The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 16, 1998, Page Page 5, Image 5
SOUND ADVICE
staff writer DEREK K SCOTT
THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN
HILL Lauryn Hill
(out of five stars)
"The magazine said the girl shouldVe
went solo/ Guys should stop rapping/
Vanish like Menudo."
- Wvrlef Jean from "Zealots"
During 1995 many people in the hiphop
community believed songwriter,
producer, vocalist and MC Lauryn Hill
was the driving force behind the Fugees'
multi-platinum LP, The Score as her
remake of Roberta Flack's "Killing
Me Softly" took the New Jersey based
group from national notoriety to international
dominance on the music charts.
But now it's 1998 and fellow Fugee
members Wyclef Jean and Pras have
gained even more fans than ever anticipated,
a fan-base similar to that attained
in the early 90s by Gamecock
basketball player Recus Nix's favorite
hip-hop star, MC Hammer. Wyclef
dropped his solo effort The Carnival
with the hit songs "We Trying To
Stay Alive," "Guantanamera" and "Gone
Till November"; produced Hazing tracks
for everyone from Stevie Wonder to
Sunz of Man; and has hit the cover of
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the music industry's biggest magazines
including Rolling Stone and Vibe.
Pras, a verbally challenged MC, has
managed to grab a few hits of his own
with "Avenues" off the Money Talks
soundtrack, "Roxanne "97," a duet with
Sting produced by Puff Daddy, and a
recent hit with the jam "Ghetto Superstar"
from the Bulworth Soundtrack
featuring Big Baby Jesus (O.D.B.) and
Mya. Needless to say, the Refugee Camp
has part of the industry on lock. But
missing in action has been L-Boogie,
the person without whom none of the
Fugees' global experience would be possible.
Well, Lauryn Hill is back, and her
debut solo effort The Miseducation of
Lauryn Hill delivers the goods. And
those doubting whether Hill would be
able to handle the pressure of writing,
producing and arranging an entire album
need to put themselves on the same
list with those persons who doubted
Michael Jordan's will in this year's NBA
Finals. L-Boogie's versatility, as the
best female MC and as a top five R&B
vocalists, produces an unprecedented
musical experience that real "headz"
have been waiting for.
Miseducation is a prize-winning effort
and the best album of the year thus
far, primarily because of the depth of
song writing and the grooves done for
a purpose. The album is not just a bunch
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of gun-talk or pimped-out, million dollar
drug stories offered by the overwhelming
majority of hip-hop artists.
In fact the buzz for Lauryn's debut album
began earlier in the year when
"Lost One," a dissertation about
many in the business selling their souls
in order to gain "Benjamin's," hit underground
radio with a bang. The first
single from Miseducation, "Doo Wop
(That Thing)," is a definite head hopper
with Lauryn educating men and
women about the repercussions of the
dating game. "To Zion," dedicated to
her baby boy, is a joyful noise as, over
the sweet guitar playing of Carlos Santana,
Lauryn expresses: "Now let me
pray to keep you from/ The perils that
will surely come/ See life for you my
prince has just begun/ And I thank you
for choosing me .." "Nothing Even
Matters," a duet with neo-soul's first
lieutenant D'Angelo is the bomb, and
"Every Ghetto, Every City" has a jazzy
vibe, as Lauryn spits out "Self-Destruction
record drops ... and everybody
used to do the wop," recalling her
days growing up in New Jerusalem
iiNew jersey;. Mary d. rsiige makes a
guest appearance on "I Used To Love
Him," but surprisingly missing from
the project are Fugee members Wyclef
and Pras.
Every joint on Miseducation brings
a heavy dose of pure artistry to the veins
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of everyone digging real music. However,
the best moments of the album
occur during the interludes when young
children give their definitions of the
word "love"?something even adults
would have a problem with today.
But whether it's my mom's favorite song
"Superstar," in which Lauryn rips the
mic saying "Just as Christ was a superstar,
you stupid star/ They'll hail
you then they'll nail you, no matter who
you are," or the sultry sound of "When
It Hurts So Bad," Miseducation definitely
deserves classic status as it bangs,
like the Stretch and Bobbito Ecko shirts,
from beginning to end.
Other song titles speak for themselves
such as "Forgive Them Father,"
which could be dedicated to the Iota Chi
chapter members on campus, and "Fi
nal Hour," when L-Boogie drops "I'm
about to change the focus/ From the
richest to the brokest/1 wrote this opus/
To reverse the hypnosis.'' The only downfall
to the project may be the fact that
Lauryn doesn't rhyme as much as many
would prefer. But then again, Michael
Jordan doesn't dunk as often as many
would prefer, but he's still the man.
Well, Lauryn Hill is still the
queen of the hip-hop world. Nobody has
shown serious efforts to dethrone her,
and possibly, no one ever will. Hip-hop
isn't just passing the blunt and
freestyling over instrumentals. Hip-hop
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is a culture, and Miseducation grabs
the pulse of the culture like no other album
has done.
So, during this period, when it's easier
to find parking at the Russell House
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at noon than it.is to find a great CD,
Lauiyn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn
Hill should be a definite in your
music library.
FOOD continuedfrompagel
pressions as the students entered the
establishment.
Dane Cook, the shelter's chaplain
and director, introduced Dorsel and
Van Nostrand to Ed Hunt, the kitchen
coordinator.
"I think if s great," Cook said. "I really
appreciate it. I was a cook here for
aine months, and it helped tremenlously
to have people donate food. It
vas a great help and encouragement
;o me."
After all the containers were emp;ied,
the two parties exchanged handshakes
and sentiments.
It has not taken very long for Dorsel
;o see this project become a reality.
"I included it in my campaign goals,"
le said. Teople seemed skeptical about
;he idea, but we were very serious."
Dorsel initially got the idea from a
jrogram that was started at UNC-Charotte.
Over the summer, Dorsel worked
vith Hallman and Van Nostrand to coirdinate
the program and take it
hmncrh fhp naroccair nVionnolc
These first couple of weeks are gong
to be an adjustment period," Van
"lostrand said. Dorsel added, "I was
worried about how we were going to be
eceived, but it was overwhelming how
ooperative everyone was."
For Van Nostrand, the reality of
vhat they were achieving did not set
n until they entered the shelter.
"It helped us understand that there
ire people there that are going to reilly
appreciate this," Van Nostrand
aid.
Van Nostrand expressed pride in
heir accomplishments. "I am glad we
re the ones that get to start it up,
ut it is a shame that it hadn't been
one already."
Dorsel, Van Nostrand and Hallman
tave high hopes for the future of this
rogram. Eventually, they would like
a see "Second Serving" become an inependent
student organization with
G overseeing its general operation.
)orsel, Van Nostrand and Hallman
rould also like to expand their sources
f donations to the greater Columbia
rea and not just Marriott. "It's going
3 be huge," Van Nostrand said.
"There is always something you can
o to help others, and we have such
ast resources at USC that we can use
ot only to better our own fives also but
) also better the community of Coimbia,"
Dorsel said.
Dorsel is optimistic about the fulre
of the program.
Td love.to come back in two or three
jars and see that this organization is
ill in place and see that we're not wastig
food and that we are a university
iat is committed to the City of Combia,"
he said.
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