Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill went diamond over two decades after its release.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) confirmed that more than 10,000,000 copies of Hill’s debut were sold. This is special during this current streaming era, which has caused pure album sales to plummet.
The album joins the Diamond club with the likes of Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Adele’s 21, Britney Spears’ …Baby One More Time, Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP, and 2Pac’s All Eyez On Me.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was critically-acclaimed and saw commercial success. She won five Grammys including Album of the Year, Best R&B Album, and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “Doo Wop (That Thing).”
The 16-track project featured Mary J. Blige, D’Angelo, and Carlos Santana.
Many fans thought this was the introduction to a prolific solo career following her split from The Fugees, but Lauryn Hill never released a follow-up project.
In a recent interview, she shared that the music industry changed and her record label never offered their assistance with her sophomore project.
“The wild thing is no one from my label has ever called me and asked how can we help you make another album, EVER…EVER. Did I say ever? Ever!” Hill said. “With The Miseducation, there was no precedent. I was, for the most part, free to explore, experiment, and express. After The Miseducation, there were scores of tentacled obstructionists, politics, repressing agendas, unrealistic expectations, and saboteurs EVERYWHERE. People had included me in their own narratives of their successes as it pertained to my album, and if this contradicted my experience, I was considered an enemy.”
She continued: “I think my intention was simply to make something that made my foremothers and forefathers in music and social and political struggle know that someone received what they’d sacrificed to give us, and to let my peers know that we could walk in that truth, proudly and confidently. At that time, I felt like it was a duty or responsibility to do so. … I challenged the norm and introduced a new standard. I believe The Miseducation did that and I believe I still do this—defy convention when the convention is questionable.”
