(AllHipHop News) If you’ve ever heard a Fugee album, whether we are talking Blunted on Reality or The Score, vibed out to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill or her underrated MTV 2.0 Unplugged offering, you would know that Lauryn Hill is not just the most talented rappers of all time, but also one of Hip-Hop’s most intelligent.*
Upon graduating from high school in New Jersey, while on tour with her rap group, and after appearing as a regular on a daily soap opera and starring in “Sister Act II,” Lauryn enrolled in Columbia University as a freshman.
Scholarship and artistry go hand-in-hand for the creative, but moreover so does integrity and speaking out against injustice.
Her remarks to Temple University’s 2020 Graduating Class reinforced all that we love about Ms. Hill. Take a look:
Dear Temple University Graduating Class of 2020,
First, congratulations.
Second, congratulations and third, congratulations for accomplishing what at times may have seemed a gargantuan task in the age of distraction—receiving a diploma for years of focus and commitment to scholarship. I know this message finds you in the unique and unprecedented circumstance of a graduation ceremony held remotely, but for the safety of you and your families consider this the beginning of a significant story you’ll have to share with those that follow you. For this time is indeed historic, and if we’re paying attention, pregnant with purpose. Purpose is powerful. The work one puts his or her hands to with purpose attached, becomes charged, activated and often deeply meaningful. Purpose-filled acts can change lives, move communities and alter the course of history.
I hope that you understand the power of your youth—its grace and vitality.
I hope that you understand the power of opportunity and the privilege of knowledge.
I hope that you protect your youth, value your opportunities and continue to grow your knowledge.
Read the rest of Lauryn Hill’s letter here.