Lauryn Hill Reveals Why Her Album Was Her First and Last: 'I Was Considered an Enemy'

Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill has broken her silence about why her 1998 album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was not followed up with a second studio release.

"I challenged the norm and introduced a new standard," she said during her conversation on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums podcast. "I believe The Miseducation did that and I believe I still do this. [Myself and my album] defy convention when the convention is questionable."

Shockingly, Hill, 45, claims she was never given the opportunity to make a second studio album. "The wild thing is, no one from my label has ever called me and asked, 'How can we help you make another album?'" she said. "Ever ... ever. Did I say ever? Ever."

The 8-time Grammy winner also expressed that she felt used for her artistry and neglected as a person.

"People had included me in their own narratives of their successes as it pertained to my album and if this contradicted my experience, I was considered an enemy," said the Fugees frontwoman. "After The Miseducation, there were scores of tentacled obstructionists, politics, repressing agendas, unrealistic expectations and saboteurs everywhere."

Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock Lauryn Hill

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In August 2018, the"Doo-Wop (That Thing)" hitmaker responded to critics who had been disparaging her and her musical talents. "I've remained patient and quiet for a very long time, allowing people to talk, speculate and project" she wrote in an essay published on Medium. "People can sometimes confuse kindness for weakness and silence for weakness as well. When this happens, I have to speak up."

"The myth that I'm not allowed to play the original versions of my songs is a myth (anyone who's seen my current show knows this)," she wrote. "I remix my songs live because I haven't released an album in several years. There's no way I could continue to play the same songs over and over as long as I've been performing them without some variation and exploration. I'm not a robot."

Lauryn Hill

One month after the singer-songwriter released her statement, fellow Grammy-winner Adele shared that Hill created what she considers her personally most admired musical work that ever existed.

"I saw Lauryn Hill in 1999 at Brixton Academy when I was 10 years old," Adele wrote on Instagram and Twitter. "Tonight, I saw her play at the Hollywood Bowl [and] I've just turned 30! What a woman [and] what a record, by far Miseducation is my favorite record of all time."