Lauryn Hill: The Hip-Hop Queen's Past, Present, and Future

     24 years after the 1998 release of 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' the name still rings remnant bells of the hip-hop's eternal imprint on the culture. From Hill's humble beginnings in Newark, New Jersey to her lead role in the Fugees to her own respected solo artist status that reigns to this day she is undoubtedly the queen of the culture. There are those who feel the label hip-hop's 'queen' is not accurate with just only one album released to date in her entire career because there is not a substantial quantity of solo music to date. This point sparks debate in the slogan 'quality over quantity' because not all music made should be released if the artist does not feel comfortable doing so. 

It's not the number of songs you have but instead the actual quality of all the songs you have released in your career that matters more in this culture that spans a long history. 

Her catalog includes the Fugees collaborations, her solo album, and numerous features that still keep coming. An example of the latter is her 2021 appearance on Nas' 'King's Disease 2' in the track "Nobody" that was produced by Hit Boy. 

Talib Kweli made a song in 2005 called "Miss Hill" on his 'Right About Now' mixtape, a song that is encompassing of the queen's impact on the culture of hip-hop and is a to date the greatest dedication song made to Miss Hill. 
 
Two most recent samplings of her work include Drake's "Nice for What" that samples Hill's "Ex Factor" and Kanye West's "All Falls Down" that samples "Mystery of Iniquity" and also West's new single from his album Donda "Believe What I Say" that samples "Doo Wop (That Thing)."

For these many years of subtle appearances here and there, she attributes her disappearance to motherhood and being the best woman she can be to her family that she says is more important that limelight or making a new solo album. At the end of the day, I respect her decision as a Black woman fulfilling her responsibilities to her family and putting that first before anything else in her life. I will always find myself listening to Miss Hill or watching Sister Act 2 with my friends to confirm what the epitome of being a Black woman in America is.

Though only releasing one solo album to date, citing her children's need for more quality time growing up with their mother, she has appeared on numerous tours over the past 20 years including her most recent tour "Ms Lauryn Hill Live in Concert" in 2020. The quality of all the music that she has already released still gains her popularity in a crowd to this day and will surely last a lifetime based on strength alone.