Lauryn Hill Reveals Why She Never Released Another Solo Album

Lauryn Hill is again speaking about why she’s never released another album after 1998’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

via: The Root

For years, fans have speculated on why Lauryn Hill never released a sophomore studio album after 1998’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” a project widely considered as one of the greatest albums ever created. Now, the legendary artist herself is stepping into the conversation.

​Recently, the media platform Fraim.World sparked discussion online after posting its own suggested explanation for why the ‘Ex-Factor’ artist never followed up her cult classic debut with another studio effort on Instagram.

​According to the platform, the pressure of trying to top a masterpiece, the emotional exhaustion that came with fame, lack of label support, and years of lawsuits and creative ownership battles all contributed to Hill stepping away from the traditional album cycle.

“When you’re inspired and desire to be principled, what doesn’t get talked about enough is the drain… nor the challenge to find safety so that you can create with integrity. Most see opportunity as dollars only and often exclude the ‘sense,’” she wrote in the comments.

The rapper also addressed the public’s complicated relationship with artistic experimentation, specifically referencing her MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 project.

“Wild success can cause greed that begins to denegrate the art for the money. We’re people living through all this. These conversations should allow for more nuance. Artists go through phases, creativity requires expression, exploration and experimentation. There were people who hated the Unplugged album and yet some today swear by its significance,” she continued.

“The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” became both a cultural and commercial phenomenon, earning Hill 10 Grammy nominations and winning five awards, including Album of the Year, making history as the first hip-hop album to receive the honor. Still, the singer-rapper-actress made it clear that she views her legacy as larger than simply releasing another album. According to Hill, her work helped inspire an entire generation of artists to reach for the highest levels of success.

“Creativity is most potent when it’s free. If I did nothing else, I introduced standards and possibilities to a generation that didn’t know they could operate on that level before then,” she wrote.