Dissect - MS1E7 - "Everything is Everything" by Lauryn Hill

Episode Date: December 18, 2018

Our serialized analysis of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill continues with "Nothing Even Matters" and "Everything is Everything." Having submitted herself to god, Ms. Hill displays the tranquility, acceptance, and maturity she's acquired through the life lessons she learned outside the classroom. Follow @dissectpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. Join our newsletter at dissectpodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Spotify Studios, this is Dysect, long-form musical analysis broken into short digestible episodes. I'm your host, Cole Kushner. Today we continue our serialized analysis of the Miseducation of Lauren Hill. On her last episode, we reached the critical turning point in Miseducation's loose narrative. Having spent much of the album expressing the pain and lingering resentment she felt about her ex, Miss Hill turned her life over to God on the closing verse of I Used to Love Him. With Miss Hill's submission to God, she is holding on this sentiment in spades on forgive her perpetrators rather than holding on to bitterness and resentment. We found this sentiment in spades

on forgive them father, a song that articulates the deception of others while simultaneously praying for their salvation. Having overcome the torment of heartbreak through her restored faith in God, Ms. Hill is reborn, able to move forward unburdened by resentment, accepting full-heartedly God's plan for her life. Every time that God navigates my ship, there's nothing cerebral going on. There's very little, you know, there's very little thought. It's almost as if I have the directions. Every time I try to do it myself, I'm, you know, I'm conjuring up my own concoction and trying. And, you know, it's a little more difficult to do it that way because it takes a lot of thought. It takes a lot of energy. But it's like when I'm led, you know, it kind of really is just all there and it's clear. These are your orders just go forth and carry them out.

And I have a considerable amount of confidence, but it's not in me. You know, it's the work that God's doing in me that makes me confident. Having been reborn through a renewed submission to God, it's only right that miseducation continues with a reflective return to Miss Hill's childhood in the song Every Ghetto Every City. I was just a little girl, skinny legs a pressing curl. My mother always thought I'd be a star. Way before the record deal, streets that nurtured Lauren Hill,

made sure that I never go too far. Every ghetto, every city, at suburban place I've been, make me recall my days in the New Jerusalem. Every ghetto, every city is jubilant and celebratory, a big tonal and thematic shift from the more plaintiff songs that came before it. As we just heard, the songs refrain bridges together New Jersey, Miss Hills hometown, and Jerusalem, the Holy City and Abrahamic religions. It's a reflection of how she came to be the person she is today, through her upbringing in the streets of New Jersey, and the principles she's learned through the Word of God. In a bonus episode earlier this season, we broke down all the Easter eggs about Miss Hill's

childhood contained in every ghetto every city. If you haven't listened to that episode yet, go ahead and seek it out. For today's episode, having acknowledged this kind of rebirth Miss Hill underwent, Miss Education moves forward with another display of her newfound acceptance in God's plan with the soldiery R&B track, Nothing Even Matters. As the title suggests, nothing even matters, nothing even matters. celebrates the serenity of a fully reciprocated love. The song features the artist DeAngelo,

who in 1998 was writing the success of his debut album, Brown Sugar. Regarding the collaboration with Miss Hill, DeAngelo told the Rolling Stone, quote, collaborating with Lauren was very cool. She was warm and sweet. Originally we were going to swap tunes for each other's projects because I was working on voodoo at the same time, and my keyboardist James Poyser was also working with her.

I went to her house in New Jersey. She played a lot of songs for me and gave me a rough copy to listen to. When Lauren and I went into the studio together, I laid down my vocals in the course of an hour, unquote. The idea to collaborate with a male singer was inspired by Miss Hill's Love of the Duets by Roberta Flack and Donnie Hathaway. Regarding nothing even matters, Ms. Hill said, quote, I wanted to make a love song a la Roberta Flack and Donnie Hathaway and give people a humanistic approach to love again, without all the physicality and overt sexuality, unquote. Specifically, Nothing Even Matters was modeled after the Flack and Hathaway duet,

