X Is Divided After ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ Was Crowned No.1 Album of All Time

Lauryn Hill is the truest example of how your only one can indeed be your big one. The singer-slash-rap star’s iconic 1998 debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, earned five Grammys, including Album of the Year in 1999. Hill became the first rapper to walk away with the Album of the Year title because of how impeccable The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was. 

After almost 26 years, the timeless record still reigns as one of the greatest hip-hop and R&B albums ever. Making countless hip-hop and R&B music lists over the years, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill made an impact in music so substantial that it is unable to be duplicated.

Wednesday marked another win for R&B/hip-hop albums, as Apple Music named the classic the Best Album Of All Time. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was not only in the top 10 of the 100 Best Albums of All Time list, but it also was placed ahead of other record-breaking albums. Hill’s soulful record beat out The Beatles’ Abbey Road, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Live, and Prince and the Revolution’s Purple Rain, to name a few! 

AP News detailed how the list was crafted, explaining that a team of Apple Music editors compiled a list of candidates worthy of making the ballot. According to the news outlet, members of the streaming platform’s internal team then turned in their personalized list of albums to the “company’s voting microsite.”

Apple Music’s Global Editorial Head of Hip-Hop and R&B, Ebro Darden, told AP News the streaming platform’s 100 Best Albums of All Time list “wasn’t a popularity contest.” He was right because the list’s release sparked much debate on X, fka Twitter, with many challenging how deserving Hill was to be at the top.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is not top 5 anything. Y’all give her way too much, she’s another one that can’t sing live or write a song,” one slammed on X.

“As a b**ch from Jersey, y’all give The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill A LOT,” a second person shadily wrote on the social media platform.

Someone else mentioned they were “tired” of Hill’s solo album and its “propaganda.”

Among the haters were many who stood beside Apple Music’s decision to list Hill as number one.

“Y’all could never make me hate The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” a music fan confessed on X.

Another remarked: “Saying Lauryn Hill’s album is overrated on Twitter feels forced and racially charged. some of y’all just want impressions and attention so bad, and probably never heard the album in full because the miseducation of Lauryn Hill is a STAPLE. every media publication knows that.”

The overall consensus still sings the Grammy-winning album praises.

When presented with the Apple Music milestone, the New Jersey rapper graciously thanked Apple.

“This is my award, but it’s a rich, deep narrative, and it involves so many people, and so much sacrifice, and so much time, and so much collective love,” Hill said.