Lauryn Hill | Precise

After a week of building anticipation with their countdown of the top 100 albums, Apple Music has finally unveiled their list of the top 10 albums, and the results are surprising. While the usual legends make appearances, it’s Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” that claims the top spot. This choice might throw many for a loop, especially those who expected the likes of Michael Jackson or Stevie Wonder to dominate. Instead, Michael Jackson’s record-breaking “Thriller” sits at #2, and Stevie Wonder’s often-hailed best album of all time, “Songs in the Key of Life,” is placed at #6. These placements alone are sure to stir up controversy and conversation.

Crafting a list like this was undoubtedly a daunting task, and some of the greatest albums, like Kanye West’s “College Dropout” or “Graduation,” didn’t even make the cut.

“Putting this list together was a true labor of love, both in that it was incredibly difficult to do and in that we are all so passionate about it,” said Zane Lowe, Apple Music’s global creative director and lead anchor for Apple Music 1. “We were tasked with selecting the 100 best — that’s practically mission impossible. But as music fans, it was also amazing to really take a minute and sit and think about the music and albums and artists that we love so much in this context. If this list sparks more debate among fans outside of Apple Music and gets people talking passionately about the music they love, then we’ve done what we set out to do.”

We surprised @MsLaurynHill at an intimate dinner in New York to tell her that The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was No. 1 on our #100BestAlbums list. 🏆 What does this album mean to you? pic.twitter.com/BslciRVEm0
— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) May 22, 2024

Given her achievements, it’s not entirely shocking that Lauryn Hill would take the top spot. In 1999, she swept the GRAMMYs, taking home five awards for “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” including Album of the Year, Best R&B Album, Best New Artist, Best R&B Song, and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance – the latter two both for “Doo Wop (That Thing).” Hill has toured for nearly 30 years on the strength of one major release and continues to sell out shows.

Does Lauryn deserve the top spot? Let us know what you think. Check out Apple Music’s top 10 of the top 100 list below:

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill
Thriller – Michael Jackson
Abbey Road – The Beatles
Purple Rain – Prince & The Revolution
Blonde – Frank Ocean
Songs in the Key of Life – Stevie Wonder
good kid, m.A.A.d city (Deluxe Version) – Kendrick Lamar
Back to Black – Amy Winehouse
Nevermind – Nirvana
Lemonade – Beyoncé

Lauryn Hill – Photo Credit: Eddy “Precise” Lamarre

originally posted on rollingout.com

LAURYN HILL SHOWED UP! The Powernomics tour featuring Lauryn Hill and Nas was launched in Chicago recently at Northerly Island outdoor concert venue. The cool late summer night brought out a sea of Gen X’ers excited to see two of the best lyricists hip hop has given the world. Scrolling social media the mention of the Nas show drew excitement; however the elimination of one obvious name did not go unnoticed. Lauryn has had her share of troubles. Tax issues, jail time and music industry woes have been a thorn in the side of the multi Grammy winning artist. Showing up late and sometimes not showing up at all for performances have affected fans to the point where it may feel like rolling dice to buy tickets to one of her shows.

Having Nas as a co-headliner can’t hurt your chances of selling tickets and if Lauryn doesn’t show at least you got a Nas performance. That was something the fans didn’t have to worry about this time. After an amazing reggae filled opening set by Chronixx Nas hit the stage with an excitement that drove the fans bezerk. He did a few songs and disappeared off the stage then the backdrop started to fill up with emotionally jarring photos from across the world. One of the photos was of Miss Hill. The anticipation was high. The band played at a feverish pitch until the moment Lauryn came out and the crowd erupted.

If you are expecting Ms Hill to perform any of her songs from “Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” you will get that, the only difference is that the songs will not sound like anything you have heard from the album. There is speculation that the songs are not performed with their original production because of legal issues. Instead Hill has opted for rapid fire production laced with African rhythms. The background singers and the band deliver amazing performances as Lauryn blazes the microphone mercilessly. My only suggestion to Ms. Hill is that she do the verse to “Many Mic’s” acapella.

Nas returned to the stage to perform “The World is Yours” and “Hate Me Now” then Lauryn joined him to perform “If I Ruled The World”. Nas was engaged with the audience while Ms Hill found some issue with the sound while they sang. With that being said it was great to see these two legends perform some of the greatest songs ever written and it was even greater that Lauryn Hill showed up and showed out.

Take a look at a few pics from the show below.