Maiden Voyage: Lauryn Hill's Debut Echoes Songs In The Key of Life and Other Classic Black Masterworks
On August 25, 1998, Lauryn Hill embarked on her maiden voyage as a solo artist with the release of her debut album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Clocking in at nearly 70 minutes its sprawling cohesion recalls Stevie Wonder’s 1976 Songs in The Key of Life. Against a host of contenders releasing groundbreaking albums during 1970s, Wonder emerged victorious, winning consecutive Grammys for Album of the Year. Emerging as Motown's biggest star, Wonder inked a new multi-album deal for $30 million dollars---the biggest contract for any recording artist at the time. Disenchanted with America, Wonder flirted with retirement and moving to Africa. Instead, he moved forward to complete work on his highly anticipated follow-up. Two years in the making, Songs was finally released as a two-record set/four-song EP. It earned Wonder his third Grammy Album of the Year win in four years.