Closer I Get to You. Like Closer I Get to You, Ms. Hill and DeAngelo alternate vocal passages on Nothing Even Matters. The song's structure is somewhat unique. It's comprised of six brief verses. Each verse contains four lines, with the fourth line always being the song's refrain. The brevity of these verses allows for the back and forth between Miss Hill and DeAngelo, making it feel as if they're speaking directly to one another. Nothing even matters at all

Your love makes me from 10 feet tall Without it I go through withdrawal Nothing even matter Nothing even matter Miss Hill exhibits a tranquil contentment As she sings Now the skies could fall, not even if my boss should call The world it seems so very small

Because nothing even matters at all The sky is falling as a phrase used to mean the end of the world. Her quote-unquote boss calling on its surface means that she's no longer worried about the stresses of her job. But coming after a line about the end of the world, we might also assume boss here is God, meaning God could call or take her life. She's no longer concerned with the physical world now that she's found a transcendent spiritual love. This newfound serenity and acceptance is of course epitomized in the song's refrain. Nothing even matters. Though this is often a phrase used nihilistically, here it's used to describe a Zen,

unlike emptiness of mind achieved through love. It seems Ms. Hill recognizes that objects and events are empty of meaning in and of themselves. Rather, we place subjective projections on those things, and those projections are what we perceive. Therefore, the way we perceive the world and the things therein is largely based on our own emotional and mental state. If you're generally unsatisfied with yourself, you're going to perceive events and things more negatively than someone who is content. As we've heard on the previous few tracks of miseducation, Ms. Hill has achieved contentment through her submission to God, a restored sense of who she is as exhibited on every ghetto every city, and a pure love she's found with her partner, as displayed here on Nothing Even Matters.

Indeed, it was assumed that Miss Hill wrote this song about Rowan Marley, who at the time was her partner and father of her children. The two had plans to marry and remain together for some 15 years, though the precise details of their relationship have never been made public. After Miss Hill's opening verse, DeAngelo enters singing, I don't need no alcohol, your love makes me feel ten feet tall. Without it, I go through withdrawals, because nothing even matters at all. DeAngelo is stating the confidence and self-assurance he feels with his lover, comparing these effects to how many feel after drinking alcohol. He extends the metaphor by likening being away from his lover with

the alcohol withdrawal and attic feels. Again, the passage ends with the refrain, nothing even matters. Interestingly, near the end of the verse, DeAngelo flips the refrain saying, No thing matters at all. It's a clever play on the word nothing and matter. The song generally uses matter to mean something of importance or have significance, i.e. that matters or doesn't matter. But scientifically, matter also means a physical substance, distinct from mind, spirit, or energy. Saying no thing, DeAngelo is punning this scientific definition because no thing is the negation of physical matter. The love they feel transcends the physical. It's a connection of spiritual resonance. Nothing Even Matters continues with another exchange of verses.

Nothing even matters to me, Nothing even matters, nothing even matter to me. Miss Hill and DeAngelo's sentiment remains constant throughout these verses. Similar to the world ending in her first verse, Miss Hill states that all the buildings could drift out to see in a natural disaster, but it's an event she's willing to take on if she's able to remain with her love. DeAngelo, for his part, compares his lover to a deity and his love to practicing a religion. Both verses, as well as the final pair of verses that follow, all reiterate this same theme,

the transcendent power of love. It's certainly a strong message in and of itself, but coming after what we've heard on the album up until this point, There's a kind of emotional payoff we receive when hearing such a pure song about love. It's untainted by anguish, untainted by the resentment, jealousy, and complaints of inequality we heard in the previous tracks on love. Indeed, within the context of Miseducation's narrative, and Ms. Hill's spiritual and emotional journey, nothing even matters exemplifies Ms. Hill's newfound understanding of love. Yes, she's been in love before, but not like this.

And now she knows the difference. We'll be back, right after the break. Welcome back to Dysect. Before the break, we discussed nothing even matters, a gorgeous, tranquil expression of Miss Hill's newfound understanding of love and its power to absolve the anxieties of the physical world. We noted how this came after her submission to God's will and the kind of rebirth that followed.

