In the absence of new Lauryn Hill songs, I found myself 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 have not approached 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 aren’t 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,
Mommy forgive me
Made bets at a faster rate than she fornicates
Pure traits of genius,
Black Venus Goddess
The crabs are angry because they can’t come between us
to no selex ion, soft complex ion
The lexicon of Lexington, the parents came from Cuba, part Mexican,
pure sweet, dimes fell at his feet
He liked Movado, and he shook 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 of the street
This sweet flower, fertility was her power
Sweet character, Venus Flytrap primadonna
What will it be, what will it be, she returned money to money
Here, Hill’s use of cadence (selection instead of selection), imagery (he swung his hips like Delgado), and puns (Dim-Sum… businessmen coming) is what makes this verse so compelling. so special. This one is pretty self explanatory, so let’s move on.
#2 ‘Final Hour’ (Verse 2)
In the second verse of ‘Final Hour’, Lauryn gives us an idea of her goals for her music. If we pay attention we catch a glimpse of her first aspirations. She says:
I’m about to change the focus from the richest to the poorest
I wrote this play to reverse hypnosis
whoever is closest
to the line will win
You’re going to fall trying to play
While my team wins the pennant
i’m about to be on it
for a minute
Then run for senate
Make a slum lord the tenant
Give your money to the kids 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’s evident
And everything transparent will see through
Let God redeem you
keep your deen true
You can also get the green one.
Be careful what you hold on to
See how a queen does it
And I stay 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 lines because it encourages us to examine our lives with a view to later having to answer to a Higher Power, something you rarely see in hip hop. Here Lauryn seeks to enlighten the righteous, whether they are poor or not. She wants to ‘shift the focus from the richest to the poorest’, but then she says ‘you can get the green one too…careful what you hold on to’. She also seeks to ‘reverse the hypnosis’ that music no doubt has on people by making her music meaningful enough to wake people up.
His reference to Psalm 73 is particularly interesting because that scripture speaks of avoiding 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 statement that she will run for Senate is particularly revealing. It makes me speculate if she still has political aspirations.
#1 ‘Ready Or Not’ (Remix)
Now for Lauryn Hill’s greatest 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
cloth ladies
Chase the rainbow, find the pot
Release the offender a third time once he learns to make 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 doing bad
Take control, deal Rovers for free
Teach a man to find Jehovah
Own the shops, own the tours
Look at the record pimps and whores
Make love, stop wars
Cop the land, like the Moors
Make last come 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 Mrs. Hill being political, vulnerable, smart, human, and smart all at once. From the proclamations indicating that it is Christian (“teach a man to find Jehovah”) to the respect for other religions (“make Selaat”, “Cop the land like the Moors”, and “make god respect the land”- -a 5 percent reference) demonstrates supreme depth while revealing his humanity.
His references to murder rates and stopping wars indicate that he’s a peace-loving person (at least when he’s not “beating a chicken”). His references to owning stores, 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 witnesses in hip. fagot. Also, his reference to raging ‘pigs’ shows that he shares the widespread disdain for the police within the hip hop community, an interesting way of making a frequently referenced point.
Another aspect of this verse that makes it so wonderful is Lauryn Hill’s proclamation that she wishes she could ‘lose 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 might even have served as a harbinger of Lauryn Hill’s eventual withdrawal 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 hopefully returns to hip hop and gives us more great verses.