Watch Ms. Lauryn Hill & Crew's Lovely Acoustic 'Doo Wop (That Thing)' 

By Julianne Escobedo Shepherd  |  May 4, 2015 | 3:15pm
Entertainment

Near 20 years after Lauryn Hill dropped “Doo Wop,” her first single, it’s still got the capacity to induce chills—her syntactical skill on the raps, but most especially the tremor in her vibrato, which contains all the knowing pain it ever did, even with a smile on her face, even after all this time.

Hill, who now comes with a Ms.—Ms. Lauryn Hill—had a rough go of it for awhile in the early ‘10s, showing up late to concerts, not hitting the notes and sparking general concern. But this latest video is an example of how far she seems to have come, and how solidly she is (one hopes) back in the game.

After travel issues prevented her and her band from performing in Lagos, Nigeria, Hill and some members of her crew posted this clip on Facebook of an acoustic “Doo Wop.” After a brief apology and promise to return, they launch into it, the five young vocalists behind her harmonizing with the best of them and also acting as her posse, girls who got her back. The harmonies, though! Also, even though she’s been doing it for 20 years, you still gotta give it up to someone who can rap a full song while flawlessly keeping a counter-rhythm on guitar.


In March, the Library of Congress announced it would be adding The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill to its collection, one of just 25 albums per year it deems “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” I can agree with that, can’t you?

Image via screenshot

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