Miss Hill's newfound acceptance of herself and the world around her is epitomized in Miseducation's penultimate track, Everything is Everything. Everything is Everything was written by Lauren Hill and Johari Newton. The song centers around two chords, E major and A minor, arranged for string quartet. But more than the harmony itself, it's the syncopated rhythm that acts as the song's main musical foundation. All but two of the song's elements adhere to this rhythm, which will first isolate on the kick drum. Stacked on top of this kick drum is the bass guitar, which adheres to the same rhythm.

Stacked on top of this is a piano, which also adheres to the established rhythm. Finally, we have a string quartet that sits atop all these instruments, again playing the same rhythm. And so we have this wall of sound moving in unison. We add now the song's hi-hat and snare drum, the only two things that play outside this established syncopated rhythm. Notice how when we add them, the music suddenly pops. Though the rhythms they play are very simple, the hi-hat and snare drum are instrumental in the song's composition. The simplicity and straightforwardness of their rhythms are what the syncopated rhythms bounce off of, and it's this contrast between the simple and the unpredictable that makes this beat so addictive.

A fun fact about this song is that the piano part was actually played by one John Stevens, otherwise known as John Legend. Legend was a 20-year-old unknown college student at the time. He was introduced to Miss Hill through a mutual friend. The reason I met Lauren Hill, one of the people that was in my choir was a young lady named Tara Watkins. One of her friends from North Jersey was the young lady named Lauren Hill. Now, Lauren Hill was already pretty popular by that time because her success with the Fugees, but she hadn't made her solo album yet.

She was working on the music, and Tara invited me to come on one Saturday and just hang out with Lauren in the studio and introduce myself and just kind of see what happened. And during a break, Tara encouraged me to play a song or two for Lauren. And Lauren liked what she heard and asked her. me to play piano on Everything is Everything, which ended up being a pretty big hit. It was cool, actually, going back to school because Lauren Hill's album ended up being the soundtrack to everyone's year that year, that entire senior year. Everyone was playing the miseducation of Lauren Hill.

Me being able to go around and tell people that I was part of it, even a small part of just playing the piano on one song, it was pretty cool. The song title and refrain, Everything is Everything, was inspired by Donnie Hathaway's debut album, Everything is Everything released in 1970. Of course, this Donnie Hathaway reference ties nicely into Miseducation's previous track, Nothing Even Matters. A song you now know was inspired by the duets of Donnie Hathaway and Roberta Flack. With Everything is Everything's opening hook, we gain insight about what the phrase means to

Miss Hill. Miss Hill sings, Everything is Everything. What is meant to be will be. After winter must come spring. change it comes eventually. At its heart, the hook expresses a message of hope through the acceptance of what is. Miss Hill uses the changes of the seasons to exemplify her point. Specifically, she cites the cold of winter, a season that commonly portrays sadness or gloom, and the warmth of spring, a season of rebirth and rejuvenation. It's not similar to the transformation Miss Hill

has undergone over the course of miseducation. We find her here at the album's end on the other side of heartbreak, reborn with a new sense of who she is and her path forward in life. Specifically the phrase everything is everything is one of universal acceptance of what is. The word everything encompasses all there is so there cannot be more than what is right now in this moment. Again, now on the other side of despair, Miss Hill is able to be more accepting of the things she cannot control, knowing that everything is as it should be, or as she says, what is meant to be will be. Though it's not explicitly implied here, we know that Ms. Hill's entrustment in God with her life also influences her ability to accept what is. The Bible is full of passages about acceptance of the things you cannot control,

about trusting God's plan. Proverbs 3-5 states, quote, trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight, unquote. Psalm 461 states, quote, God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help, in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, and the mountains quake with their surging, unquote. Finally, Luke 1225 says, quote, Who of you by worry can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? unquote.

With everything is everything's first verse, Miss Hill makes clear just who this song is for. Who won't accept deception in Instead of what is truth? It seems we lose. Let me tell you that everything is everything. Everything begins verse one. I wrote these words for everyone who struggles in their youth. Who won't accept deception instead of what is truth.

