that time SZA stunned her high school haters

and what Lauryn Hill had to do with it

Hello from a woman who is resisting. I’m the author, journalist, producer, and podcast creator Danyel Smith. SHINE BRIGHT HQ is where I overshare about music and culture. It’s Black History Month, and it’s definitely Black History Month daily over here.

So far this month, I’ve published a post a day (which is wild), and I appreciate the response: thank you for being a part of the SHINE BRIGHT HQ universe. FYI the full SHINE BRIGHT HQ archive is here. And: you should totally ⤵️

The Fugees dropped The Score on this day (February 13) in 1996.

Lauryn was the clear star from the moment I met her on the rooftop of a NYC apartment building, where the trio was in the midst of their first promotional shoot for Columbia Records. (More on that later ⤵️ — ⤵️ I was the photo assistant.)