Lauryn Hill won five Grammys in one night in 1999 -- the most ever by a woman at that point -- and then decided the machine wasn't worth her soul. The Fugees were a warm-up. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill -- part hip-hop, part soul, part Bob Marley, part autobiography -- was the sound of a young Black woman claiming every part of herself at once.

Doo Wop (That Thing). Ex-Factor. To Zion. Lost Ones. She wrote, produced, and arranged. The album is a masterpiece -- loose, lived-in, crackling with energy and anger and tenderness. She thanked God, walked offstage with her armful of Grammys, and then walked away from the machine.

The interviews stopped. The albums stopped. She reemerged periodically for concerts where she might start two hours late, might rearrange every song beyond recognition. The crowd still shows up. The album still sounds like the future. Lauryn Hill didn't owe anyone an explanation. She gave us the music. That was the deal.

Lauryn Hill won five Grammys in one night with The Miseducation, then walked away. The album is a masterpiece. She didn't owe anyone an explanation.