Having spent most of the album documenting her personal experience, it's fitting now at the end of the album she's addressing direction. her external audience, sharing with us the wisdom she's acquired through her experience. And while she's clearly addressing a younger audience, we know she's just as clearly talking to her younger self. She's older, wiser, and more experienced, and she's leveraging that experience to speak to those like her in hopes that her words can help alleviate the anxiety she once felt. Ms. Hill continues, it seems we lose the game before we even start to play. Who made these rules? We're so confused, easily led astray.

These lines are vague and perhaps rightly so. Because they're not specific, they become universal. There's room for the listener to interpret them based on their own experience and observations. Given what we've heard Ms. Hill speak on over the course of miseducation, we assume these lines at least in part speak on the constructs of a capitalistic system that has historically created disproportionate opportunity, specifically for African Americans. Ms. Hill asserts that this unequal system confuses us and leads us to pursue all the wrong things in life. And again, given what we've heard throughout the album, we assume being led astray equates to being led away from God, goodness, and love. We think of Proverbs 2810.

Those who leave good people along an evil path will fall into their own trap, but the honest will inherit good things. Rich people may think they're wise, but a poor person with discernment can see right through them. A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor as a roaring lion or an attacking bear. A ruler with no understanding will oppress his people, but one who hates corruption will have a long life, unquote. After a repetition of the song's hook, Ms. Hill delivers a potent second verse. Miss Hill begins the verse saying, I philosophy.

This is likely in reference to the Rastafari religion and their linguistic use of the phrase I and I. Rostas believe that Yah or God lives within all people as the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they often refer to themselves as I and I, indicating the presence of the Holy Spirit within them. They also use the phrase I and I instead of me, us, them, or you, as a sign of equality and oneness of all people. In this way, I philosophy is an expression of the song's title Everything is Everything, and All-encompassing

oneness. Miss Hill continues, possibly speak tongues. Pigeybacking off the linguistic reference of I philosophy, Ms. Hill cites the apostles in the Bible and their ability to speak tongues to spread the message of God in a universal language understood by all. In this way, Ms. Hill compares her mission with that of the apostles, to spread the word of God. with as many people as possible. This is elaborated on as the verse continues. Beat drum, Absinian Street Baptist. Absinia was the Ethiopian Empire that reigned from 1270 AD up until the early 20th century. Absinians primarily practice Abrahamic religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. By saying beat drum, Ms. Hill is referencing the strong rhythmic-based music traditions of Africa,

placing herself and her faith-based music in that lineage. This is why she crowns herself as Street Baptist as she's beating her drum, spreading the word of God through hip-hop, a rhythm-centric genre born and bred from the streets. Her spiritual illusions continue with the line, wrap this in fine linen from the beginning. Here Ms. Hill plays on the word rap to mean her rapping or rhyming skills are so valuable that they should be wrapped in fine linen. But it's a much more complex line when we dive a bit deeper.

Fine linen is a nod to the Bible, specifically Chronicles 15. which outlines the transport of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant was a gold-covered wooden chest with a lid cover containing the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. When the ark was brought to Jerusalem by David, the event was described this way. Quote, Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen,

as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, as were the musicians, and Kanana, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen effod. so all Israel brought up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord with shouts, with the sounding of ramshorns and trumpets, and of symbols, and the playing of lies and harps, unquote. It's likely no coincidence that Miss Hill draws on a passage that features both musicians

wrapped in fine linen and the Ark of the Covenant which contains the Ten Commandments. Coming after her proclaimed Street Baptist title, she's placing her rhymes in the biblical lineage, comparing herself to the linen-wrap musicians whose music celebrates the teachings of the Lord. The verse continues with more spectacular wordplay. Having spent the verse thus far speaking of Rastafari, Ethiopia, Jerusalem, and biblical stories, Ms. Hill first points out her worldly eclecticism by saying, My practice extending across the atlas. She then says, I begat this, flipping in a ghetto on a dirty mattress. Begat is past tense of the archaic word beget. Using this word is certainly another

