‘Music is supposed to inspire’

How ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ revolutionized the hip-hop genre

Abstract

The singer, songwriter and rapper Lauryn Hill is considered one of the most famous music icons of all time. Former Fugees band member, Hill was already a well-known talent in the industry, but the release of her solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill made her reach star level and change the hip-hop genre permanently. This article results from the research made for the final activity of the class ‘Língua Inglesa VI’, offered in 2023 for English graduates at Unifesp, which aimed at providing an overview of popular music in English, from 1960 to 2020. This student’s final evaluation occurred through an analysis of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and, during the research, it was noticed that hip-hop had become one of the most influential forms of music in the United States, and that Lauryn Hill has and still is occupying an undisputed place in the industry. Later, the author of this paper went on to study the intercurrences between music and literature, which research continues until this day. Therefore, this article intends to expand on the topics of literature and womanhood in The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and how the voice of Lauryn Hill has impacted the music industry as a whole.