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Playlist Rewind: 5 Brilliant Album Releases That Defined 1998

The following albums definied 1998, but they continued to earn praise through the years.

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The 90s were a huge decade for album releases, but 1998 proved to be singularly important. That was a great year for everything from trip-hop to indie rock to progressive rap.

Here are five album releases that defined the sound of that year.

‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ by Lauryn Hill

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was Lauryn Hill’s debut solo album, recorded during a Fugees hiatus. Released in August 1998, the album is conceptually centered as if Hill is educating herself in the complexities of life: love, relationships, faith, and motherhood. It won Best R&B Album and Album of the Year at the Grammys in 1999, and was a global success, critically and commercially.

Notably, this album showed off Hill’s artistic abilities outside of a group. Furthermore, it helped bring neo soul to the mainstream. This generated more attention for artists like Erykah Badu, Sade, Angie Stone, Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, and Macy Gray.

‘Mezzanine’ by Massive Attack

The making........

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