseline.  The aforementioned “Sugah Daddy” oozes with sultry and simmering funk, reminiscent of D’Angelo’s previous offering Voodoo. “Prayer” sees him channel his inner Prince and combine superior synths and some of the most savory guitar licks you’ve heard along with D’s trademark falsetto.  Keep in mind that these are my three favorite tracks right now.  This list will be permanently interchangeable, which really works because there’s a song for every mood 

Even with the seemingly insurmountable anticipation and hype, Black Messiah completely delivers.  I immersed myself in the album since its release and haven’t gotten tired of it at all.  Like I said before, there’s something for everyone and every situation on Black Messiah.  D’Angelo exceeded expectations.  Even though some of these tracks were written and recorded up to 10 years ago, nothing feels dated or even trendy.  Everything has vintage influence yet still maintains a timeless appeal.  In an age of instant gratification in music, Black Messiah has been slow cooked to perfection for 14 years (the wait between D’Angelo albums is older than my students.)  This is the best album of 2014 beyond the shadow of a doubt and completely worth buying.  As for the title and overall theme of the album, peep what D’Angelo himself had to say: 

“Black Messiah is a hell of a name for an album. It can be easily misunderstood. Many will think it’s about religion. Some will jump to the conclusion that I’m calling myself a Black Messiah. For me, the title is about all of us. It’s about the world. It’s about an idea we can all aspire to. We should all aspire to be a Black Messiah.

It’s about people rising up in Ferguson and in Egypt and in Occupy Wall Street and in every place where a community has had enough and decides to make change happen. It’s not about praising one charismatic leader but celebrating thousands of them. Not every song on this album is politically charged (though many are), but calling this album Black Messiah creates a landscape where these songs can live to the fullest. Black Messiah is not one man. It’s a feeling that, collectively, we are all that leader.”

This was very needed with everything going on in the world today.  While many people are nobly and understandingly going through painstaking lengths to remind the seemingly disinterested other half that #BlackLivesMatter, it’s both timely and fitting that D’Angelo (and The Vanguard) musically delivered to us Black Messiah.  Just in time for Christmas, too.

Rating: 5 out of 5

To check out the album lyrics, click here.