Young people dashed, and a few jumped over gated fences to wait in line at the Sofi Stadium headlined by Travis Scott—police and security at every intersection directed traffic and parking. Across the street, purple projections of Ms. Lauryn Hill’s name decorated the outside walls of the Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA. Inside, people shuffled with food and drinks. DJ Reborn opened with many throwbacks. The upper decks reacted in unison to 90s and 2000s music. A diverse group of concertgoers included pre-teens chaperoned by parents, mature women in tennis shoes, couples in cocktail attire, college students, and an assortment of everyday people. The venue seated 18,000 excited fans eager to experience The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, an album released twenty-five years ago. Despite multiple hiatuses, Ms. Lauryn Hill’s popularity continued.

Shortly after DJ Reborn left the stage, two screens, one larger than the other, portrayed (mis)education: children wearing all-white school uniforms, young Ms. Lauryn Hill, Angela Davis, an ice-skater landing a backflip, a shouting man holding a baby at arms-length from his chest, the Black Panther Party, people with afros holding fists up, a hand with the pinky and ring finger pressed to a palm with the words the empire is nothing, a woman dancing in shorts with a BLM poster, women of the Nation of Islam, and an audience of people waving. 

In the left corner of the stage, a large red Bamkyim (West African/Ghanaian royal umbrella) hovered over Ms. Lauryn, clothed in deep red. The audience rose and blossomed their phones to document. Everyone cheered. “Everything is Everything” began, and the crowd sang along. The live band, background singers, blue and red lighting, and camera arrangement complemented her stage presence.

Ms. Lauryn Hill’s most recognizable songs uplifted the arena. Albeit with lesser-known songs, the crowd’s energy decreased. Audio difficulties(potentially staged for dramatic effect) contributed to moments making the concert seem protracted. The “Nothing Even Matters” singer apologized for her voice and paid tribute to motherhood with “Zion.” Ms. Lauryn Hill accredited her successful career to maternal support from women, especially her mother. Quotes ascribing the sacredness of womanhood flashed on the screen and intensified Ms. Lauryn Hill’s ode to the feminine. A fade-in of the word love followed by a Bell Hooks quote indicated the education required to enjoy the format’s forethought. Another quote positioned women to the closest proximity humankind has to divinity. All references provided a keen scholarly intention. For instance, a W.E.B. Du Bois quote, “The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression,” amplified Ms. Lauryn Hill’s brief exposition on bureaucratic business practices interfering with her artistry. 

Ms. Lauryn Hill halted her subsequent track. She served an impromptu freestyle to critics, “They clearly did not understand when I said I get out, apparently—my awareness like Keanu in the Matrix. I’m saving souls, and y’all complain about my lateness?” The audience exploded. Ms. Laurynn Hill socially deconstructed punctuality by reminding everyone of their mortality. She referenced her MTV Unplugged concert in 2001 with “I Get Out,” reminding concertgoers that her show is on time—for the divine. Moments like this were what people paid for. 

The “Ex-Factor” singer played Drake’s “Nice for What” and giggled, mentioning how artists of today sample her tracks. Surprise guest Lil Wayne performed “Amili,” and the venue applauded and rapped alongside. Nas came out to perform “Nobody,” and everybody cheerfully welcomed him with a standing ovation. Ms. Lauryn Hill called Nas brilliant, and their duet, “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That),” emphasized the prophecy of Imagine smoking weed in the street without cops harassing. The song aged well because California’s cannabis legalization occurred years after the song’s release. The audience’s exhilaration lasted well after Nas’ last song, “Made You Look.” Nas urged everyone to protect this woman and hugged Ms. Lauryn Hill before leaving the stage.

The Fugees came on stage when Ms. Lauryn Hill briefly walked off, and the energy plummeted. However, Wyclef Jean’s cover of “No Woman, No Cry” was a Bob Marley classic, so the audience sang verbatim. Ms. Lauryn Hill featured the Fugees for “Doo Wop(that thing),” white lights flashed, the camera zoomed into the drummer, and the audience grew louder than the speakers singing the song’s hook, “That thing, that thing, that thing.” The three background singers’ choreography included broad arm movements, swaying, and knee-bending dips. The tuba player at the far left teetered dramatically along with the complete dancing orchestra.

Audre Lorde’s essay, “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power*,” appeared on screen as an easter egg during “Doo Wop(that thing)”. The essay contextually unwound the contentious lyrics that Ms. Lauryn Hill sang, “Plus when you give it up so easy you ain’t even foolin’ him,” onwards with other lyrics that reproached women’s sexuality and dress code. Those familiar with Lorde’s essay know that she urged women to live powerful, erotic lives permitted outside of the patriarchal use of women’s sexuality. Lorde encouraged women to cultivate meaningful lives against the status quo by utilizing eros, regardless of societal approval. The title of Lorde’s essay reinforced women’s power. Lorde’s title during Ms. Lauryn Hill’s song “Doo Wop(that thing) revealed the programming of patriarchal feminity masked as a trend to subjugate women to violence and expendability. Ms. Lauryn Hill drew parallels to Audre Lorde’s work to remind women that their power is in self-exploration and talents, which go beyond the exploitation of clandestine misogynist delight.

When Ms. Lauryn Hill performed “Killing Me Softly,” the energy fluctuation ascended to peak celebration, and the Fugees ad-libs were just enough to justify their presence. Wyclef Jean entered the audience, declared that fans “would not embarrass[him] on his Instagram,” the concert would go viral, and acted as a hype man. Ms. Lauryn Hill closed with an encore of “Ready or Not.” The Fugees huddled around her and helped her off the stage as concertgoers exited the establishment. 

Ms. Laurynn Hill bore the winner’s weight of expectations for seamless production quality and maintaining the authenticity of neo-soul. Her two friends came on stage to gift her a bouquet of red roses and welcome her into “the 92-club” by achieving diamond-certified album status. She motivated the audience to maintain integrity and prevail against oppression. Her concert was a victory lap. 

Setlist

1.  Everything Is Everything
2. When It Hurts So Bad
3. Final Hour
4.  Lost Ones
5. Ex-Factor
6. To Zion
7. Nothing Even Matters
8. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (Frankie Valli cover)
9. I Used to Love Him
10. Nobody (Nas cover) (featuring Nas)
11. If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) (Nas cover) (featuring Nas)
12. Made You Look (Nas cover) (featuring Nas)
13. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
14. Doo Wop (That Thing)

All photos by Brandy Hornback