Lauryn Hill’s ‘The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill’ Has Reached Diamond Status

Lauryn Hill‘s classic album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, reached the diamond club, selling more than 10 million copies since its release. Hill joins an exclusive club with the achievement, joining diamond artists such as Michael Jackson, Eminem, 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., Outkast, and Beastie Boys. Revisit the album above.

The RIAA announced on Tuesday, “Welcome to the RIAA Diamond Club @MsLaurynHill! #TheMiseducationofLaurynHill is now a (10X) certified album! @ColumbiaRecords #BlackHistoryMonth #RIAATopCertified,” the RIAA tweeted.

The album was released in August of 1998 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 charts. It sold 422,624 units during its first week. The album broke the record for first-week sales by a female artist. 

Last month, in an interview on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums podcast, Hill explained why she never released a follow-up album, despite Miseducation’s success.

“The wild thing is no one from my label has ever called me and asked how can we help you make another album, EVER…EVER,” she wrote. “Did I say ever? Ever! … With the Miseducation, there was no precedent. I was, for the most part, free to explore, experiment and express,” she said. “After the Miseducation, there were scores of tentacled obstructionists, politics, repressing agendas, unrealistic expectations, and saboteurs EVERYWHERE. People had included me in their own narratives of THEIR successes as it pertained to my album, and if this contradicted my experience, I was considered an enemy.”

Welcome to the RIAA Diamond Club @MsLaurynHill! #TheMiseducationofLaurynHill is now a 💎 (10X) certified album! @ColumbiaRecords #BlackHistoryMonth #RIAATopCertified pic.twitter.com/mWWByv74kp

— RIAA (@RIAA) February 17, 2021