In the absence of any new Lauryn Hill songs, I got to thinking about what makes me want something new from her. I came to the conclusion that it’s the fact that her old things were so multifaceted. In my opinion, many female mc’s haven’t come close to the depth of Lauryn Hill’s verses. Here are the 3 verses that I think were the best Lauryn Hill verses of all time (so far). These are not necessarily her best songs. This article contains my opinions.
#3 Guantanamera (Album: The Carnival)
Although it’s from the Wyclef album, this verse is, in my opinion, one of the best representations of Lauryn’s storytelling skills. This verse tells the story of a woman who gets what she wants from the world and plays by her own rules. She says:
She was a rose in Spanish Harlem
Mamacita, forgive me
Made bets at a faster rate than she fornicates
Pure traits of genius,
Goddess of the Black Venus
The crabs are mad because they can’t come between us
to no selex ion, soft complex ion
Lexington’s lexicon, parents came from Cuba, partly Mexican,
pure candy, dimes fell at his feet
He liked Movado, and he rocked his hips like Delgado
And broke ni**s from Grounds to Apollo
and something else, she took her act and sent it to Dim Sum
And I waited patiently while the businessmen came
Calling late on purpose made even politicians nervous
And made plans to infiltrate the secret service on the street
This sweet flower, fertility was her power
Sweet character, Venus Flytrap primadonna
What will it be, she returned money to money
Here, Hill’s use of cadence (selection instead of selection), imagery (he shook his hips like Delgado), and puns (Dim-Sum…businessmen are coming) is what makes this verse so memorable. so special. This one is self-explanatory, so let’s move on.
#2 ‘Final Hour’ (Verse 2)
In the second verse of ‘Final Hour’, Lauryn gives us some insight into her goals for her music. If we pay attention we glimpse her first aspirations. She says:
I’m about to shift the focus from the richest to the poorest
I wrote this play to reverse hypnosis
the one that is closest
to the line will win
you will fall trying to play
While my team wins the pennant
i’m about to be on it
for a minute
So run for the senate
Make a slum lord the tenant
Give your money to children to spend
and then modify it
Every law that ever prevented
Our survival since our arrival
documented in the bible
Like Moses and Aaron
Things are going to change, it is evident
And everything transparent will be seen through
Let God redeem you
keep your deen true
You can also get green.
Be careful what you cling to
Watch how a queen does it
And I remain calm reading Psalm 73
Because with everything that is happening I have The Word in my palm
The entire Final Hour song is obviously about “the last days.” That’s not what makes it one of Lauryn Hill’s best songs or verses. This is one of Lauryn’s best verses because it encourages us to examine our lives with a view to having to respond to a Higher Power later, something rarely seen in hip hop. Here Lauryn seeks to enlighten the just, whether they are poor or not. She wants to ‘shift the focus from the richer to the poorer’, but then she says ‘you can get green too… careful what you cling to’. She also seeks to ‘reverse the hypnosis’ that music undoubtedly has on people by making her music meaningful enough to wake people up.
His reference to Psalm 73 is particularly interesting because that scripture talks about shunning worldly things in favor of a closer walk with God. This is what he means when he says “you’re going to fall trying to fall” and claims to have “The Word” in the palm of his hand. Also, Lauryn’s declaration that she will run for the Senate is particularly revealing. It makes me wonder if she still has political aspirations.
#1 ‘Ready or Not’ (Remix)
Now for the best Lauryn Hill verse of all time: Hill’s verse on Ready or Not Remix. Goes:
If I could change the times, make beats, raise the babies
Give rage to all the pigs
Send biting n*as to Hades
fabric ladies
Chase the rainbow, find the pot
Release the offender a third time once he learns how to do Selaat
Lose the fame, take the money
Play boys, like they did to me
Find a man with a plan
Slap a chicken if it acts funny
Break the bank, own tank
Keep niggas from acting bad
Take control, hand out Rovers for free
Teaching a man to find Jehovah
Own the shops, own the tours
Watch the disco pimps and whores
Make love, stop wars
Cop the land, like the Moors
Make last first
Make the god respect the earth
Change the murder rate to the birth rate!
This is almost like Lauryn Hill’s own version of ‘If I Ruled The World’ (the Nas song she sang the hook on). It’s almost like she wrote this verse for that song. In any case, here we see Ms. Hill being political, vulnerable, smart, humane, and clever all at once. From proclamations indicating that she is Christian (“teach a man to find Jehovah”) to respecting other religions (“do Selaat”, “grab the earth like the Moors”, and “make god respect the earth”- -a 5 percent reference) demonstrates supreme depth while revealing his humanity.
His references to murder rates and stopping wars indicate that he is a peace-loving person (at least when he’s not “beating a chicken”). His references to owning shops, giving out free Rovers and ‘taking the money’ show an acknowledgment of the capitalist system, but in the context of the rest of the verse, the listener understands that this is not the typical materialism one often sees in hip. fagot. Also, his reference to making ‘pigs’ angry shows that he shares the widespread disdain for police within the hip hop community, an interesting way of making an often-referenced point.
Another aspect of this verse that makes it so wonderful is Lauryn Hill’s proclamation that she wishes she could ‘lose the fame’. This gives us insight into the fact that even when the Fugees recorded The Score, Lauryn Hill was uncomfortable with the spotlight. This could provide insight and could even have served as a harbinger of Lauryn Hill’s eventual removal from the public eye. All of this is what makes this the best Lauryn Hill verse of all time.
Lauryn Hill’s impact on hip hop is undeniable. She will hopefully come back to hip hop and give us more great verses.