It's audio-only clips of conversations with Ras Baraka and several of the kids featured on the classroom-like interludes on 'Miseducation,' tracked down for reflections on that experience for the album's 20th anniversary. It's about 20 min long.

Over the years, I've seen multiple OKPs post that they thought these interludes were corny, lol. But I always thought they came from an honest place...Lauryn wanting to feature kids reflecting on love and life, as a parallel to the themes of the album (e.g., maturity, love, responsibility, wisdom, etc.). I've always thought someone might try track them down at some point, especially as the album ages into "anniversary years." And in light of all of the negativity that stems from the lawsuit over production/credits for the album, something innocent like this is still preserved. So for me, it's dope to hear.

Anyway, just sharing in case others are interested.

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https://nyti.ms/2R0ycKC

Lauryn Hill was 22 years old, pregnant with her first child and had two albums with the Fugees under her belt when she started writing the songs that would become her 1998 solo debut. “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” a personal LP that touched on relationships, neighborhood, faith and pride, arrived with a bang: a chart record for first-week sales by a female artist. It went on to sell 8 million copies in the United States, earn five Grammys and become the defining artistic statement of the year, as well as of Hill's career.

The first sound on the album is a school bell calling a classroom to order, followed by a teacher taking attendance and conducting a loose forum about the nature of love. The conversations, which appeared in interludes throughout the album, took place with a class populated by neighborhood children and an educator, Ras Baraka, who went on to become the mayor of Newark.

As the album celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, Ike Sriskandarajah, a producer for The New York Times podcast “The Daily,” set out to track down as many of the featured children as possible. They spoke about how their ideas about love shifted over the years, Hill's landmark album and the hometown they call New Jerusalem.

Voices, in order of appearance
Ras Baraka, 48
Tamika Marshall, 31
Taryn Lucas, 34
Deshawn Marshall, 28
Shaquan Sutton, 36
Aleesia Simmons, 34

Photo credits
Looping cover: Columbia Records, Columbia High School
The Kids: Columbia High School
The Teacher: Bryan Anselm for The New York Times
New Jerusalem: Bryan Anselm for The New York Times, Columbia High School
L-O-V-E: Columbia Records
Lauryn’s House: Getty Images

Produced by
Ike Sriskandarajah, Alicia DeSantis, Caryn Ganz, William Nabers, Adriana Ramic, Jolie Ruben and Josephine Sedgwick.

with the kids. Especially the nylon string guitar.

The rare skits that I have listened to repeatedly rather than skip after first listen.


Peace,

Spirit (Alan)
http://wutangbook.com