Tomorrow Our Seeds Will Grow: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and the Changing Landscape of Hip-Hop

Abstract

The release of Lauryn Hill’s 1998 album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was a watershed moment in the history of hip-hop and the intersection between music and race. On this album, Hill created a narrative that embraced Black love, attempted to educate audiences, and drew on Black musical heritage, elevating Black womanhood and nuancing perceptions of Blackness in American culture. Through musical and lyrical analysis, this paper explores the importance of Miseducation's narrative within the cultural milieu of the late 1990s and its continuing impact on hip-hop and Black American culture.