[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=380494]
It was a rough start (“Bird Walk”, anyone?) but now that Soulja Boy has dodged the sophomore jinx, he’s got his eyes on album number tre and his dream of collaborating with hip-hop’s elite. Plus it looks like the gimmicks are over.
“My first two albums, I never did tell people my story,” he said. “I just put out fun records. … Now that people got these hits, it’s time to go in on ’em.”
I like this kid.
Sidebar: Unplugged!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OePjmmf7dBk]

This is a great reminder of how powerful and lasting Lauryn Hill’s influence has been in music. The fact that The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill eventually reached diamond status after so many years shows that truly meaningful music can continue finding new listeners long after its original release. I also like how the article highlights the combination of hip hop, R&B, neo soul, and reggae that made the album so distinctive. Achieving more than 10 million sales is an incredible milestone, especially considering how much the music industry has changed since 1998. The album’s success feels less like a temporary trend and more like proof that strong songwriting and authentic artistic expression can remain relevant across generations. It is interesting to see how numbers can tell part of a story, whether we are looking at album sales or using a proportion calculator to understand relationships between different figures.