Lauryn Hill

Released: January 1, 2004

These social drugs [x3]

(Verse 1)
Afraid to address the reality before me
To proud to confess that I'm addicted to a lie
So I seek temporary feeling
To replace reality
Though the truth is telling me I have died

But I've been taught to numb it
Sedated, don't confront it
I hate it when I find out
That I can't get what I wanted
This emotional tantrum
Has become sort of an anthem playing every time I need to take a little trip

To hide this condemnation
I'll find a combination
Of man-made stimulation
To deny my situation
Now this unreality
Is distorting what I see
Reporting back to me
A sense of false security

So in my imagination
I must find a recreation
Desperately in search of ways
To alter my sensation
There's no equilibrium
Inebriated till I'm numb
Intoxicated until I'm dumb
To avoid confrontation

These social drugs
Messing with my mind
These social drugs
Telling me I'm fine

(Verse 2)
Now this chemical analogy
Is our emotional reality
These political, traditional
And ethnical stimulants
And social etiquette
Won't let us be too upset
With the way things really are
You're told to camouflage regret
In a religious structure
Tells us God wants us to suffer
To support a situation we all know is obligation

And if you shun the complication
They'll just gun your reputation
Like mob intimidation
To enforce participation

See they need to keep us fiends
To their lies and broken schemes
And if you find another means
You're told you're being too extreme
And if you wanted to get clean
They'll just pull those social strings
Holding up their social nose
Defying noble things

Now we're all stuck in tradition
Unable to state opposition
Too afraid to contradict
The expectations of the system
Oh and the harsh reality
Is they made grace for you and me
Instead of saving you and me
They're just enslaving you and me

These social drugs
These social drugs
These social drugs
These social drugs
Know what I mean

Know what I mean
These social drugs

These social drugs [7x]
Know what I mean

These social drugs
Messing with my mind
These
Telling me I'm fine
These
Messing with my head
These social drugs
Wanting me dead
Know what I mean

As one of the founding members of Fugees, Lauryn Hill has spit her truthful lyrics unlike any female rap artist in history. Being as informative as she is inspiring, Lauryn has received monumental success with her solo albums going multi-platinum.

Her classic, critically acclaimed debut album Miseducation of Lauryn Hill went outside of the box for female rappers of her kind, making listeners think about greater causes in their community and how to be a powerful female without selling yourself short. The album also proved to be a huge landmark in rap, as it combined rap, r&b and neo-soul into a unique and beautiful mixture, full of different religious stories and concepts.

Although she retired after the success of her debut, mostly due to her child, Lauryn continued to make appearances at different shows (including at a concert with Drake in 2014). Shortly after announcing her official retirement, Lauryn returned to the scene to release MTV Unplugged 2.0, a live album where she explored with folk, departing from her rap/neo-soul style. Hill is also set to perform tracks from Miseducation in 2018 on its 20th Anniversary.

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