Lauryn Hill‘s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill has added yet another esteemed feather to its cap after being crowned the best album of all time by Apple Music.
The streaming service began rolling out its ambitious ranking last week and unveiled its top 10 on Wednesday (May 22), with Lauryn’s 1998 debut LP reigning supreme.
Apple’s Ebro Darden shared the news with Ms. Hill in person and posted a video of the moment on Instagram.
“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,” the post’s caption reads.
The Fugees star reacted by saying: “Thank you very much. This is my award, but it’s a rich, deep narrative and involves so many people and so much sacrifice and so much time and so much collective love.
“This is as much mine as it is yours. This is our celebration.”
She also dedicated the award to her mother who was stood by her side at the dinner.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill beat out the likes of Michael Jackson’s Thriller (No. 2), The Beatles’ Abbey Road (No. 3), Prince’s Purple Rain (No. 4) and Frank Ocean‘s Blonde (No. 5) to the top spot.
She was joined by a host of other Hip Hop and R&B stars on the list including Kendrick Lamar, whose good kid, m.A.A.d city came in at No. 7, Beyoncé, whose Lemonade followed at No. 10, and JAY-Z, whose The Blueprint was ranked No. 13.
Other seminal albums to make the list were Dr. Dre‘s The Chronic (No. 19), Kanye West‘s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (No. 26), A Tribe Called Quest‘s The Low End Theory (No. 29), Biggie‘s Ready to Die (No. 32) and Nas‘ Illmatic (No. 39).
While the list has already sparked a passionate debate among fans on social media, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill isn’t without its plaudits.
The album, inspired by her pregnancy and the turmoil within the Fugees, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with over 400,000 first-week sales, making Hill the first female rapper to do so.
It also stole the show at the 1999 Grammys, winning the coveted Album of the Year award — another first for Hip Hop. Hill took home five awards in total that night including Best New Artist, Best R&B Album and Best R&B Song (“Doo Wop”).
While fans have been longing for a follow-up ever since, Lauryn Hill offered renewed hope last week when she hinted at dropping new music.
The 48-year-old and her son YG Marley briefly spoke to TMZ while in New York City last week, with the latter telling the outlet: “Music’s on the way.”
When asked if he would be involved in the creation of a new album from his mom, he replied: “I guess we’ll have to see.”
Hill, for her part, looked at the reporter and nodded her head without saying anything when quizzed about her son’s remarks.
I call 🐂 💩 on that
Have you even heard it young man?
Frank Ocean??? Really ??
Fank Ocean? Nah
This bxtch is overrated as fxck. And so is her album. No wonder why she’s super arrogant and full of herself with the audience and people in general.
I think that album overrated as fuck.. but a good one..
This is wrong I so many levels. Apple music definitely does speak for me so who made up this BS list🤔 Carry on!!!
I agree. That album is absolutely amazing
No! Definitely Thriller #1. Lauryn’s album isn’t even in the top 300 albums of all time. Are y’all nuts??? We are talking all time guys!
Good Kid, Lemonade and Blueprint are nowhere close to being better than The Chronic, Low End Theory, Ready To Die and Illmatic. FOH lame ass Apple
What tha F?? It ain’t even the best album Lauryn Hill made, that would be The Score. This list is all ass backwards and mostly just BS plain and simple. Last thing Lauryn Hill needs now is putting her on a pedestal, she ain’t drop shhh for 25 years and is just wasting her talents. Rather give the no 1 spot to someone who put in the work to actually deserve it.
She only made one album.
Nope. Not top 50 … maybe top 100 for hip hop and top 300 for albums… but nope. Apple reaching hard. Things like this makes you question everything. Because if u live long enough you will see how people with power – any kind tries to change history. No one that listens to hip hop or music period would agree with that. just Apple reaching for arguments, debates , views, likes not understanding fully how it blurs the truth. Thriller changed the world. Lauren shit didn’t do that. That’s no Illmatic… nas may have to start paying these publications so they’d stop f n with him
Hahahahaha don’t be silly.
She might be the most overrated artist of all time. She’s OK. An average rapper, an average singer, a pretty good song-maker. She’s made like less than 50 songs in her entire career. She gets treated like she’s Aretha Franklin or something.
🤡🌎