nod to the Bible and its use of archaic words. Begett means to both procreate as in birth and to cause or produce an effect. Saying I begat this is a statement of empowerment, but she's also playing off the procreation meaning of the word as she continues flipping in the ghetto on a dirty mattress. Flipping is slang for sex, so she's saying she birthed this by having sex on a dirty mattress in the ghetto. Of course, we assume this to be symbolic of her roots growing up in Newark, New Jersey. So like we've heard throughout miseducation, she's harmonizing contrasts, the high and low, the refinement of fine linen, and the grit of a dirty mattress, the intellectualism of her worldly knowledge, and the street smart she acquired in New Jersey. Again, it's yet another expression

of the all-encompassing phrase, Everything is Everything. Miss Hill is inclusive of all classes and cultures. As the verse continues, Miss Hill double downs on her intricate worldly wordplay. MCs ain't ready to take it to the Sarangetti My rhymes is heavy Like the mother sister Betty El-bugy spars with stars and constellations Then came down for a little conversation Adjacent to the king fear no human being

Roll with cherubims to Nassar Coliseum Now hear this mixture With hip hop meets scripture Develop a negative into a positive picture Now everything Miss Hill continues You can't match this rapper slash actress More powerful than two Cleopatra's

As you know, Miss Hill has a background in acting, most well known for her major role in Sister Act 2. She compares her dualistic skill set being greater than two Egyptian queen Cleopatra's. She builds on this reference with the following line, bomb graffiti on the tomb of Nefertiti. Nefertiti was an Egyptian queen who reigned alongside her husband between 1353 and 1336 BC. She follows with the line, MCs ain't ready to take it to Serengeti. Serengeti is an ecosystem in Africa known for its wildlife population. This line is a subtle flex, calling out her peers' lyrical limitations and knowledge. It's also a clever reference to her previous lines, as she literally took it to Serengeti or Africa with her references and metaphors.

She then cites another powerful black female with the line, My Rhymes is heavy like the mind of sister Betty. Born Betty Dean Sanders, Betty Shabazz was an American educator and civil rights advocate who was married to Malcolm If you listen closely to this line, you can hear Miss Hill say El Shabazz in the background, referring to the couple's adopted last name. Miss Hill cleverly uses El Shabazz to link the next line, El Boogie, as in El Boogie spars with the stars and constellations, then came down for a little conversation.

This is another lyrical flex, asserting that her lyrics and mind are on a higher level than most. Saying she comes down for conversation means that she passes on her education from God above through her lyrics. With the line, adjacent to the king, fear no human being, Ms. Hill calls back to the African queen's Cleopatra and Nefertiti she referenced previously. Like these powerful women, Ms. Hill is not subservient to a king nor anyone else for that matter. Being adjacent to a king, also calls to mind the game of chess in which the king and queen are adjacent pieces. The queen is also the most powerful piece on the board. Ms. Hill follows by saying, roll with cherubims to Nassu Coliseum.

A cherubim is a member of the second order of the angels cited throughout the Bible. They're commonly depicted as beautiful rosy-cheek children with wings. These angels escort Miss Hill to Nassu Coliseum, an indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, which is perhaps a subtle flex of the kinds of large venues she performs in. Finally, Miss Hill closes the verse, now hear this mixture, where hip-hop meets scripture, develop a negative into a positive picture. Here we find her acknowledging the confluence of street lyricism, and Bible verses in her music. She plays on the fact that underdeveloped pictures are called negatives.

Through her knowledge of both scripture and the streets, she's transforming this negative into a quote, positive picture. We could understand this to pertain to hip hop itself, that she's flipping the script on the negative stereotypes of hip-hop and transforming it into a source of positive energy. We could also take this to mean something more universal, something that reflects the emotional and spiritual journey she's undergone, tying into the overall theme of everything is everything. Specifically, we think of the hooks line after winter must come spring.

The negative or bleakness will eventually develop into something warmer or more positive. And when you finally reach that point, when the picture fully develops, only then will you see how the negative was a required step in your emotional and spiritual growth.

