How do you mark 25 years since one of the best albums of the '90s made the musical landscape a better place?
For singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer, Ms. Lauryn Hill, the answer is to announce two huge arena dates in Sydney and Melbourne to celebrate the milestone.A quarter of a century since its release, 'The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill' is still considered one of the best albums of all time and has sold over 20 million copies. It received widespread critical acclaim on its release, and its legacy has only grown as the years have passed.
At the same time, Hill's status as a hip hop icon has grown too. She was the first rapper to appear on the cover of Time magazine and has been hailed as an influence by stars like Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, Drake, and Nicki Minaj, among others.
She has also been recognised for her humanitarian work, has had multiple successful acting roles, and even influenced the worlds of hair and fashion. She is a true pop-culture icon whose music still stands tall among the rest.
"'The Miseducation' album has been a consistently special artwork that has allowed me to tour for 25 years, sharing the message and energy with its loyal appreciators," she said via press release. "I'm not even sure if it feels like 25 years have gone by to me."
The Australian tour will be Hill's first appearances here since 2018. "I'm excited to celebrate this landmark anniversary with the fans in Australia," Hill says. "I look forward to this time capsule experience.
"The music itself was born to be anachronistic, at the same time reclaiming precious jewels from the past and infusing them with the potency and energy of the present, in order to enrich it and the future.
"Revisiting the album live has renewed my love and appreciation for the music and the period in which it was born, when hip hop was ripe with potential and uncomplicated enthusiasm."
A member of the Fugees since her teens, Hill and bandmates Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel put in the hard work on the long road to commercial success.
However, when the trio were thrust into the international spotlight with the runaway success of 1996's 'The Score', it was the beginning of the end for the band.
"It's really hard to express in words the impact it makes [on you] when you come from East Orange, South Orange, New Jersey, and now there are people [worldwide] who feel you just as much as people on your street or on your block," she told The Music Factory.
"It was a big, big thing. I never really adapted; I was just Lauryn Hill. It was important to me that I just continued to be Lauryn Hill."
Following the dissolution of the Fugees, each member of the trio went on to work on solo projects, and 'The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill' was born.
Recorded between 1997 and 1998 before being released in August 1998, it features such classic cuts as 'Doo Wop (That Thing)', 'Ex-Factor', 'Everything Is Everything', 'Lost Ones', 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You', 'To Zion' and 'Nothing Even Matters'.
It also featured collaborations with Carlos Santana, Mary J. Blige, and D'Angelo. Its influence is still threaded through popular culture today.
"Lauryn Hill, being such a fierce rapper and such a soulful singer? It was almost unattainable to me," rapper Lizzo told Billboard. "She set the bar. I was always afraid of being a singer, but then when I heard Lauryn Hill, I was like, 'Maybe I can do both?'."
Maggie Rogers recalled being similarly inspired by the album in the same retrospective. "I remember going to class one day and hearing my professor play 'Miseducation'," she said.
"My jaw dropped. I knew every single word but had no idea what it was. It's like smelling a smell that you know from your childhood. Lauryn is just woven into my fibre of my musical DNA."
"'The Miseducation' album is like an old flame," said English songwriter Jessie Ware. "You never really leave each other. All the memories come flooding back as soon as you put it on."
The album won five Grammy Awards and led to a huge, worldwide tour. "With 'The Miseducation', there was no precedent," Hill told Rolling Stone. "I was, for the most part, free to explore, experiment, and express.
"I also think the album stood apart from the types and cliches that were supposed to be acceptable at that time. I challenged the norm and introduced a new standard. I believe 'The Miseducation' did that and I believe I still do this."
Just a few short years after the album's release, Hill had retreated from the spotlight and music almost entirely. She hasn't released another studio album since, despite fans clamouring for more.
The singer has fiercely defended her independence ever since. "I was being way too compromised," she told Essence. "I discovered people could only acknowledge red and blue and I was somewhere between. I was purple.
"I had to fight for an identity that doesn't fit in one of their boxes. I was a young woman with an evolved mind who was not afraid of her beauty or her sexuality. For some people that's uncomfortable. They didn't understand how female and strong work together. Or young and wise. Or black and divine."
The Australian shows in October will see Hill appear with support from 23-year-old, Grammy Award-winning Jamaican reggae star, Koffee.
The exclusive concerts, Hill's only headline appearances in Australia (alongside an appearance at Gold Coast's Promiseland Festival), will also feature classic tracks from the Fugees; most likely the timeless 'Ready Or Not', 'Killing Me Softly' and others.
"My goal is to feel confident and free on stage," Hill said via her website. "My performances are heartfelt and authentic." What better way to mark 25 years of 'Miseducation'?!
Ms. Lauryn Hill 2023 Tour Dates
Sun 1 Oct - Promiseland Festival @ Doug Jennings Park (Gold Coast)Tue 3 Oct - Rod Laver Arena (Melbourne)
Thu 5 Oct - Qudos Bank Arena (Sydney)
