The “Sweetest Thing”—Lauryn Hill scheduled to hit NY and NJ stages

While there’s no such thing as a sure thing in the music industry, when we heard how Lauryn Hill was coming with that “Sweetest Thing” piece from the “Love Jones” soundtrack, we could place our last bet that her solo project was going to be one of “them ones.” When that thing dropped, we were not ready. Artistically, the album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” seamlessly exceeded its lofty expectations. Now that the album has begun to perform commercially to the levels of multi-platinum, an absolute monster was created. In retrospect, that project propelled Hill from superstardom to icon.   

Forget the days, months, and years. It was as if with each hour that passed, the thought of ever seeing a third Fugee album grew fainter. Those sentiments took a more serious turn when it appeared that the group reuniting for any reason was unlikely.  

But time heals and situations change. After a few prominent appearances over the past few months, Hill made a surprise appearance at the Hip Hop 50th Anniversary in the boogie-down Bronx (at Yankee Stadium, to be precise), performing a medley of her and Fugees’ hits with fellow legendary collaborator Nas. This was after she headlined the Roots Picnic festival this past June, reuniting with her Fugees bandmates Wyclef and Pras for the first time since 2021. 

Here we sit 25 years later and five-time Grammy winner Hill announced “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” 25th anniversary tour to commemorate her massively influential 1998 debut solo album.   

The 17-date tour will hit arenas around the world, including in front of home team fans in Newark at the Prudential Center on October 17 and stopping at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on October 1. Making the nights more special, the Fugees will reunite for their first tour in years to co-headline on all U.S. and Canadian dates.  

In explaining her thoughts about the album and its lasting impact, Hill said, “‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ is and was a love song to my parents, my family, my people, my musical and cultural forebears, my teachers, my loves, [and] my Creator. I wrote love songs and protest songs—still love songs—about the subjects and interests that inspired and moved me. I was confident that what inspired me would resonate with an audience that had been led to believe that songs of that kind could only live in the past.

“I loved music, I loved people, I truly felt grateful to God for my life, and genuinely blessed to have a platform where I could share wisdom and perspective through music. I felt a charge to challenge the idea that certain kinds of expression and/or certain kinds of people didn’t belong in certain places. I loved showing what could work or happen, provided there was imagination, creativity, and LOVE leading the way.”

Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.com.

Ready or not, I’m over and out. Holla next week. ’Til then, enjoy the nightlife.