I'd gone through a lot, you know, a huge emotional and spiritual battle. And the funny thing is, that while I was going in the battle, I couldn't see my hand, despite my face. I mean, I really couldn't see anything because I was so emotionally entangled and everything that I'd gone through. But it was like once I was delivered from that situation, you know, and once I got the perspective, was able to look back at heartache and look back at pain and disappointment, for some reason, it all was so clear, you know, the picture started to form itself. But the interesting thing

was that it couldn't happen while I was in the middle of the confusion. I had to learn from those things, painfully. But even now, I thank God for correction. I even thank them for hardship because it shows me exactly where I am, where I was, and where I need to be. Everything is Everything continues with a third and final verse.

With ourselves that dream To make a better situation With verse 3, Ms. Hill returns to a more simplistic lyrical style. She sings, sometimes it seems we'll touch that dream, but things come slow or not at all. It's a reiteration of patience, of things happening in due time and the acceptance of process. She continues, and the ones on the top won't make it stop, so convinced that they might fall. Like verse 1, Miss Hill outlines a disproportionate distribution of power, and how the powerful hold tight to the status quo as it ensures their status doesn't diminish.

Miss Hill presents a solution of sorts to this unjust system. She says, let's love ourselves and we can't fail to make a better situation, to tomorrow our seeds will grow, all we need is dedication. The idea here is an emphasis on self, on the love of self, and trusting that one reaps what they sow eventually. The ideas presented here in the final verse have been iterated throughout miseducation, but never so concisely and plainly as they are here. Miss Hill's message, her solution to the ailment of youth, is simple. The world you have inherited is unfair. It's built on a disproportionate balance of wealth and power. as it stands today, that's a reality you must accept.

And while we'll work together to change that reality, know that change comes slow, have patience and trust in the process. In the meantime, work on yourself, love yourself, be good to yourself, and those around you. Because the world is made up of individuals, and if every individual tended to their personal garden with compassion, consideration, and love, the world couldn't help but become all the more beautiful. We should never be comfortable where we are. You know, we should always be aspiring to know more and to better ourselves and to approve ourselves, you know, to improve ourselves. Because that's how we improve the world around us by working within us.

You improve yourself, light up the corner that you live on. You know, you may not touch a gazillion lives, but you can light up your own space. Light up your home. Conclusions. With every ghetto, every city, nothing even matters and everything is everything. we reached the end of the miseducation of Lauren Hill's narrative arc. Like we discussed at the top of the show, Ms. Hill's emotional and spiritual journey reached its turning point with her submission to God,

and the trio of songs we discussed today displays her mindset after that submission. Now comfortable and confident with herself, she exhibits the tranquility of mind that was not present before. There's the celebration of her youth in every ghetto every city, the serene, untroubled bliss of nothing even matters, and everything is everything's all-encompassing worldview and wisdom of acceptance. Its maturation set to music, a luminous exhibition of personal growth. Indeed, as the album title suggests, Miss Hill is demonstrating the education of experience,

the life lessons acquired not in the classroom, but by dredging through the swamp of life's inevitable, unavoidable maladies. You know, Miss education, people automatically thought, you know, oh, my, she must not done. You know, they're teachers in teaching things, but that wasn't it. But the meaning behind it was really sort of a catch in me learning that, you know, when I thought I was my most wise, really not wise at all. And in my humility, you know, and in those places that most people wouldn't expect a lesson to come from. That's where I learned so much. And, you know, and so I termed the phrase miseducation, you know, not because it was a miseducation per se, but just because it was sort of contrary to what the world says is education, you know.

this education that came from life and experience, you know, and not necessarily academic, all academic, but related to living. The Miseducation of Lauren Hill concludes with the album's title track, a pensive, retrospective ballad in which Miss Hill looks back on her life thus far and reflects with the wisdom well beyond her 22 years. We'll cover this song in detail, draw some final conclusions about miseducation, as well as trace its legacy and lasting impact over the last 20 years, all on our series finale episode. Next time on Dysect.

Dysect is written and produced by me. Project support by Spotify's Michelle Santucci. Original theme music by Birocratic. Song Recreations by Andrew Atwood. Additional research by Akash Pandi. Remember, when you listen to Dysect on Spotify, you'll get episodes a week early, plus access to exclusive bonus episodes. follow at Dissect Podcast on Twitter and Instagram

and join our newsletter at dissectpodcast.com. Okay, thanks everyone. Talk to you next week.