Originally sang by Lori Lieberman, Lauryn Hill preformed this song while she was part of Fugees. The song starts off with a slow and legato echoey melody before kicking in with the rap and reggae aspects. This is a prime example of the genre blending Hill is known for. Throughout the song, her harmonious singing is juxtaposed with the harsher and quicker rap lines of her band mates. This is representative of how the lyrics are juxtaposed with "killing" and "softly" so often repeated. This makes sense in the piece since the song talks about how this "young boy" was singing so full of emotion that the pain of the audience was mirrored in his beautiful music. Lauryn Hill herself tries to evoke this effect in her audience, with her strong singing voice and frequent well-placed vibrato. In the background of the whole piece, there is a powerful drum beat necessary to the rap feel. This also allows for the audience to nod their head along or tap their feet with the strong pulse. 

This song is on Hill's famous album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. The piece features a strong drum beat and the occasional inclusion of brass instrumentals characteristic of R&B. However the song also genre blends with soul, rap and gospel. These aspects result in the song being upbeat and bouncy, despite the serious topic. Hill sings to have a conversation, avoiding aggressive and dissonant lyrics that would result in certain parties feeling attacked. The topic itself is about liberating women. In a lot of older Hip-Hop, women were objectified and sexualized by the lyrics and videos. In order to address this issue, Hill first talks to women with her lyrics, telling them to not succumb to the pressure of men and to know their worth. She doesn't lecture, and instead relates it back to herself by saying she's experienced the same situation. Later in the piece, she says to the men that they should reconsider their treatment of women and break the trend of toxic masculinity.

Another song from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, this Hip-Hop and gospel song features a prominent Spanish guitar part as a collaboration with the musician Carlos Santana. Hill put a lot of emotion into this piece, as it is about her son. As her lyrics state, she was encouraged not to have her baby and instead focus on her career but she went against this black or white way of thinking and decided to have her baby anyways while continuing to song write. This broke the stereotypical norms of the time that forced women to choose one or the other. Hill stands up for all women in this way, saying they can have both if they want. Her bold vocals radiate power and emotion. A marching-like beat in the back reminiscent of the military aids in pushing this image of power and strength. Despite this, the light guitar overlaying it portrays the sweetness and happiness of her choice. This all works together to build the image of a strong and capable woman. 

From The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, this song starts off with light piano and pleasant bird-like sounds. The lyrics discuss a relationship with unreciprocated love. The cheerful instrumentals represent the sweetness of the love but also the sadness of a damaged relationship. There is no anger in this piece, no harsh sounds, only the heartbreak and confusion of a person giving so much of themselves to a relationship just to receive nothing in return. The long and drawn out vocals add to this effect. Hill lingers on the ends of lyrics, drawing out the emotion and love portrayed by the music. This drawn out nature also symbolizes how the relationship she sings about was drawn out, the man leaving her feeling like it could still work out despite his lack of reciprocation. Overall the songs purpose is to show the duel nature of love to be either fulfilling or heartbreaking.

This last song is yet again from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. The piece is immediately noticeable as more aggressive than her other songs. This aggression is reflected in the staccato piano notes played harshly and the tough beat set up right from the start. Hill is also very set and confident in her lyrics. This style is key to the message she is sharing with this song. She is speaking out against the injustices and the struggles experienced by black youth. She is telling them that things are how they are meant to be and that you can't always change life despite the tough circumstances they may be in. In this song, there is also a section of faster rap when other songs from this album showcase Hill rapping in a slower way.  This style appeals more to the younger members of the audience who Hill is trying to reach with this song.