I also think the album stood apart from the types and cliches that were supposed to be acceptable at that time. Of course I’m referring to the proverbial “we.” These things had an enormous value to me and I cherished them from a very young age. I saw the economic and educational gaps in black communities and although I was super young myself, I used that platform to help bridge those gaps and introduce concepts and information that “we” needed even if “we” didn’t know “we” wanted it yet.
![nas hate me now clean spotify nas hate me now clean spotify](http://www.garinet.com/webstore/products/hat_WOOL_019.jpg)
At that time, I felt like it was a duty or responsibility to do so. 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. I’ve always been pretty critical of myself artistically, so of course there are things I hear that could have been done differently, but the LOVE in the album, the passion, its intention is, to me, undeniable. When you look back on it now, is Miseducation the album you intended it to be? I basically started out as a young sage lol. I sang from that place and chose to share the joy and ecstasy of it, as well as the disappointments, entanglements and life lessons that I had learned at that point. It’s in all of my lyrics, that desire to see my community get out of its own way, identify and confront internal and external obstacles, and experience the heights of Love and self-Love that provoke transformation. If there were people or forces attempting to prevent me from creating, he played a role in helping to keep that at bay.ĭuring those times especially, I always wanted to be a motivator of positive change. This also introduced my first son’s father, Rohan Marley, into the picture, who at that time, was a protective presence. If I struggled to fight for myself, I had someone else to fight for. I was pregnant with my first child during the making of The Miseducation and the situation was complicated, so I was motivated to find more stability and safety for myself and for my child, that definitely pushed me to disregard what appeared as limitations. The resulting peace may have contributed to that sense of feeling more creative. It was like all of the people with all of their demands had to check themselves when I was pregnant. It’s a wild thing to say but I was left alone during my pregnancies for the most part. How did that experience shape you as a songwriter? You’ve said you found yourself especially creative during your pregnancy. The team of people who would ultimately be involved, we all witnessed as it took form. It had to be made in a more custom manner. Initially, I intended to work with other producers and artists but found that what I wanted to say and hear may have been too idiosyncratic at the time to just explain it and have someone else try to make it. There were ideas, notions and concepts that I wanted to exist, I set off in a particular direction and kept going.
![nas hate me now clean spotify nas hate me now clean spotify](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XK8kZGGx_NM/hqdefault.jpg)
When I decided that I wanted to try a solo project I was met with incredible resistance and discouragement from a number of places that should have been supportive, so that had a motivating factor, but it was less about proving myself and more about creating something I wanted to see and hear exist in the world. What were you hoping to prove with this album?Īs far as proving myself goes, I think that’s a larger and more involved story best told at a later time, but I will say that the success of the Fugees absolutely set up The Miseducation to be as big and as well received as it was. When you began recording Miseducation, you were 22 and already experiencing immense success with the Fugees. Hill’s written responses are here in full. Excerpts from the interview can be heard in the podcast episode, available on Amazon Music, along with tales from several of the musicians who were part of those sessions, like “Commissioner Gordon” Williams, Lenesha Randolph, and Vada Nobles. Over e-mail, she spoke candidly about protecting her family and the little support she had after her first album cycle ended. Hill granted a rare interview on the making of Miseducation as well as what happened after. More recently, she has found herself back on the road more frequently, sporadically releasing music but mostly basking in the collective love and power of Miseducation through special performances of the album.įor the latest episode of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums podcast, Ms. In 2012, she was charged with tax fraud, and went on to serve three months in prison.
![nas hate me now clean spotify nas hate me now clean spotify](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jdf-kIvOag4/maxresdefault.jpg)
![nas hate me now clean spotify nas hate me now clean spotify](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VC4ORS5n9Hg/maxresdefault.jpg)
After the album’s release, some of Hill’s collaborators filed a lawsuit claiming she did not properly credit them for their contributions that suit was settled out of court three years later on undisclosed terms. The years that followed Miseducation have been complicated.