5. Lauryn HillThe Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
Another classic. It came out when I was a kid. I remember her being on television and there was no one that looked like that, really, no one that looked like that and spoke like that, at that time, other than a few others like Erykah Badu or Jill Scott. This album is just one of those ones where, again, it speaks to love. It speaks to the time, it speaks to her own community. And the music is just fire. It’s got that balance of Latin American and also West Indian and Jamaican things as well, which resonates with me. It’s got a direct ‘Bam Bam’ sample on ‘Lost Ones’, which speaks to me, but then, ‘Doop Wop (That Thing)’ is just like pure soul. One of the greatest vocalists, but also MCs, to ever do it. And when I think of albums that are influential for me, this is always one of those.
