The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is the debut
solo album by American recording artist
Lauryn Hill, released on August 25, 1998, by
Ruffhouse Records and
Columbia Records. After touring with her former group
Fugees, Hill became involved in a romantic relationship with Jamaican entrepreneur
Rohan Marley, and shortly after, became pregnant with his child. This pregnancy, as well as other circumstances in her life, inspired Hill to make a solo album. Recording sessions for the album took place from late 1997 to June 1998 mainly at
Tuff Gong Studios in
Kingston, as Hill collaborated with a group of musicians known as New Ark in writing and producing the songs. Primarily a
neo soul album,
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill incorporates musical styles from
R&B,
hip hop,
soul, and
reggae. Its lyrics touch upon Hill's pregnancy and the turmoil within the Fugees, along with themes of love and God. The album's title was inspired by the film and autobiographical novel
The Education of Sonny Carson, and
Carter G. Woodson's
The Mis-Education of the Negro.