It's funny how money changes situations... it's also funny how a simple task like recharging an iPod can lead to a 3-hour time warp via one's music history.
Today I shuffled through my old "Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" CD. More specifically, the song 'Lost Ones'. It's amazing how current the song (and the whole album) sounds after 8 years.
I uploaded it for those who've never heard it, or just plain forgot. Consider it my free Independence Day present.
LostOnes/LaurynHill
[not for commercial distribution, blah blah, legal jibber jabber...]
Everyone had a worn copy of "Miseducation..." my freshman year. Clubs, parties, and dinner parties had the CD on repeat. It got so bad that our room embargoed the album until the craziness subsided (it did 2 years later, when Moby's "Play" became the next obsession).
Now, here's Lost Ones, considered one of the finest lyrical putdowns in hip-hop. The target of the song was initially a secret, but it soon came out that it was Lauryn's reply to Wyclef Jean's solo album "The Carnival" (as well as some unresolved romantic tensions left over from the Fugees era). With a simple guitar lick as her background, Lauryn juggles between quick-cutting jabs and her blistering thesis, which can be summarized by this line: "Until you do right all you do will go wrong". Once the chorus makes its way 2 minutes in, she's won game, set, and match.
This was the album I bought before flying to Boston my frosh year. Eight years ago. That's older than my niece. It's tempting to pull a Wonder Years-style montage, but we'll leave that for the indulgent reunions. However, it makes for a serendipitous moment when you discover that your younger version had great musical taste that stands up today (Of course, I say that while hiding the old Ase of Base albums).
And let's raise our glasses to the celebration that is post #50. If you're fairly new to the group, it might be time to look up (or rediscover) some hidden gems. This blog is still about Beijing, right? *end*
posted by JDW @ 4.7.06
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